Baha'i Perspectives on Philanthropy: An Exploration of the Role of Charity in Advancing Social Action and Societal Discourse

The Bahá’í writings state that "Charity is pleasing and praiseworthy in the sight of God and is regarded as a prince among goodly deeds," and that for wealth to be acceptable it must “be expended for philanthropic purposes.” The panel will be comprised of Bahá’ís with experience in philanthropy who will share their learnings, rooted in the Writings and Guidance from the House of Justice, about ways that Bahá’ís might consider approaches to philanthropy. Lessons learned from Bahá’í-inspired efforts, as well as reflections on the possible future state of philanthropy as envisioned by 'Abdu’l-Bahá will be offered.

  • Layli Miller-Muro

    Layli founded the Tahirih Justice Center and, for 25 years, raised significant funds from philanthropic sources. Currently, she is a consultant to and board member of private foundations including the Mastercard Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Sony Foundation, the Meyer Foundation and Wayfarer Foundation, where she seeks to apply Bahá’í concepts to advance justice and equity.

  • Roy Steiner

    Roy has worked in philanthropy for many years at the Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network and others. A recognized expert in philanthropic measurement, evaluation, and learning, he brings wisdom on how philanthropy that is inspired by the Bahá’í Faith might be different from the current paradigm.

  • Eric Dozier

    Through the Children’s Theater Company and the Escambia Collective, Eric has valuable insights into issues of equity, justice, and systems change through philanthropic efforts and how they intersect with the Community Building Process. He is also the CEO of mobileSOULcafé, a Bahá'í-inspired virtual watering hole designed to connect creatives doing the work of oneness to the folks and funding sources that can lend support.

  • Husayn Allmart

    Husayn is a Program Officer at Wayfarer Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired philanthropic organization. His work, based on the Bahá’í writings on social action, is gaining national attention as part of a movement towards community-based models of philanthropy.

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48th Annual Conference

The views expressed in this recording are those of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the views of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, nor the authoritative explications of Bahá’í writings.