The Sillerman Center: Informing and advancing social justice philanthropy
The Sillerman Center family mourns the passing of our founder, friend and sage advisor, Laura Baudo Sillerman who died on October 27, 2024 following a long illness.
Laura was a deeply kind, irreverent, open-hearted, affirming person, beloved by family, friends and colleagues. Her observations about philanthropy, politics, poetry, literature journalism and art were sharp, informed and purposeful. Conversation with Laura was always engrossing, entertaining and uplifting. Even business meetings typically started with breakfast and drifted well past lunch. An email from Laura, ever the wordsmith, felt like a literary event.
Laura will be surely also be remembered for her generous philanthropy and for her service to countless humanitarian, education and arts organizations. In recent years, she had been a Board Member at Pen America, The American Museum of Natural History and Harlem Academy. She also has been a Trustee of Marietta College. In 2013, she established the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets. In addition to her work as a philanthropist and board member, Laura was a poet and a newspaper columnist and worked for several years as a copywriter at a Boston-based advertising agency. In 2016, the New York-based Poetry Society honored her as a champion of poetry. In 2008, a generous gift from Laura and her husband Robert Sillerman (69’) enabled the creation of the Sillerman Center.
Laura is pre-deceased by her husband, Robert, who died in 2019 and by a daughter, Mackinley, who died in 2012.
For Laura's complete obituary, please see here.
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In a world where traditional philanthropy often prioritizes the interests of the wealthy, Social Justice Philanthropy is emerging as a more meaningful and equitable approach. This movement is transforming traditional giving by addressing root causes of social issues and empowering those most affected to create lasting, systemic change. Join the Sillerman Center as we challenge the status quo and share best practices in Social Justice Philanthropy. Together, we can reimagine philanthropy to ensure it works for all.
At the Sillerman Center:
- We create accessible publications that guide funding in social justice areas and explore just, socially responsible philanthropic practice.
- We design and host free educational programming, webinars, strategy sessions and other gatherings for funders, their advisors and nonprofit leaders.
- We teach courses, fund fellowships, mentor students and host guest speakers for the Heller-Brandeis community.
- We collaborate with numerous community-based groups, university-based philanthropy centers, social justice funders and national networks to build strategy, co-sponsor events and long-term projects and to support and learn from each other’s work.
