In this episode of The Foundation Voice, Jennifer Stapleton sits down with Zoë Stemm Calderon, Executive Director of the Raikes Foundation, to explore what it takes to stay public and principled when pressure mounts. Zoë works alongside trustees Jeff and Tricia Raikes and the rest of the foundation team to expand opportunity for the next generation in a rapidly changing world.

While many foundations have chosen silence in recent years, retreating from public advocacy to protect their institutions, the Raikes Foundation has done the opposite. But their boldness isn't reckless. It's built on deep preparation, internal alignment, and a clear-eyed understanding of the difference between protecting your institution and protecting your mission.

Zoë shares the inside story: how the foundation practices crisis response, builds communities of courage with peer funders, and makes deliberate choices about where and how to use its voice. You'll hear why she believes silence is complicity, how philanthropy's role is to fund risk-taking (not fill government gaps), and what she's most excited to try as we move through this moment toward the next chapter of democracy and social change.

To learn more about the Raikes Foundation, visit www.raikes.org

For more information about this podcast, visit fireandbliss.com