Decolonizing Wealth, Second Edition: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 19:31:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Edgar Villanueva
- ISBN：152309141X
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Summary
This second edition expands the provocative analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in philanthropy and finance into other sectors and offers practical advice on how anyone can be a decolonizer。
In a 2017 survey of 111 private foundations， 85% of the total number of board members were white， and 40% of foundation boards were 100% white。 Another survey showed that only 10% of foundation funding goes specifically to people of color。
Philanthropy has evolved to mirror colonial structures， ultimately doing more harm than good。In this book Edgar Villanueva recounts his journey past the field's altruistic façade and into its shadows: white supremacy， savior complexes， and internalized oppression。
The second edition has two new chapters that expand this analysis。。 Medicine Beyond Money relates inspiring examples of people doing the work of decolonization in all kinds of workplaces and sectors。 Story as Medicine explains how sharing our stories is a vital part of that process。
Drawing on Native traditions， Villanueva explains how we can decolonize the institutions and processes around money， using the Seven Steps to Healing: Grieve， Apologize， Listen， Relate， Represent， Invest， and Repair。 He writes， "Everyone has a role in the process of healing。 All our suffering is mutual。 All our healing is mutual。 All our thriving is mutual。"
In a 2017 survey of 111 private foundations， 85% of the total number of board members were white， and 40% of foundation boards were 100% white。 Another survey showed that only 10% of foundation funding goes specifically to people of color。
Philanthropy has evolved to mirror colonial structures， ultimately doing more harm than good。In this book Edgar Villanueva recounts his journey past the field's altruistic façade and into its shadows: white supremacy， savior complexes， and internalized oppression。
The second edition has two new chapters that expand this analysis。。 Medicine Beyond Money relates inspiring examples of people doing the work of decolonization in all kinds of workplaces and sectors。 Story as Medicine explains how sharing our stories is a vital part of that process。
Drawing on Native traditions， Villanueva explains how we can decolonize the institutions and processes around money， using the Seven Steps to Healing: Grieve， Apologize， Listen， Relate， Represent， Invest， and Repair。 He writes， "Everyone has a role in the process of healing。 All our suffering is mutual。 All our healing is mutual。 All our thriving is mutual。"
Reviews
Naomi
，
This was really relevant to me because I've been doing work for a foundation， and this challenged a lot of my assumptions。 I had been somewhat naive about where I work because it seemed that the flow of "work" didn't have to obey the standard rules of capitalism。 But reading Decolonizing Wealth gave me an understanding of the much larger picture of why we should never fall into the trap of believing that billionaires giving away money is anything approaching altruism。 I also understand now that This was really relevant to me because I've been doing work for a foundation， and this challenged a lot of my assumptions。 I had been somewhat naive about where I work because it seemed that the flow of "work" didn't have to obey the standard rules of capitalism。 But reading Decolonizing Wealth gave me an understanding of the much larger picture of why we should never fall into the trap of believing that billionaires giving away money is anything approaching altruism。 I also understand now that the endless "strategizing" about where the funds should go becomes an example of how colonizers keep control， when truly it's the people on the ground experiencing poverty & lack of resources that should be trusted to know what their situation requires。 I liked the author's example that we would never call a mother who takes care of her sick child altruistic， when that may be the truest form of love。 Altruism has been corrupted to apply to wealth hoarders giving a tiny percentage of resources away to those who prove themselves worthy。 We should shine a BRIGHT light on how foundations got that wealth in the first place—by exploiting workers and resources first， and by avoiding taxation second。 I might have given this book five stars were it not for the somewhat self-helpy tone in places。 There are certainly some great ideas in here about how foundations can change their practices right now especially by divesting their assets from funds （e。g。 fossil fuels， real estate） that directly contradict their stated values。 。。。more
Amy Villanueva
，
A lot！ As in -- this book gets you thinking and encourages a lot of self-reflection。 Gives the term "white supremacy" a modern， tangible face and many ways to grapple with how it shows up in America today， in my work and personal life。 Thank you Edgar for sharing your wisdom and opening up my perspective。 A lot！ As in -- this book gets you thinking and encourages a lot of self-reflection。 Gives the term "white supremacy" a modern， tangible face and many ways to grapple with how it shows up in America today， in my work and personal life。 Thank you Edgar for sharing your wisdom and opening up my perspective。 。。。more
Athena
，
This is an OK book。 It's really for people working in philanthropy or nonprofit development， people who are doing institutional work around resource generation and redistribution。 If you are already steeped in critiques of that work and of the nonprofit industrial complex， I would say you can give this a pass。 One thing I appreciated about Decolonizing Wealth is that Villanueva frames it as a way of transmitting the teachings that have guided him along his path。 He low-key challenges the idea th This is an OK book。 It's really for people working in philanthropy or nonprofit development， people who are doing institutional work around resource generation and redistribution。 If you are already steeped in critiques of that work and of the nonprofit industrial complex， I would say you can give this a pass。 One thing I appreciated about Decolonizing Wealth is that Villanueva frames it as a way of transmitting the teachings that have guided him along his path。 He low-key challenges the idea that "original" or proprietary knowledge has intrinsically more value。 The book is a manifestation of how ideas gain value as they get picked up and reshaped through a variety of contexts and become part of other people's stories。Other than that， I was disappointed that Villanueva is loosey-goosey about what "decolonizing" means。 The concept of power transfer in this book is mostly limited to sharing decision-making with systemically marginalized people who have traditionally been excluded from philanthropic redistribution。 Given the title， I expected/hoped that Decolonizing Wealth would push beyond diversity-equity-inclusion discourse。 But I think this is meant to be an entry point to Villanueva's more concrete work around reparations and land back。 。。。more
Molly Blank
，
It is a difficult task to discuss prickly problems with the warmth and care that the author infuses into the book。 You are asked to reconsider the view and mechanisms of modern philanthropy to great effect。 I didn't find anything to be earth-shattering upon a first read， but the combination of thoughtful reasoning with personal anecdotes really leaves an impact。 It is a difficult task to discuss prickly problems with the warmth and care that the author infuses into the book。 You are asked to reconsider the view and mechanisms of modern philanthropy to great effect。 I didn't find anything to be earth-shattering upon a first read， but the combination of thoughtful reasoning with personal anecdotes really leaves an impact。 。。。more
Alisa
，
So good。
Kaleigh
，
4+
Jeremy Hudson
，
Not impressed as the evidence， data and results only consists of personal anecdotes and declarations that so and so must be true because it was declared to be so。
Christian Matyi
，
The four stars are based on how important I believe the book to be， rather than as a credit to the book's writing。 Author Villanova presents a compelling idea about wealth as a fo0rm of "meta colonization，" or colonization by land proxy。 It is impossible to disagree with his predicates and the concept is actually important。 However， the book lacks a depth that such a profound predicate might merit。 While there is research， there is little by way of walk-through。 Much of the book is drawn from th The four stars are based on how important I believe the book to be， rather than as a credit to the book's writing。 Author Villanova presents a compelling idea about wealth as a fo0rm of "meta colonization，" or colonization by land proxy。 It is impossible to disagree with his predicates and the concept is actually important。 However， the book lacks a depth that such a profound predicate might merit。 While there is research， there is little by way of walk-through。 Much of the book is drawn from the author's own experiences working as one of the few American indigenous in the field of philanthropy， and then extrapolates points about the broader world of philanthropy and wealth through analogy to his own lived experiences。 Yet I feel like the book lacked broader narratives; it felt cloistered and almost specific。 The book would have been so much stronger had there been more written about other financial fields， and how colonization persists。 These are just touched on， and then it's quickly back over to Villanova's experiences and the field of philanthropy。 It left me feeling like something was missing， even if I followed the point he was making。Midway through the book veers almost towards self-help with a tier of 7 "steps" to decolonize wealth， yet these are more personal essays and reflections that complete truth。 In each step， I was left wanting more than just the concept。 Again， I found it a valuable read because the ideas are compelling and urgent。 Yet as a book， it felt too short for the weight of its own brilliant concept。 I STRONGLY urge you to read it， as it is short， but keep your patience （and a browser search window） at the ready。 。。。more
Karen Kohoutek
，
This book is great！ Even though I am not its target audience， which is explicitly people who are responsible for money， either through banking and financing or through philanthropic efforts。 But its messages are valuable for anyone。 The author has spent a career in different non-profit philanthropies， and has many insightful critiques of the entire system， and the way it perpetuates injustice and inequity on multiple levels。 Almost every page had something eye-opening， that I wanted to share wit This book is great！ Even though I am not its target audience， which is explicitly people who are responsible for money， either through banking and financing or through philanthropic efforts。 But its messages are valuable for anyone。 The author has spent a career in different non-profit philanthropies， and has many insightful critiques of the entire system， and the way it perpetuates injustice and inequity on multiple levels。 Almost every page had something eye-opening， that I wanted to share with the world。 I found it especially useful because he acknowledges that， within the system we have， many of us have come to be distrustful of money and the power it has over things， but reminds us that the system isn't inevitable。 It was created， and it can be changed， but only if there's a real willingness to change， rather than making token gestures。 So much to think about！ 。。。more
Laura Reinhardt
，
So much to think about and act upon from this book。
Dianne
，
Important， though imperfectThe author included an extensive bibliography， footnote details， and glossary。 I was easily drawn in by his story telling style and insight into philanthropy in the United States。 The last chapter， though， seemed abrupt。 Perhaps rereading the sections I highlighted throughout the book will provide the wrap up I need。 The author has valuable insights and experience， making this an important read for those wanting to donate wisely and meaningfully。
Brittani
，
Definitely a must read for those in philanthropy！
April White
，
The concept of wealth is more than just having large amounts of money。 This book will challenge known definitions and meanings of wealth and philanthropy。 Several good suggestions of how to move forward using Indigenous perspectives in these fields。
Sonja P。
，
I have worked in the nonprofit sphere for about five years now， which is why I picked up this book。 It is all about wealth and philanthropy and how these practices further white supremacy， and what we can do differently-how we can listen， and share power， and radically reimagine how we function in the world based on indigenous wisdom and ways。 So， so， so relevant and needed。
Trilety
，
This was an eye-opening book。 While its focus was specific to decolonizing wealth in philanthropic foundations， it was about so much more。 Villanueva shares his own experience as a Native American in the field of philanthropy as well as that of other people of color。 The first part of the book， called "where it hurts，" outlines the extant results of colonization and the second part of the book， called "how to heal，" details the 7 steps to healing: Grieve， Apologize， Listen， Relate， Represent， In This was an eye-opening book。 While its focus was specific to decolonizing wealth in philanthropic foundations， it was about so much more。 Villanueva shares his own experience as a Native American in the field of philanthropy as well as that of other people of color。 The first part of the book， called "where it hurts，" outlines the extant results of colonization and the second part of the book， called "how to heal，" details the 7 steps to healing: Grieve， Apologize， Listen， Relate， Represent， Invest， and Repair。 Some passages I found incredibly helpful:"Diversity is how white people talk about race when they don't want to talk about race， but it can also mean the representation of any marginalized group， including Indigenous people， women， queer folk， people with disabilities， immigrants， and people of particular religious or ethnic backgrounds。""The savior complex often goes in hand in hand with white supremacy。 Not all saviors are white; some are people of color and Indigenous people who have been infected by the power dynamic of colonization and internal oppression。 Here's the thing about saviors: No matter how much they think the victim might need their help， rescuing someone can only reinforce their victimhood。" "Rather than asking what's wrong， what needs to be fixed， what's broken， what if philanthropy asked a community what it is most proud of and how it could support that？" Villanueva shares a bunch of great resources throughout this book as well， ie "In their 'Dismantling Racism' workbook， Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun identified other characteristics of white supremacy culture， including perfectionism， sense of urgency， defensiveness， quantity over quality， worship of the written word， paternalism， either/or thinking， fear of open conflict， individualism， worship of unlimited growth， objectivity and avoidance of discomfort。" Villanueva speaks from his experience and his heart， and I felt honored to be a reader of his。 。。。more
Amy North
，
Super thought-provoking （especially since I work in fundraising at a non-profit）。 I thought the section describing the Seven Steps to Healing was particularly insightful。 I would highly recommend this to anyone working in the world of non-profits （especially non-profits that fund projects）。"We're not a healthy community unless we're taking care of everybody， and I mean all our relations， insides and outside our tribes。" Super thought-provoking （especially since I work in fundraising at a non-profit）。 I thought the section describing the Seven Steps to Healing was particularly insightful。 I would highly recommend this to anyone working in the world of non-profits （especially non-profits that fund projects）。"We're not a healthy community unless we're taking care of everybody， and I mean all our relations， insides and outside our tribes。" 。。。more
Rebecca Wiggins
，
Must read， especially for those in the nonprofit or philanthropy sectors。 "Healing cannot occur unless everyone is part of the process。 Let it begin" Must read， especially for those in the nonprofit or philanthropy sectors。 "Healing cannot occur unless everyone is part of the process。 Let it begin" 。。。more
Courtney Sams
，
A necessary read for anyone in the field of philanthropy or nonprofit work。 I appreciated the lessons on colonialism and they way it infects our workplaces and financial institutions。 I only wish Villanueva dug deeper into the systems change that needs to happen in philanthropy to create a new future less rooted in capitalism。 I hope that’s his next book！
Jennifer Risher
，
Edgar Villanueva writes with honesty and compassion， telling his personal story as a philanthropy executive and laying bare the hard truth of the oppression and exploitation brought on by colonialism and racism。 Capitalism and racism are linked， which means philanthropy， like most other sectors needs to take a hard look in the mirror and make change and reparations。 I appreciate the quotes from BiPOC people within the industry。 I also very much appreciate Villanueva’s thoughtful outline of seven Edgar Villanueva writes with honesty and compassion， telling his personal story as a philanthropy executive and laying bare the hard truth of the oppression and exploitation brought on by colonialism and racism。 Capitalism and racism are linked， which means philanthropy， like most other sectors needs to take a hard look in the mirror and make change and reparations。 I appreciate the quotes from BiPOC people within the industry。 I also very much appreciate Villanueva’s thoughtful outline of seven steps we can all take to heal。 This is a must-read for any donor—and for anyone seeking to be anti-racist， to use money as medicine for healing， and to help us all connect to our common humanity。 。。。more
Ezra
，
At times I thought this was corporate bullshit but other times it had something profound to say （especially when it spoke of generational trauma， especially among Indigenous people）。 He speaks about the colonialist mindset but doesn't mention capitalism。 Capitalism is the reason why "the West" is so into individualism and seeing things in terms of money， especially descendants of the British - they literally wrote the book on Capitalism and have also lived longer with its social consequences， su At times I thought this was corporate bullshit but other times it had something profound to say （especially when it spoke of generational trauma， especially among Indigenous people）。 He speaks about the colonialist mindset but doesn't mention capitalism。 Capitalism is the reason why "the West" is so into individualism and seeing things in terms of money， especially descendants of the British - they literally wrote the book on Capitalism and have also lived longer with its social consequences， such as poor familial and community ties and the commodification of relationships。The stuff on how foundations work is kinda interesting， I guess， but as he says， they're just a way for rich people to mitigate the guilt they feel for the exploitation and theft they carry out。 Rather than rich people giving more， we need to bring down the levels of inequality。 I guess he would agree with this too。 。。。more
Jaylene
，
Foundational work in framing equity in the nonprofit sector。 Necessary in making the shift to liberate how we think about wealth and fundraising from the colonizer， white supremacist lens。
Anna Rather
，
Edgar Villanueva shares his experience as a Native American man in the world of philanthropy and how we should best reform our thoughts and actions to achieve a more socially just sector and world。 I read this book for a graduate class but would recommend anyone giving to a charitable institution to read this before doing so。
Traci
，
Really thought provoking。 Well written。 Will be thinking about it for a long while。
Kate
，
I'd call this a must read for wealthy white people who are engaging in any kind of philanthropy。 It was surprisingly memoir-ish， and it wasn't quite what I expected。 Still a worthy book。 I'd call this a must read for wealthy white people who are engaging in any kind of philanthropy。 It was surprisingly memoir-ish， and it wasn't quite what I expected。 Still a worthy book。 。。。more
DJ
，
I think the conversations this book has inspired in the philanthropy sector are great， but I'd struggle to use that same word for the book itself。 My feeling is this book is so well regarded because there aren't many books out there critical of the philanthropy sector or offering any type of path forward。The book is too short to really delve deep into the subject at hand and simplifies a lot。 I did enjoy reading the anecdotes from Edgar's work history as it reflected a lot of the issues I've als I think the conversations this book has inspired in the philanthropy sector are great， but I'd struggle to use that same word for the book itself。 My feeling is this book is so well regarded because there aren't many books out there critical of the philanthropy sector or offering any type of path forward。The book is too short to really delve deep into the subject at hand and simplifies a lot。 I did enjoy reading the anecdotes from Edgar's work history as it reflected a lot of the issues I've also seen in philanthropy。 I'm not sure this book has enough substance to change the sector， but just enough that it will be the first step for many in reflecting on their work。Lastly， I found it to be somewhat ironic that a book called Decolonizing Wealth cost $18 to buy。 For such a short read this book wasn't worth the money， I suggest getting it from the library if you can。 。。。more
Anna
，
Simply put， this is a worthwhile read。 The ideas about money as a tool or medicine really resonated。 Some chapters were a bit mind-boggling to read such as Foundations investing in Stocks counter to their missions。 If you claim to be for X。。。 shouldn't what you're invested in reflect that？ But so many foundations aren't。 Ways in which to really put investments into communities， yet as long as there's the concepts of White Supremacy and people wanting to hang on to the "reigns of power" and only Simply put， this is a worthwhile read。 The ideas about money as a tool or medicine really resonated。 Some chapters were a bit mind-boggling to read such as Foundations investing in Stocks counter to their missions。 If you claim to be for X。。。 shouldn't what you're invested in reflect that？ But so many foundations aren't。 Ways in which to really put investments into communities， yet as long as there's the concepts of White Supremacy and people wanting to hang on to the "reigns of power" and only dole it out piecemeal and to token groups， things won't change。Seeing an "outsider's" perspective on why certain places of power/institutions/Ivory Towers come across as soulless and lifeless suddenly make sense。There's lots of ideas and ways to address income inequality and making things more equitable。 But then the ideas presented here， resonate on how to use any excess wealth as a means to give back， help your communities and yes， that means Native American， Black， Latino and everyone else that isn't the default White & Christian。If you're looking for ways to be a better ally and are willing to listen or read in this case， read this book。 Some of it will chaffe， some of it is mind boggling when you see how insideously ingrained the Colonizer mindset is。There's several new perspectives here。 Many， that if we were helping people the way we thought or should have， should have been no brainers from the get-go。Read the book。For me， the expanded view of seeing Money as a Tool and changing it to Money as Medicine， that resonated。 。。。more
Andria
，
Recommend for anyone in philanthropy （especially on the foundation side）， board members， investors， and anyone who controls and distributes the wealth。
Debmeinke
，
My first read through - much food for thought。 I'll be re-reading through the spring with various colleague groups。 My first read through - much food for thought。 I'll be re-reading through the spring with various colleague groups。 。。。more
Tammy Parrish
，
From the introduction， “My central argument is that what ails philanthropy at its core is colonialism。 Almost without exception， funders reinforce the colonial division of Us vs。 Them， Haves vs。 Have Nots， and mostly white saviors and white experts vs。 poor， needy， urban， disadvantaged， marginalized， at-risk people （take your pick of euphemisms for people of color）。 The statistics speak for themselves: 92 percent of foundation CEOs are white，3 89 percent of foundation boards are white，4 while on From the introduction， “My central argument is that what ails philanthropy at its core is colonialism。 Almost without exception， funders reinforce the colonial division of Us vs。 Them， Haves vs。 Have Nots， and mostly white saviors and white experts vs。 poor， needy， urban， disadvantaged， marginalized， at-risk people （take your pick of euphemisms for people of color）。 The statistics speak for themselves: 92 percent of foundation CEOs are white，3 89 percent of foundation boards are white，4 while only 7 to 8 percent of foundation funding goes specifically to people of color。5 Philanthropy is the savior mentality in institutional form， which instead of helping—its ostentatiously proclaimed intent—actually further divides and destabilizes society。”As someone who worked as a fundraiser for almost 20 years， I strongly recommend this book to all fellow fundraisers and donors with white privilege。 Villanueva's perspective was an eye-opener to me。 I hope he will write a follow-up in ten years with many more examples of nonprofit organizations and foundations who have implemented his advice and changed the narrative of philanthropy。 At this stage it's difficult to feel hopeful， because， at least in the US and Europe， there are so few visible examples of non-colonialist philanthropy。 。。。more
Eduardo García
，