Celebrating Black history with Janiece Evans-Page, CEO of Tides

Last year around this time, I was working on a grant to the California Health Report with a goal of bringing more solutions into journalism about domestic violence. The grant focuses on restorative practices as a pathway to prevent domestic violence and promote healing, safety, and accountability for survivors. Stories including How Restorative Justice Helped One Family Move Forward, A Violence-Prevention Helpline for Those Who Want to Change Gains Ground in California, and How Restorative Justice Can Bring Safety and Support to Survivors During the Holidays, are great examples of the work that we are proud to support. But because California Health Report is a for-profit newsroom, to receive funding they work with Tides Center as a partner.

Tides is a family of nonprofit philanthropic organizations dedicated to advancing social justice. In 2024, Tides granted nearly $500 million, including three of the 73 grants that Blue Shield of California Foundation has funded in partnership with Tides Foundation over the years.

I thought immediately of Tides and its CEO, Janiece Evans-Page, when the Foundation began highlighting Black leadership this Black History Month. Janiece talked with me about where she’s from, why she got into philanthropy, and given the political climate, how she finds her field of peace.

Shikiri: I’m curious about your journey to where you are now. Where originally are you from?

Janiece: There’s two parts of that. My soul, in terms of my family, is from the South. I was born in Arkansas. My parents’ and grandparents’ experiences have always fueled me in terms of who I am and what I do, but I grew up in the Bay Area. That’s where I get the eclectic social justice fight that’s in me.

Shikiri: Before you were at Tides, you were in the business and tech sector. What motivated you to go into philanthropy?

Janiece: What attracted me to Tides was social justice, and our mission. When we talk about system change and social justice, there are some forces that we definitely need to lean into from for-profit, and knowledge that we need to lean into from the philanthropic and nonprofit space.

As I went through the process of joining Tides, there were a myriad of questions that the board was asking, but what attracted them to me is this blended experience, having worked in for-profit, having worked in high tech, having worked in corporate or in social impact. And to this day, I draw from what I think are the best tools available for the work.

Carolina Morales, Janiece Evans-Page, and Shikiri Hightower-Gaskin, at the Berkeley Symphony at Zellerbach Auditorium in Berkeley.

Shikiri: Last year, we funded three grants in partnership with Tides. Throughout the years, with 73 grants, and more than $27 million, Tides has touched every strategy that we support – thank you! I'm curious about how Tides Center decides to fiscally sponsor an organization and why [fiscal sponsorship] is important to Tides.

Janiece: Tides Center’s fiscal sponsorship program is an important part of Tides, even more so now. Tides has a myriad of different entities and what holds all that together is our vision and mission, which is to shift power and strengthen the power of proximate leaders who are leading system change of communities that have historically been oppressed. Tides Center works with what we call doers, or folks who are fiscally sponsored.

When looking at new partners, the lens we use is about the evidence and the opportunity to shift power and strengthen the power of communities that have been oppressed. In some cases, that might be job creation, that might be voter rights, that might be domestic violence prevention, but it’s about the evidence of shifting and strengthening the power of community.

Shikiri: Given the political climate that we’re in, is there anything that’s really important for you to continue to do, or is there anything that you’re looking to change or that you want to highlight?

Janiece: For us it really is about ensuring that voices are heard. Obviously, there's an effort to suppress the voices of many, but also just to suppress the opportunity of many. I think our responsibility right now is to support our partners who are on the front lines doing this hard work that was already hard and messy.

When you think about the forces impacting immigration, you think about the forces impacting people of color who have not had equal opportunity. So hence we talk about shifting power and efforts to fundamentally just completely abolish and disrupt those communities. It just makes this work even more critical.

We’re mindful of the need to lift and support our donors, but also, we’re even more intentional about making sure the voices of our doers are heard during this time. There are organizations, many of whom I talk to on a daily basis, where all of us are seeing the challenges and the attacks that are unfounded. We don’t have to necessarily have the same values, but what we’re seeing play out right now are just major, major lies and intentions to discredit, disparage many of us who are really just representing truths from our respective communities.

Shikiri: While you’re doing all of this important, intense, difficult work, how do you take care of yourself, find your field of peace?

Janiece: Finding spaces that provide joy. Like nothing brings my heart more joy than being near water. So, I’ve had an opportunity to work from some amazing places near water, with folks who share similar values, where there’s nothing that I have to prove. And doing it in community with others.

Shikiri: Why is Black History Month important to you? How do you celebrate?

Janiece: Black History Month is important because Black history is American history. We just want to acknowledge that we have contributed to American history. I celebrate Black history every day. I like to acknowledge that February is a time to educate others who may not know about our history. At Tides, we find creative, engaging ways to celebrate. But that celebration isn’t just for us Black people to celebrate, it’s really more about how do we invite everyone to know more about our shared history.

I think the acknowledgment in February is how do we, Tides, model our values of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, to engage others to understand the richness and contribution, just as we would do during Women's History Month, Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s another opportunity to engage and celebrate the contributions of many in regards to American history.

Shikiri: Is there a leader or mentor that you look up to or draw inspiration from?

Janiece: Many, and in each chapter of life, different mentors, sponsors, and thought partners have played different yet meaningful roles. And the good news is, once you have been that [influence] in my life, you never go away. There are so many people who have poured into me over my career from, you know, starting with my career in high tech to fast forward to where I am. There’s just a myriad of folks along the continuum who poured into me and continue to pour into me. And I think that’s where some of my superpowers come from.

Shikiri: Is there anyone you want to highlight?

Janiece: That’s always a hard one. I have such rich, deep connections with folks who are always going to be a part of my life. There are the life lessons that come from my parents, my aunts and uncles. I will definitely be remiss if I didn’t talk about the learnings that come from my own kids. Believe it or not, my kids are probably where I get the most mentoring right now, from both of them. And then, of course, my husband makes sure that I stay sane through all this.

Shikiri: Yes, that might be your field of peace. Is there anything else that you want to add or share about your work, Black History Month or philanthropy in general?

Janiece: I think I speak to philanthropy being an important force, and how do we ensure that even more are engaged in this space that we call philanthropy? An important aspect of what I do right now is that philanthropy traditionally is an effort that only is enabled through wealth. When we think about where the money comes from, where the money goes to, there definitely are some opportunities for us to get more folks off the sidelines, to be involved in supporting and lifting our own community.