A crucial part of our intentional process is one that always feels ripe with magic: matching the skills of our incredible bench with the unique needs of an organization. And in the case of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities)—one of the organizations in our Cohort of the Borealis Philanthropy Disability Inclusion Fund—the efforts thus far have unlocked and scaled superpowers for cross-movement impact.
Lachi, Founder/CEO of RAMPD, knows that as a person deep in the music industry and deep in the disability community leadership space, she has a unique opportunity to ignite change. “Working with Borealis Philanthropy Disability Inclusion Fund was ideal. We are Black women led. Our entire leadership and staff are 100% disabled. We lean towards justice. We work across movements to uplift disability,” said Lachi.
Aguilar Shank brought their nonprofit funding expertise to the table to guide RAMPD on how the nonprofit sector works, what’s OK or not OK to ask, how to have relationships with foundations, how to navigate corporate relationships from a values-based perspective, and how to cultivate major donors. “Fundraising is about relationships and I’ve never worked with an organization that had so many connections and so much untapped potential,” noted Aguilar Shank. This knowledge proved powerful. Lachi agrees: “Nico helped us fill in the knowledge gaps and ask for what we need. One thing they kept hammering home was, ‘How much money do you want? GO ASK FOR IT.’ And also, in some cases, go back and ask for more.” This phase of partnership was pivotal to RAMPD’s growth.
When consultant Jessica George stepped into the next phase of the project, she immediately saw the magic brewing. “RAMPD is already a superpower on its own,” she noted. “My role was to solidify some of their incredible superpowers, and turn them into something concrete, shareable, and ultimately scaleable.”
The team decided to develop industry trainings—by music industry professionals for music industry professionals—to advance disability culture. “They have taken my essence and what I am trying to say and turned it into a training program to be exported to other facilitators while keeping the essence,” said Lachi. She notes that the trainings are grounded in authenticity and will help people show up as their full selves while learning how to navigate the industry, ask for and give accommodations, improve financials, and more.
Ultimately, this work is anchored in relationships, both at the immediate and broader levels. Lachi commented on George’s relationship generosity: “One of the great things about Jess is that she is generous in making connections of her own. One person she introduced us to led to eye-opening discussions that helped us shape our vision. We then went back to RoadMap to see how they could help us execute that vision because we see the gold here.”
Meanwhile, Aguilar Shank and George expressed their excitement about the broad impact of RAMPD’s work. “We consume culture in all kinds of ways and disability culture has so much to offer. To see RAMPD’s mission coming to fruition is really powerful,” noted Aguilar Shank. George highlighted RAMPD’s cross-movement potential: “Their work is impactful because music does help culture. They are at an important point to help all justice movements to create and expand the lane to do culture shift work.”
Indeed, the potential for scale and impact is what brings Lachi hope and joy. “At the end of the day, music is a universal language that goes beyond whose side you are on. We are all here to rock out. It’s similar to the disability space. Disability doesn’t discriminate. If you need a ramp, you need a ramp. Both sides need to work together to do bigger things.”