In 2001, Connie Adler inherited an extraordinary opportunity that she never anticipated. Her father, Eugene M. Adler, had established a family foundation in his name in 1959, but ironically never revealed its existence to his family. In a pivotal conversation with her estate attorney after her mother’s passing, Connie recognized that she could create a new kind of foundation to drive meaningful change. She decided to put half of her inheritance into the fund and changed its name to EMA Foundation to de-center family identity and mark a new direction.
Connie's decision to redistribute her inheritance through EMA Foundation was rooted in her values but also in her formative experiences in the nonprofit sector. Her years of service with organizations like the Southwest Research and Information Center, where she published the monthly magazine, and the Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, documenting the impact of US imperialism in Central America, shaped her understanding of the nonprofit landscape, and she knew firsthand that philanthropic funding processes could be burdensome for small organizations. Though the term “trust-based philanthropy” did not yet exist, Connie forged an approach built around the idea of developing relationships with partners and then shifting power and resources so the partners could focus on their mission rather than tending to funders.
“The values that drove my thinking at the time were driven by the fact that money didn’t mean a whole lot to me,” Connie says. “And if I could use it to do good in my community, that would give me much more pleasure than buying a larger house or a new car. I knew I wanted to use it to fund small groups similar to the ones I had been working with so that they would have a chance to grow—like a seed.”
Because Connie was new to philanthropy, she relied on friends in the community to identify potential partners. One of the first organizations she connected with was Southwest Creations Collaborative (SCC). Founded in 1994, SCC provides dignified, living wage employment to women from low-income communities through sewing and handwork projects. EMA's support to SCC went beyond one grant; it became a commitment spanning over a decade, including many conversations to determine what else EMA could do in addition to funding to help SCC reach its goals. In explaining her grantmaking philosophy, Connie noted that EMA was not a big foundation capable of disbursing millions, but it could offer opportunities for growth, especially through longstanding relationships that shifted power to its partners.
Over the next 15 years, EMA continued to provide grants to organizations championing equity. Partnerships with organizations like the New Mexico Environmental Law Center and High Country News exemplified EMA's innovative approach. Unrestricted grants coupled with trust-based reporting methods became EMA's hallmark. This philosophy created collaborations where organizations had the freedom to innovate, explore, and create lasting impact on their terms. Connie’s intent was clear:
"I did not want people to serve the foundation; I wanted the foundation to serve them."
