301 University Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Biography
Tyrone McKinley Freeman is an award-winning scholar and teacher who serves as the Glenn Family Chair in Philanthropy and Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He holds an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and is a Research Associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. Previously, he was a professional fundraiser for social services, community development, and higher education organizations. He was also Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where he trained nonprofit leaders in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
In 2022, Dr. Freeman received the Dan David Prize which is the “world’s largest history prize” for his ground-breaking research on African American philanthropy. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellowship in further recognition of his contributions to the study of philanthropy using history and the humanities.
His research focuses on the history of African American philanthropy, philanthropy in communities of color, the history of American philanthropy, and philanthropy and fundraising in higher education. His latest book is entitled, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow (University of Illinois Press, 2020). It examines African American women’s history of charitable giving, activism, education, and social service provision through the life and example of Madam C.J. Walker, the early twentieth century Black philanthropist and entrepreneur. The book received the 2021 Association of Fundraising Professionals Global Skystone Partners Research Prize in Fundraising and Philanthropy, and the 2021 Terry McAdam Book Award from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.
Dr. Freeman’s work and contributions to the field of philanthropic studies have been recognized in several ways. His research has earned two awards from the Association of Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action including the 2020 Best Conference Paper Award, and the 2016 Gabriel Rudney Memorial Award for Outstanding Dissertation in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action. His teaching has earned two Indiana University Board of Trustees’ Teaching Awards and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. In 2020, Indiana University inducted him into its prestigious Faculty Academy for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Freeman previously served as Director of Undergraduate Programs at LFSOP where he ran the B.A. in Philanthropic Studies degree program and led the creation and assessment of curricula; created the first online graduate course; developed e-Portfolio pedagogies; and implemented High-Impact Practices (HIPs) in undergraduate education in collaboration with colleagues.
His work has appeared or been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O: The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, TIME, Harvard Business Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, NewsOne, Blavity, The Conversation, Black Perspectives, Philanthropy Women, Chronicle of Philanthropy, CASE Currents, and Advancing Philanthropy. He is co-author of Race, Gender and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011).
A proud HBCU grad, Tyrone earned a B.A. in English/Liberal Arts from Lincoln University (PA), a M.S. in Adult Education from Indiana University, a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.) from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University.
Education
- Ph.D. Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University, 2014
- M.S. Adult Education, Indiana University, 2007
- M.U.R.P. Community Development, Ball State University, 2001
- B.A. English/Liberal Arts, Lincoln University (PA), 1995
Courses Taught
- PHST-P521 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
- PHST-P490 Internship in Philanthropic Studies
- PHST-P370 Learning by Giving
- PHST-P450 Capstone in Philanthropic Studies
- PHST-P732 Applied Philanthropy Project II
- SPEA-V558 Resource Development in Nonprofit Organizations
Publications
- Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow (University of Illinois Press, 2020)
- Race, Gender and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011)
Research Interests
- History of American Philanthropy
- African American/Black Philanthropy
- Philanthropy and Higher Education
- Philanthropy in Communities of Color
- Philanthropy and the Humanities
Honors and Awards
- Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellowship, 2023
- Dan David Prize in History, 2022
- Indiana Authors Award Shortlist, Indiana Humanities Council, 2022
- Madam C.J. Walker Legacy Award, F3: Fabulous Female Fundraisers, 2022
- Association of Fundraising Professionals Global Skystone Partners Research Prize in Fundraising and Philanthropy, 2021
- Terry McAdam Book Award, 2021
- Undergraduate Instructor of the Year, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2021
- Research Associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 2020 (to present)
- Indiana University Board of Trustees’ Teaching Award, 2020
- Inductee, Indiana University Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET), 2020
- ARNOVA Best Conference Paper Award, 2020
- Indiana University Senior MOSAIC Faculty Fellow, Indiana University, 2019
- Indiana University MOSAIC Faculty Fellow in Active Learning, Indiana University, 2018
- Indiana University Board of Trustees Teaching Award, 2017
- Gabriel Rudney Memorial Award for Outstanding Dissertation in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action, 2016
News Articles
- Freeman, T. (March 28, 2022). “How MacKenzie Scott’s $12 Billion in Gifts to Charity Reflect an Uncommon Trust in the Groups She Supports.”The Conversation.com
- Freeman, T. (June 19, 2022). “The Freedom of Juneteenth was Fleeting. This is What Came Next.” The Washington Post: Made by History.https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/19/freedom-juneteenth-was-fleeting-this-is-what-came-next/
- Freeman, T. (May/June 2021). “A Complicated Love: For Alumni of Color, Three Questions Can Make All the Difference for Engagement.”Case Currents.
- Freeman, T. (March 22, 2021). “Beating Racism Demands a Different Philanthropy: Lessons from a Black Women Millionaire.” Giving Compass. https://givingcompass.org/article/beating-racism-demands-different-philanthropy
- Freeman, T. (August 2, 2021). “MacKenzie Scott’s HBCU Giving Starkly Contrasts with the Approach of Early White Funders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”The Conversation.com
- Freeman, T. (September 21, 2020). “Black Donor Silence is a Call to Action—Not a Retreat.” Chronicle of Philanthropy. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/black-donor-silence-is-a-call-to-action-not-a-retreat
- Freeman, T. (2020). “Netflix’s ‘Self-Made’ Miniseries about Madam C.J. Walker Leaves Out the Mark She Made through Generosity.” The Conversation.comhttps://theconversation.com/netflixs-self-made-miniseries-about-madam-c-j-walker-leaves-out-the-mark-she-made-through-generosity-132848
- Freeman, T. & Milway, K. (2020). How Madam C.J. Walker Built Racial Equity into Her Business. Harvard Business Review Online.
- Freeman, T. (2019). “7 Ways of Reading around the History of Philanthropy’s Diversity Problem this Black History Month.” HistPhil https://histphil.org/2019/02/25/7-ways-to-read-around-the-history-of-philanthropys-diversity-problem-this-black-history-month/
- Freeman, T. (2019). “400 Years of Black Giving: From the Days of Slavery to the 2019 Morehouse Graduation.” The Conversation.comhttps://theconversation.com/400-years-of-black-giving-from-the-days-of-slavery-to-the-2019-morehouse-graduation-121402
- Freeman, T. (Organizer, 2019). “Online Forum: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker.” Black Perspectiveshttps://www.aaihs.org/online-forum-the-life-and-times-of-madam-c-j-walker/
- Freeman, T. (2019). “The Collectivist Roots of Madam C.J. Walker’s Philanthropy.” Black Perspectiveshttps://www.aaihs.org/the-collectivist-roots-of-madam-c-j-walkers-philanthropy/.
- Freeman, T. (2019). “400 Years of Black Giving: From the Days of Slavery to the 2019 Morehouse Graduation.” TIME. https://time.com/5661786/african-american-philanthropy/
- Freeman, T. (August 3, 2018). “Donors of Color Are Not ‘New’ or ‘Emerging:’ We’ve Been Giving All Along.”Chronicle of Philanthropy, Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 42-43.
- Moniz, A. & Freeman, T. (2018). Interview with Smithsonian National Museum of American
- History’s Blog, O Say Can You See?: Stories from the National Museum of American History, “Madam C.J. Walker’s Philanthropy.” http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/walker
- Freeman, T. (August 8, 2016). “Who is Your Madam C.J. Walker and How Will You Engage
- Her Today?” Diverse Philanthropy Blog.http://www.diversityandphilanthropy.com/guest-columns/