Betsy Krieger
Trustee, Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund
Betsy Krieger was born and raised in Baltimore and is now deeply involved in efforts to support grassroots groups and vulnerable children and youth. She graduated with a degree in English from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore with a concentration in social strategy. She worked for several years as a community organizer in Malden, MA, and in the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore, where she helped create and lead the Waverly Family Center. For more than a decade, she has served as a trustee of the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund, named for her parents. More recently she has served as the president of the Fund for Change, which she helped create.
How has Baltimore changed in recent years?
For people with resources, Baltimore has become a much more interesting city. In the last 30 years or so, there's much more of an arts scene. There are more interesting restaurants and places to go. It's a much more cosmopolitan city. But for people without resources, I don't think it's changed at all.
What's the biggest challenge facing Baltimore today?
There are so many, but we (at the Krieger Foundation) have gotten really interested in what it would take to reverse the negative effects of childhood trauma. So many adults in our community have grown up with poverty and violence. They are traumatized by their early experiences and now they are raising traumatized children. We're very interested in providing support to parents so they can give their children a good start.The problem, as usual, is money. If you're going to impact people at a deep level, it's very expensive. As a society, we're not willing to put resources into prevention. If we did, we'd save a lot of money—and lives.
Addiction is an issue that you have worked on. Do you see progress in dealing with addiction?
I think there's been a lot of progress. In Baltimore, we have added buprenorphine treatment, which allows people to be treated for heroin addiction in physicians' offices, so they can maintain a job and live a normal life. We are also now focusing on a recovery-oriented system of care. We recognize that addiction is a lifelong issue and that people need support throughout their recovery. There's a lot more understanding nationally and internationally about what addiction is and what it isn't. It needs to be treated as a public health issue. It needs to be decriminalized.
You gave OSI-Baltimore a very audacious gift at the outset of its campaign, for which we are very grateful. What was it about our work that impressed you?
Several of the issues that OSI-Baltimore is dealing with mesh with our work—particularly substance abuse and prison reform. OSI-Baltimore looks at changing the system, and that fits exactly with our philosophy. When OSI began work in Baltimore, it made such a difference in the foundation community. It took on issues that were new to the community, and it had the resources to make a difference. OSI-Baltimore's program officers bring significant expertise to the issues.
What is your philosophy about philanthropy?
I believe that foundations should be system changers. Foundations should change the system when it's not working. In my opinion, the role of a foundation is not to provide food, but to make sure government policy insures that everyone has enough to eat. The government has a role and foundations have a role. I think we should be the risk-takers—then government can take over the successful innovations. It's always upsetting to me when I hear people say that foundations can take the place of government. Our resources are minuscule; even the largest foundations can't compete with government resources. And most foundations don't fund projects for the underserved. It's far-fetched to think foundations could take the place of government.
As a philanthropist, what do you see as the challenges facing the philanthropic community in Baltimore?
A lot of foundations in Baltimore work very well together. There is a core group of foundations that go to the same meetings and fund collaboratively. They're just aren't enough of us. Baltimore has a small foundation community. I am envious of other cities that have so many more.
For people with resources, Baltimore has become a much more interesting city. In the last 30 years or so, there's much more of an arts scene. There are more interesting restaurants and places to go. It's a much more cosmopolitan city. But for people without resources, I don't think it's changed at all.
What's the biggest challenge facing Baltimore today?
There are so many, but we (at the Krieger Foundation) have gotten really interested in what it would take to reverse the negative effects of childhood trauma. So many adults in our community have grown up with poverty and violence. They are traumatized by their early experiences and now they are raising traumatized children. We're very interested in providing support to parents so they can give their children a good start.The problem, as usual, is money. If you're going to impact people at a deep level, it's very expensive. As a society, we're not willing to put resources into prevention. If we did, we'd save a lot of money—and lives.
Addiction is an issue that you have worked on. Do you see progress in dealing with addiction?
I think there's been a lot of progress. In Baltimore, we have added buprenorphine treatment, which allows people to be treated for heroin addiction in physicians' offices, so they can maintain a job and live a normal life. We are also now focusing on a recovery-oriented system of care. We recognize that addiction is a lifelong issue and that people need support throughout their recovery. There's a lot more understanding nationally and internationally about what addiction is and what it isn't. It needs to be treated as a public health issue. It needs to be decriminalized.
You gave OSI-Baltimore a very audacious gift at the outset of its campaign, for which we are very grateful. What was it about our work that impressed you?
Several of the issues that OSI-Baltimore is dealing with mesh with our work—particularly substance abuse and prison reform. OSI-Baltimore looks at changing the system, and that fits exactly with our philosophy. When OSI began work in Baltimore, it made such a difference in the foundation community. It took on issues that were new to the community, and it had the resources to make a difference. OSI-Baltimore's program officers bring significant expertise to the issues.
What is your philosophy about philanthropy?
I believe that foundations should be system changers. Foundations should change the system when it's not working. In my opinion, the role of a foundation is not to provide food, but to make sure government policy insures that everyone has enough to eat. The government has a role and foundations have a role. I think we should be the risk-takers—then government can take over the successful innovations. It's always upsetting to me when I hear people say that foundations can take the place of government. Our resources are minuscule; even the largest foundations can't compete with government resources. And most foundations don't fund projects for the underserved. It's far-fetched to think foundations could take the place of government.
As a philanthropist, what do you see as the challenges facing the philanthropic community in Baltimore?
A lot of foundations in Baltimore work very well together. There is a core group of foundations that go to the same meetings and fund collaboratively. They're just aren't enough of us. Baltimore has a small foundation community. I am envious of other cities that have so many more.