Christal Jackson is the founder of Mosaic Genius and Head and Heart Philanthropy, social impact agencies focused on improving social, economic and educational outcomes for communities of color. Recently, she was recognized by Essence magazine for her ability to convene and curate the best and brightest in this sector. Jackson attributes her success to having been groomed for leadership by the church, from serving as an intern with the Children’s Defense Fund to creating a marketplace for multimillion-dollar initiatives focused on solving complicated social issues.

Rolling out spoke to Jackson to learn more about her efforts in the venture philanthropy space where she is making a lasting impact through her work by being a connector and loving what she does.

You’re the founder of Head and Heart Philanthropy and Mosaic Genius. Tell us more about the organization and why you saw a need for such an organization.

In general, I enjoy helping people. All my life I knew I wanted a career in helping people, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to get there. When I was a student at Spelman [College] in my sophomore year, my roommate can attest, I changed my major in my head four times because I was trying to find that right formula.

What exactly is venture philanthropy?

Venture philanthropy is the same thing in some ways as venture capital. It’s taking the same ideas, where, if you were a venture capitalist and you [had] to place dollars.

How would a person even know to get involved in something like venture philanthropy?

That’s a good question. And the fact that you are asking means that this community and this sector has not done a good enough job of exposing people to opportunities in this space.

Read the full article about venture philanthropy by Porsha Monique at Rolling Out.