Best Tiny Spark Podcasts (2025)

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‘Dirty Work’ Raises Moral Questions 34:20

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3+ y ago34:20

34:20

Journalist and author Eyal Press’ book Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America examines the morally troubling jobs that are done in our name, and shines a light on the workers who do them. Press argues that these workers are hidden by the powerful in society who want to keep the violence of prisons, slaughterhouses, …

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How the Prison-Industrial Complex Undermines Immigrant Rights 23:40

3+ y ago23:40

23:40

As the federal government pours billions of dollars into private detention facilities, new research shows political donations from these for-profit companies are influencing policymakers to support legislation criminalizing undocumented immigrants. University of New Mexico associate professor Loren Collingwood talks about his findings, and emotiona…

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For This Art Curator, the Aesthetic is Political 40:43

3+ y ago40:43

40:43

‘There have been so many important critiques of the nude in art history,’ writer and art curator Macushla Robinson tells us, and she’s added her own critique in the form of an upcoming book project. Every Rape at the Met Museum digs into the way sexual violence has been publicly displayed and even artistically praised in exhibition and catalogues a…

1
Community First! Tiny Homes, Big Intentions 29:13

3+ y ago29:13

29:13

As the U.S. deals with a severe crisis with up to 600,000 people experiencing homelessness each night, we tour the Community First! village in Austin. This unique community was established to provide affordable, permanent housing for the chronically homeless in Central Texas. Why do the residents think it works?…

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Stanford Professors Take On Silicon Valley 38:12

4y ago38:12

38:12

We speak to the authors of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong, and How We Can Reboot. The trio of Stanford professors use a cross-disciplinary approach to critique technologists and the outsized power they wield in society. By weaving together philosophy, engineering and social science disciplines, the authors make a compelling case that we ne…

1
Broadway’s Break: A Deep Breath For The Industry? 28:23

4y ago28:23

28:23

Broadway has returned after closing eighteen months ago. We speak to actors, writers and directors about what the break meant for their lives and work. One prepares to make his Broadway debut, another looks beyond the stage, and all tell us that they hope the future improves representation and equity in the theater.…

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Tackling Erasures with a 'Radical Archive' 33:34

4y ago33:34

33:34

In light of troubling events in Afghanistan, we speak to collaborating artists Chitra Ganesh and Mariam Ghani on threats to the country's archives, the ‘radical archivists’ who have preserved them to date, and how this pair of artists practice radical archiving as way to confront and surface government erasures.…

1
Invisible by Default: What You Won't See on GoFundMe 34:15

4y ago34:15

34:15

For Nora Kenworthy, GoFundMe is “the research topic that I can't escape.” She recently studied 175,000 GoFundMe campaigns from the COVID era and discovered nearly half didn’t receive a single donation. We discuss the stark inequities around these platforms and ask whether crowdfunding can offer equitable relief during a complex public health disast…

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The Women Forgotten in the Wars We Started 35:18

4y ago35:18

35:18

Are women and girls forgotten in crises and conflicts in Myanmar, Ethiopia and Afghanistan? We speak to women's rights activists about what drives them, and ask whether they feel women & girls are sidelined in these kinds of conflicts. TW: This podcast discusses sexual violence.By Tiny Spark

1
'Missing and Maligned' No More, Muslims Push For Better Roles 32:54

4y ago32:54

32:54

The Pillars fund, run by young Muslim philanthropists, has teamed up with academics and Hollywood actors to gather data proving what they’ve long suspected: Muslims are poorly represented on screen. Pillars’ Arij Mikati and Kalia Abiade lay out the problem, and share their solutions to shift the narrative in order to pave a more inclusive path forw…

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Let’s Talk About Sex, Sexism and Health Equity 37:33

4y ago37:33

37:33

We speak to Dr. Sophia Yen, entrepreneur and outspoken advocate for women’s reproductive health and empowerment. Dr. Yen founded a birth control startup to “just ship women birth control and keep shipping it until they tell us to stop.” She speaks frankly about sexual health, health justice, and the sexism she has experienced in her career.…

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The Wealth Defense Industry - or How Billionaires Hide Their Assets 37:08

4y ago37:08

37:08

In his new book The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions, Chuck Collins unmasks how billionaires protect their wealth, power, and privilege.By Tiny Spark

1
Power and Consent: Reconsidering Oral History 28:52

4y ago28:52

28:52

Half a century ago, billionaire philanthropist Doris Duke funded universities to record Native American oral histories. Today, her foundation is supporting an effort to digitize the recordings and return them to the tribes. Alyce Sadongei is leading the project and says while it is meaningful, it also raises concerns about how archives are conceive…

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The Culinary Artist Putting Liberation on the Menu 36:08

4y ago36:08

36:08

The People's Kitchen Collective uses food and art to address racial and social justice issues. Co-founder Jocelyn Jackson talks to us about their large-scale meals, which offer time and nourishment for communities to heal.By Tiny Spark

1
Food Rescue Hero: Salvaging Food Waste to End Hunger 31:47

4y ago31:47

31:47

Food Rescue Hero gets volunteers to pick up excess food from restaurants and grocers and deliver it to people who need it. Founder and CEO Leah Lizarondo shares her journey creating a tech tool that says it has rescued some 50 million pounds of food.By Tiny Spark

1
'We Have Names': Meet the Women Fighting for Climate Justice 25:43

4+ y ago25:43

25:43

Climate scientist Ndoni Mcunu and climate activist Evelyn Acham celebrate the African scientists and activists fighting for the planet. We speak to the pair about the difficulty of this work, and learn what inspires them to keep going.By Tiny Spark

1
Found in Translation Seeks Language Justice 31:47

4+ y ago31:47

31:47

Found in Translation, a Boston-based nonprofit, trains bilingual women as medical interpreters. In this podcast, founder Maria Vertkin and three graduates who speak Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese, explain why this life-changing work is so necessary.By Tiny Spark

1
Curator Says It’s Time to Tackle Art World’s Racist Culture 32:52

4+ y ago32:52

32:52

Independent art curator Kelli Morgan shares personal, painful experiences of institutional racism and says it’s time to call out the art world’s toxic white supremacist culture.

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If Colonialism Is the Disease, Are Reparations the Cure? 27:17

4+ y ago27:17

27:17

Physician and anthropologist Eugene Richardson’s book ‘Epidemic Illusions: On the Coloniality of Global Public Health’ critiques practices that perpetuate inequality. In this podcast, he argues that global health equity requires not just medicine, but reparations that undo Western colonial harms.By Tiny Spark

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Giving Circles: A Gift to Philanthropy 21:24

4+ y ago21:24

21:24

A diverse group of women discuss the power of giving circles as a way to build community, democratize philanthropy, and support local grassroots organizations.

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The Humanitarian Sector Needs To Value African Women 24:05

4+ y ago24:05

24:05

At the end of a year dominated by COVID-19, race, and social justice, three African feminists with ties to development tell us why they are exhausted and what needs to change.By Tiny Spark

1
The Black Women Making Birth Better 36:51

4+ y ago36:51

36:51

Black women are up to four times more likely to die during pregnancy in the US than white women. We dig into the racist structures behind this and speak to a pair of powerful women working to fix it.By Tiny Spark

1
Donors’ Behavior Key to #MeToo in Fundraising 30:55

4+ y ago30:55

30:55

Working in a field where one in four women experience sexual harassment, nonprofit fundraisers Liz LeClair and Heather Hill describe the personal and professional costs of sexual abuse and explain why frontline fundraisers need more protection from donors.By Tiny Spark

1
The Woman Who 'Saved Mercy Corps' 40:30

5y ago40:30

40:30

Tania Culver-Humphrey's father, co-founder of Mercy Corps, abused her when she was a child. A year after going public, she charts the journey from “institutional betrayal” to being embraced by employees as a brave whistleblower. Content warning: This podcast contains descriptions of child sexual abuse.…

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The Colonialism of Prizes & Publishing 32:04

5y ago32:04

32:04

Award-winning Zambian writer Namwali Serpell digs into publishing’s problems with race and colonialism, as well as the enduring legacy of white saviorism in literature.By Tiny Spark

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"The Country Does Not Like Me" 36:04

5y ago36:04

36:04

Three generations of Black women in Baltimore share their perspectives on the significance of today’s protests, reflecting on what has - and has not - changed in the past fifty years.By Tiny Spark

1
Why Teachers, Not Reformers, Should 'Reimagine Education' 46:14

5y ago46:14

46:14

Education expert Diane Ravitch documents the corrupting influence of major philanthropists in “school reform” efforts and celebrates the educators who resist.By Tiny Spark

1
'I Don't Feel Like A Hero': Voices from the COVID-19 Front Lines 28:56

5y ago28:56

28:56

With nursing homes leading as COVID-19 hotspots, frontline nurses speak to us about unsafe working conditions and reject the notion that they are “heroes.”By Tiny Spark

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Former CDC Head Pushes For Equity In Pandemic Policies 24:24

5y ago24:24

24:24

Having led the CDC during the deadly H1N1 influenza pandemic, Dr. Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, shares the lessons he learned as we deal with COVID-19.By Tiny Spark

1
Facing 'Existential Threat,' Nonprofit Leaders Hold It Together 18:58

5y ago18:58

18:58

Nonprofit leaders share their hopes and fears about the challenges facing their organizations during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.By Tiny Spark

1
COVID-19 Crisis ‘Requires Us All To Be Bolder’ 25:40

5y ago25:40

25:40

Writer and blogger Vu Le describes how the COVID-19 crisis is overwhelming nonprofit leaders and why it should cause philanthropy to rethink its funding practices.By Tiny Spark

6+ y ago20:19

20:19

Hoping to diversify the next generation of doctors and deal with a drastic decrease in the number of primary care physicians in the US, New York University is now offering free tuition to its medical school students. But will it work? And is free tuition enough to choose primary care over higher paying specialties?…