Tyrone McKinley Freeman is a leading scholar of philanthropy and serves as the Glenn Family Chair in Philanthropy and Associate Professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He also teaches in Africana Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and is a Research Associate with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Before entering academia, he spent years as a frontline fundraiser in social services, community development, and higher education, and later helped train nonprofit leaders around the globe through The Fund Raising School. In 2023, he was honored with the Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellowship for his work at the intersections of history and philanthropy.
His research focuses on African American giving, philanthropy in communities of color, and the historical roots of American charitable traditions. His book, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving, highlights the rich legacy of Black women’s generosity and activism during the Jim Crow era through Walker’s story. Tyrone is a proud HBCU graduate, holding a B.A. from Lincoln University (PA), an M.S. from Indiana University, a master’s in urban and regional planning from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University.
