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Listen: I Live Here, I Give Here's Tom Spencer on Austin Philanthropy

They say charity begins at home. But here in Austin, it took some prodding.

I Live Here, I Give Here was founded in 2007 to support charitable giving and Austin nonprofits. It was born out of necessity: a Chronicle of Philanthropy report from that time found Austin ranked 48th out of the 50 largest U.S. cities when ranked on giving. (Disclaimer: As a nonprofit, KUT partners with I Live Here, I Give Here.)

Austin’s since improved its standing – and I Live Here, I Give Here has played a part in that. Its online “moneybomb” earlier this year – Amplify Austin – raised close to $3 million in just 24 hours.

With the retirement of the group’s founder, Patsy Martin, the group’s announced a new executive director: Tom Spencer. A longtime KLRU-Austin PBS mainstay, and CEO of Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Spencer stopped by the KUT Public Media Studios to talk about Austin’s generosity and its robust nonprofit sector:

“The nonprofit sector carries so much of the weight of the social needs of our community making sure that our arts organizations are thriving … That’s where we come in, I Live Here, I Give Here: to inform people about the vitality of that sector , and to help make those connections between the individual donors and their individual passions – and all these exciting things that are happening, to meet our needs.”

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.
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