2024 Fundamentals of Effective Grantmaking

Are foundations truly public service organizations? And what is your role, as emerging philanthropic leaders, in demystifying and democratizing philanthropy? We'll discuss some principles that can be used to guide our work and then focus our conversation on how we, as philanthropic leaders, can address the challenges and opportunities we face at both the organizational and personal level and what our shared philanthropic future might look like.

During this session, we will provide an overview of the life cycle of a grant from application to closeout. Speakers will share their experiences with navigating boards, aligning with organization missions, and collaborating with colleagues. We will use select case studies reflecting both typical workflows and likely challenges to illustrate best practices in our field. Throughout the session, we will include opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion of grantmaking.

Lasting community change calls upon funders to cultivate healthy relationships with nonprofit partners – we are stronger together. This session will explore how we can build more authentic relationships with grantees to strengthen the work and impact of our nonprofit partners and advance our collective goals. We will consider why trust-based relationships matter, the importance of addressing power dynamics, the core values that drive strong relationships, and some key moments ripe for relationship-building. We will also hear directly from nonprofit leaders about their experiences navigating the sometimes-delicate terrain between funder and grantee.

Do you find that reading financial statements causes your eyes to glaze over or your stomach to knot? This participatory workshop is designed to provide practical hands-on experience and resources to understand nonprofit financial materials from a programmatic perspective. Participants will discover what the rows and columns of numbers and other components reveal about an organization’s strengths, priorities, management, and challenges. We will discuss both audited financial statements and IRS 990 tax returns. In addition, there will be a small group activity.

Philanthropy operates within a complex, interconnected civic landscape—working alongside business, government, nonprofit institutions, and academia. Of all these actors, government entities have the most resources on any given issue than all of private philanthropy combined. Moreover, public policy, politics, and advocacy have simultaneously earned a bleak image of ineffectiveness and corruption, or a comedic cynical view of government. Reality, however, paints a vastly different picture. Through this interactive session, learn the rules of engagement for effectively moving your foundations’ agenda – in service of community -- forward. We will explore the fundamentals of advocacy and its critical function in advancing the goals of philanthropy in public policy through a discussion of the importance of public policy, communicating your policy preferences, and collaborating with government.

Many common practices in philanthropy continue to drive inequity and sustain power imbalances in the communities they are trying to serve. In this session, participants will learn about the historical context of inequity in grantmaking and discuss strategies and examples of how they can center equity in their work regardless of their role in an organization. Additionally, participants will reflect together and envision what an equity-centered philanthropic sector should look like.

How do you remain grounded and balance your personal values and professional standards? In this session, participants will hear from colleagues in the sector about their professional journeys, some of the challenges that they have faced, and the tools and strategies they have used to achieve a healthy work-life balance.

This interactive workshop is focused on developing and strengthening your personal and professional leadership skills in the context of dynamic change. Tapping into your inner potential to become adaptable, resilient, and more effective leaders by aligning your values with your ambitions. You will be introduced to best practices in developing greater self-awareness, self-reflection, and social capital-- all through a multicultural approach.