‘Tis The Season (For Lots of Conferencing)

Short letter this month, as I just got back from the PEAK Conference buzzing with new connections and insights, and a lot to follow up on!

I was thrilled this year to see the conference of primarily grants managers intentionally discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion, how a trust-based approach to grantmaking can advance those goals, and how data and knowledge sharing helps us work smarter and with a broader reach. While these topics aren’t new, intentionally focusing on them at a conference geared to people who regularly think about flows of information and action tied to grantmaking suggests real momentum and possibility. Satonya Fair, Director of Grants Management at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, paused during the closing plenary to ask how many people in the room ask for demographic information in their grant applications; more than half of the room raised their hands, demonstrating a commitment to gathering data that can help foundations learn more about the communities they seek to serve.

We have many exciting new resources coming to you in the weeks ahead, as we’ll release two leadership series papers and a new guide in April. And, ‘tis the season for conferences: I’ll be at the EDGE Funders conference speaking about participatory grantmaking and facilitating a conversation with the Gender Justice Initiative and at the GEO Conference with an exciting announcement next month, so be in touch if you’d like to find one another at either of those events!

Finally, I want to share this article in Alliance Magazine that I co-wrote with two colleagues in celebration of International Women’s Day, and express my unwavering gratitude and respect for the women and gender-nonconforming people who are engaging meaningfully in philanthropic work. You make us all better.

This letter originally appeared in this week's GrantCraft newsletter. To sign up for our newsletter and special alerts, register for free.