BY Dion Cartwright, TFN President & CEO

It’s only been a few weeks since the start of the new presidential administration.

Almost immediately, we’ve been confronted with a barrage of policy shifts designed to upend environmental protections, disrupt federal funding to essential programs and unravel decades of social and economic progress.

Many of these actions are aimed directly at already marginalized groups, threatening their physical safety and throttling access to opportunity, education, housing and healthcare.

Now more than ever, we need leaders in philanthropy willing to move resources in service of environmental, economic and racial justice.

So how can you best be of service in this moment?

By deepening your knowledge, aligning your strategies and honing your skills as effective grantmakers committed to the communities and causes you care about.

Next month, our network of funders and partners will gather in Baltimore for TFN’s 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together. Our annual conferences and other year-round learning opportunities always seek to center those most harmed by the intersecting impacts of environmental, economic and racial injustice. Those values are embedded in our network’s DNA.

But we recognize the urgency of the moment. That’s why the learning agenda for this year’s conference sets aside time to unpack political impacts on our work and identify opportunities for individual and collective action.

I’m especially thrilled that we’ll welcome noted civil rights attorney and activist Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, as our TFN25 Closing Plenary presenter.

We also recognize that many of our members have been successfully navigating divisive political climates at the state and local levels for years — and have managed to score big wins in the process.

We’re creating space for them to share their insights and strategies in Baltimore as well.

Below are just a few highlights on our TFN25 learning agenda designed to help us navigate the road ahead.

Shared Learning and Collaboration

Given the enormity of the challenges we are facing, it’s tempting to put our own professional development on the back burner.

You may even feel a little guilty taking time to attend a conference, especially if you are working with communities feeling the immediate fallout from hateful policies or recovering from climate disasters.

But we need leaders who are emboldened, engaged and energized to meet this moment.

Regardless of your funding focus, I encourage you to venture beyond the silos and find common cause and opportunities to collaborate with other funders.

To support team learning and action-building within your organization, TFN is offering our members discounted group registration rates.

I hope you’ll join me in my hometown of  Baltimore – and encourage your colleagues to do the same.

Plenary Panel: Federal Funding on the Frontlines of Climate Change

Just three years into an ambitious federal commitment to deeply invest in climate and clean energy work in ways that advance justice and equity, the ground has shifted.

Moderated by Helen Chin of the Communities First Fund, our panel discussion will feature Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, formerly of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Dr. Sacoby Wilson of the University of Maryland; and Meishka L. Mitchell of the Emerald Cities Collaborative.

TFN, along with our partners at the Health and Environmental Funders Network and Neighborhood Funders Group, has convened hundreds of philanthropic, grassroots, and government leaders to explore the priorities and align the strategies needed to unlock federal funds and move projects forward. These included supporting a series of regional convenings organized by Communities First.

I’m eager to learn more from our TFN25 plenary panelists about how philanthropy can step up in this moment to support community partners, secure available funding, and drive sustainable and equitable infrastructure projects.

Bolder Advocacy | Critical Conversations

Tim Mooney, senior counsel with the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice, will be available for free, one-on-one technical assistance sessions. He’ll answer questions and offer guidance on how foundations can engage in advocacy, as well as support their grantees’ advocacy work, without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.

Critical Conversations

Tim will also be on hand to lead one of our Critical Conversations, which are facilitated peer-to-peer conversations for funders to explore difficult issues in a frank and confidential setting. Critical Conversation: Post-election Legal Landscape is one of several Critical Conversations on this year’s agenda that speak to this singular moment.

Visit our TFN25 Agenda for more information about our Critical Conversation facilitators, who are leading sessions focused on Post-election Organizing and Movement Building, Immigration and Migrant Support, Reimagining Philanthropy and Beyond Allyship.

Effective Narratives in an Era of Mistrust

This Skill-building Workshop looks at how political polarization and subjective “facts” threaten democracy.

Nat Kendall-Taylor of the FrameWorks Institute will lead us through how and why certain narratives succeed, offer insights into ways to reframe complex issues, and share examples that have inspired action.

Building Power for Environmental Justice in Challenging Political Climates

Join this Concurrent Session to learn strategies that groups in the heart of the fossil fuel industry are using to build power for environmental justice communities and working-class people of color.

We’ll hear from innovators supporting climate funding infrastructure and ecosystems of organizations in the South, and changemakers leading the charge for a just transition to renewable resources in oil-rich Texas.

This panel features Vanessa Toro Barragán of the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, Claudia Magana of Organized Power in Numbers, Frances Valdez of Houston in Action, and Billy Briscoe of Clean Energy Fund of Texas.

Focus on Community-Driven Solutions

From small, rural community organizations to large urban foundations, our robust network of funders reflects a broad spectrum of philanthropic work across a range of issues.

Our equity-focused learning agenda centers those most harmed by the intersecting impacts of environmental, economic and racial injustice – and highlights the philanthropic investments that support movement and power-building at the local level.

Baltimore has long been a crucible for progressive action and creative thinking, where grassroots movements and community-driven initiatives have emerged in response to systemic issues.

We’ll get a chance to learn from local changemakers making a difference across Baltimore on our popular Mobile Tours, including the positive impact local HBCUs are having on neighboring communities.

These are just a few of the sessions taking place at our 25th Anniversary Conference. You won’t want to miss it!

 

About the Author

 

Dion Cartwright is president and CEO of The Funders Network. You can learn more about Dion on our TFN Team page. 

 

 

 

Featured Image: Baltimore’s Black Arts District | @officialblackartsdistrict