Common Spaces...Beyond the Roundtable

Sunday, April 10 - 4-5:30 p.m.


Common Spaces...Beyond the Roundtable will allow you to delve into the most pressing issues during a series of sessions led and selected by you and your peers. Here are the winning Common Spaces:

"Social Justice Philanthropy": Is it redundant? a kind of provocation? If not, how can it help me be more effective?

Franklin 1, Level 4
Facilitated by Albert Ruesga, President & CEO, Greater New Orleans Foundation

Some people in our field wonder why there’s a felt need for a special kind of philanthropy, a “social justice philanthropy,” one that purportedly aims to do more for marginalized communities than typical, run-of-the-mill grantmaking. Is it a conceptual error to append the words "social justice" to the word "philanthropy"? Is it a redundancy, perhaps, or some kind of provocation?

Looking at real-world examples, this Common Space session will explore how the tools of social justice philanthropy can increase our effectiveness as grantmakers.

This session will explore:
  • How can the tools of social justice philanthropy help me be a more effective grantmaker?
  • What is social justice philanthropy?
  • How are others unleashing the power of social justice philanthropy?


Greener and Healthier Buildings

Grand Ballroom A, Level 5
Facilitated by Kevin Murphy, President, Berks County Community Foundation; and Carol Larson, Board Chair, Council on Foundations, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Foundations are involved in green buildings in many ways. Some of us are funding them. Some of us are building them for ourselves. Some of us are funding research. Let's get together and compare notes.

This session will explore:
  • Who's funding green buildings and what are you learning?
  • Who's building, or thinking about building a green building?
  • How are we encouraging more sustainable,healthier building practices in all of our work?


Modern Millennial Mentorship

Grand Ballroom B, Level 5
Facilitated by Elizabeth Ramirez, Coordinator, Levi Strauss Foundation; and Daniel Jae-Won Lee, Executive Director, Levi Strauss Foundation

Mentoring is traditionally a one-on-one relationship where an experienced leader pontificates and the mentee is expected to take their word at gospel. As foundation leadership becomes more collaborative, how can we turn this into a two-way dialogue that respects the experience of seasoned professionals while appreciated the values and priorities of young professionals? Mentees today want dialogue, their thoughts respected, and the safety to discuss sensitive issues. How do we engage more supportive mentors in our field who are willing to frankly address issues like a realistic work-life balance and risk-taking versus fear of failing? This session will be led by a young, next generation executive director and a junior staff member who will talk about our experiences exploring new ways of mentoring and peer learning. We’ll discuss what we’ve found helpful and where we’ve experienced challenges as we work together to strengthen our organization.

This session will explore:
  • What are the issues mentees want to explore but are afraid to ask?
  • What are common "sticking points" that prevent open conversation and how can we overcome them?
  • What are the most important lessons that experienced leaders want to impart on the next generation of philanthropic professionals?


Philanthropy & Government: Partners for Positive Impact in Homes and Communities

Grand Ballroom C, Level 5
Facilitated by Mimi Box, Executive Director, Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation; and Mimi Corcoran, Director, Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation at The Open Society Foundations; US Department of Housing and Urban Development

This discussion will focus on the experiences philanthropy has in leveraging public investments to advance its mission at both the national and local levels. The JBJ Soul Foundation is closely connected to the Philadelphia community and supports partnerships and community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. JBJ Soul worked with HUD to lead World Habitat Day 2009 which focused on opportunities for communities to grow more resiliently, equitably, and sustainably. Open Society has recently made aligned investments touching on HUD’s HOPE VI, Choice Neighborhoods, and Green and Healthy Homes Initiative to expand research and programmatic capability. For both national policy change and outcomes for local families and communities, philanthropy and government make exciting partners for creating change and impact in communities everywhere. Together with HUD representatives from the Philadelphia Regional Office and the Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation, these foundation and public sector leaders will facilitate a discussion on how philanthropy can leverage and advance its goals through partnership with local, regional, and federal government.

This session will explore:
  • How can leveraging public investments advance a foundation’s mission?
  • What do philanthropy and government need to know about each other as partners?
  • What resources are available for help in navigating a public-philanthropic partnership?


International Grassroots Grantmaking

Grand Ballroom D, Level 5
Facilitated by Peter Laugharn, Executive Director, Firelight Foundation; and Chet Tzochewski, Executive Director, Global Greengrants

Two or three organizations engaged in global grassroots grantmaking (e.g. Firelight, Global Greengrants, Global Fund for Women, Global Fund for Children) outline how they work and answer questions from participants.

This session will explore:
  • What is good practice in making cross-border grants to grassroots organizations?
  • What theories of change underlie global grassroots grantmaking?
  • How can small grants be leveraged for big change?


Philanthropy and disaster relief--do you know where your dollars are going?

Franklin 1, Level 4
Facilitated by Anthony Tansimore, Executive Vice President, DHR International

Foundations, corporations, and individuals respond quickly when asked to support disaster relief efforts both here at home and around the world. However, do you receive a report on where and how money was spent? Do you think we need more transparency in disaster relief? Discuss what has happened in response to the Haiti earthquake last year, what foundations can do to prepare for the next major disaster here in the U.S., and what role foundations can play to bring about greater transparency and accountability to the disaster relief field.

This session will explore:
  • What is the role of philanthropy on disaster relief efforts?
  • How do we promote greater transparency and accountability in the disaster relief field?
  • How do we engage citizens to be prepared and to ask where the money goes in disasters?


Working Together to Advance a National Health-based Housing Standard

Grand Ballroom A, Level 5
Facilitated by Ben Starrett, Executive Director, Funders' Network for Smart Growth

Many of America's toughest challenges, from skyrocketing asthma diagnoses to diminished school performance, begin at home. This workshop will begin with a brief overview of the national Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), and the role of philanthropic institutions in supporting and informing this effort. The GHHI is a national program model that coordinates and unites stakeholders and resources at the decision-making level, creating demonstrated improvements in service delivery, access, and outcomes while also boosting efficiencies. Discussion will make the case for a national health-based housing standard and examine not only what community foundations already doing to advance this cause, but what else can be done. Most importantly, we will focus on how to strengthen the feedback loop between philanthropic engagement supporting direct practice on the ground, which then serves to inform national policy.

This session will explore:
  • How can foundations bridge the gap between energy effiiciency and healthy homes?
  • How can foundations think more holistically about how housing impacts outcomes for children and families?
  • How do we organize funders around a national agenda?


Best Practices in Managing Corporate Philanthropy

Grand Ballroom B, Level 5
Facilitated by Dinah Dittman, National Director, Community Engagement and Philanthropy, Kaiser Permanente

One of the things I'm working on is benchmarking my company's philanthropic program against leading, well-managed, "best in class" foundations and corporate giving programs. The sort of things I'm looking at include:operations management (e.g. volume, throughput, turnaround time, tracking and reporting) communication, governance, effectiveness/evaluation of grants, transparency, accessibility, and strategy/theory of change. I know, it's a lot! In this Common Space session, I'm hoping to connect with colleagues with similar interests in excellence in management of philanthropy, to see where we have enough shared interest/energy/enthusiasm, and see how we can help each other with ideas and tools.

This session will explore:
  • What are three things you are working on this year with regard to grants administration/grants management?
  • Do you have a specific goal in your workplan(s) for excellence in philanthropic program management?
  • Are you interested in learning more about or engaging in a dialogue with peers on management topics?


Public-Private Social Partnership – a new logic in social investment

Grand Ballroom C, Level 5
Facilitated by Andreia de Azevedo Rabetim, Intersector Relations General Manager, Vale Foundation

As a global leader in the mining sector, Vale seeks to contribute to building a positive legacy for future generations. Its strategy calls for the responsible and integrated management of economic, environmental and social issues.

This session will explore:
  • How is it possible to support and leverage social investment using partnerships between the private sector, government and civil society?
  • How can we use the real economic growth of our businesses to generate regional development?


Creative Fundraising Ideas for your International Grantees

Grand Ballroom D, Level 5
Facilitated by Denisse Newell, Director of Development & Marketing, International Community Foundation; and Anne McEnany, Senior Advisor for Environment & Conservation, International Community Foundation

Events and major U.S. donor engagement opportunites should not only be limited to our domestic grantees. We will discuss unique ways to help international grantees maximize their story telling infront of a pool of prospective major donors.

This session will explore:
  • Examples of Transformative Grants to International NGO's
  • Encourage other Foundations to Share their Successes
  • Importance of donor development training for international organizations





Year-Round Collaboration


Collaboration doesn't have to end at the conference. Keep the conversation going 365 days a year by:

If you haven't already registered, do so now to participate in Common Spaces...Beyond the Roundtable.

Questions? Please contact Jantell Stone.