2018 Public Policy Summit

Philanthropy is a driver of civil society. It fuels the programs and movements that shape our culture across communities. In this role, foundations are uniquely situated with the experience and expertise to lead the way forward on issues that affect people throughout our nation and across the globe. As leaders in philanthropy, it is our civic duty to extend this leadership to provide expert input in the policymaking process.

The Council’s inaugural Public Policy Summit, appropriately hosted in the birthplace of American Democracy — historic Philadelphia — engaged foundation leaders, policy experts, and media representatives in important conversations around the most pressing policy issues of the day.

This exciting and engaging event was an opportunity to learn, shape, and be heard. Plus, attendees had the opportunity to exchange ideas and influence the positive impact that philanthropy — including the good work done by their organizations — has on communities across the country and world.

Who Attended?

The Public Policy Summit was ideal for senior foundation leaders including organization heads and general counsels, board members, and public policy and advocacy-focused staff.

Why did they attend?

• Engage: Participants connect with their colleagues and policy experts on ways to unleash philanthropy’s political capital to further their charitable mission and influence policymaking around shared interests.
• Amplify: Participants learned about issue-specific policy and broad-scale advocacy strategy. They discussed how foundations can amplify their voice in policy conversations at the local, state, and federal level.
• Discover: Participants learned about the latest local, state, and federal policy issues and how they can maximize their impact in the public policy sphere.