Essentials of Policy Advocacy for Grantmakers - September 2025
You should have received an email from Zoom with your unique information to join the virtual classroom.
If you did not receive the email, contact jill.gordon@cof.org.
Training Hours
- Tuesday, September 16: 1:00-5:00 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, September 17: 1:00-5:00 p.m. ET
Read and Watch Before Training
Your Faculty
Jenn Holcomb
Vice President, Government Affairs & Legal Resources
Council on Foundations
Dondrè Young
Manager, Federal Partnerships
Council on Foundations
Your Hosts
Jill Gordon
Senior Manager, Training
Council on Foundations
Jeryl Raphael
Associate, Leadership Development & Training
Council on Foundations
Agenda
Day 1 | Tuesday, September 16 | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET
Legal Refresher
Inside the Foundation
- Working in advocacy compared to direct services
- Understanding your role
- Understanding staff and board roles
- Building internal support
Day 1 Speakers
Remy Barnwell
Staff Counsel
Council on Foundations
Robb Gray
Vice President, Policy
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Tim Inman
Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer
The Ford Family Foundation
Day 2 | Wednesday, September 17 | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET
Outside the Foundation
- Effective evaluations
- Full range of foundation actions
- Implications for grantmaking
- Working with others to advance policy
Real-life Challenges Breakout Discussions
Day 2 Speakers
Jenn Holcomb
Vice President, Government Affairs & Legal Resources
Council on Foundations
Dondrè Young
Manager, Federal Partnerships
Council on Foundations
Nicole Witherbee
President and CEO
John T. Gorman Foundation
Mike Myatt
Executive Director
BangorHousing
Additional Resources
- Public Policy and Advocacy for Grantmakers
- Council on Foundation's Values-Aligned Philanthropy
- Essentials of Polocy Advocacy Action Plan Outline
- 16 Grantmaking Characteristics to Effectively Support Public Policy Advocacy
- Foundations and Policy Engagement: In Their Own Words (pages 6-10)
- Four Tools for Assessing Grantee Contribution to Advocacy Effort
- Getting Equity Advocacy Results
- It’s Time to Change How Philanthropies Collaborate
- Kauffman Foundation Public Policy Statement
- Philanthropy Advocacy Playbook
- Stand for Your Mission
- The Power of Board Advocacy: A Discussion Guide for Foundation Boards
- The Voice on the Ground: The Program Officer of the 21st Century
- When Philanthropy Meets Advocacy
- Why Program Officers Should Embrace the Boring
Webinar Recording - Rules of Advocacy and Lobbying for Grantmakers
Watch video prior to first session on September 16, 2025.
