Community foundation leaders are invited to join the Council on Foundations, in partnership with the Trust for Civic Life and Community Foundations for Civic Health for a special pre-conference at Building Together 2026 to explore how community foundations are actively working to navigate deep differences in their communities and build civic health. During this session, attendees will have the opportunity to share their own experiences, gain insights from peers to understand what’s worked and what hasn’t, and leave with practical examples and models for how to work across lines of difference and encourage vibrant civic culture in their own communities.

Dive into a true Seattle experience, beginning with a scenic ferry ride across Puget Sound. Enjoy lunch on the island, then take a tour of the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial guided by our friends at Trust for Public Land highlighting the history and resilience of the Bainbridge Island community. This event is free and shuttle transportation to and from the ferry terminals is included. Ferry fares ($11.05 for walk-ons) and food are not included. RSVP by adding this session to your agenda in the Building Together app.

Career Pathways alumni are invited to come together to connect, build community, and gather The Force to prepare for Building Together 2026. We will build relationships, grab a meal, and explore a galaxy far, far, away... from the hotel, and step into local, rejuvenating outdoor spaces. Join us and bring your full self and maybe a rain jacket.

Make your way to Seattle Center, starting with a 1-mile walk or a quick ride on the historic Seattle Monorail from downtown. Once on campus, explore iconic attractions at your own pace, including MoPOP, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and the Space Needle. While you’re there, don’t miss the Gates Foundation Discovery Center, offering an engaging look at global innovation and impact, which will be opened exclusively for Building Together attendees.

Get your steps in with a walking tour of the Seattle Waterfront, taking in its signature sights at your own pace. Wander the piers, browse local shops, and stop at iconic “must‑dos” like Pike Place Market with its lively stalls and famous fish throwers. Continue along the waterfront to explore Waterfront Park, visit the Seattle Aquarium, enjoy views of Elliott Bay, or ride the Seattle Great Wheel. For those who’d like to venture a bit farther, a scenic walk north leads to the Olympic Sculpture Park, an outdoor art space with sweeping waterfront views. It’s a flexible way to experience the best of Seattle’s vibrant shoreline.

Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort members (2026) and alumni (2023, 2024, 2025) are invited to connect and relax in a casual setting. Stop by to say hello to Council staff and fellow cohort members throughout the afternoon. We will host a short program around 3:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. We look forward to seeing you as we prepare for Building Together, together.

Kick off Building Together with a reception and concert, sponsored by the Gates Foundation. This one-night-only experience features RUB, a six-piece band bringing feel-good energy to Seattle’s music scene, along with KEXP’s own DJ Morgan.

The evening is curated in partnership with iconic Seattle music station, KEXP which champions curiosity, connection, and a shared love of music. While the music plays, mingle with your colleagues and sample some Seattle-inspired bites and beverages.

Sponsored by:

Start your morning with breakfast and connect with fellow attendees before the day begins.

Start your day on the right foot and join us for a morning walk designed to help you connect with nature. Hosted by Trust for Public Land.

Host Committee members are invited to enjoy time together over breakfast.

Working Group members are invited to enjoy time together over breakfast.

Division continues to shape our politics, our communities, and even our sense of one another. In this plenary we’ll take a clear-eyed look at the stark challenges of our time—including the growing realities of political violence and extremism. Together, we’ll consider what it means to live in a society capable of holding and valuing differences, without losing its humanity. Featuring speakers with deep experience in peacebuilding, anti-extremism, and depolarization, this plenary invites us to step into our roles with courage and align philanthropic investments, partnerships, and leadership to meet these challenges.

Welcome from Host Committee: Lara Littlefield, Executive Director, Allen Family Philanthropies; Alesha Washington, President & CEO, Seattle Foundation

Civic Science Talk: Professor Kurt Gray, Weary Foundation Endowed Chair in Social Psychology, The Ohio State University

Video Interview: Rt. Hn. Dame Jacinda Ardern, Patron, Christchurch Call Foundation; Kathleen Enright, President and CEO, Council on Foundations

Fireside Chat: Shamil Idriss, CEO, Search for Common Ground; Kathleen Enright, President and CEO, Council on Foundations

Funder Reflection: Michael Brown, Chief Architect; Civic Commons; Ali Noorani, President, Barr Foundation

Emcee: Scott Shigeoka, Author, Speaker, and Curiosity Expert

Artist: Benjamin Hunter

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

We are partnering with local rescue Motley Zoo Animal Rescue to bring loveable, huggable (and adoptable!) puppies to Building Together 2026. Stop by for a snuggle!

Belonging Colorado is a bold statewide effort to bring people together across lines of difference. In this interactive session, funders will participate in a bridging activity, hear panel insights with a grantee spotlight, and see how a multi-pronged approach—including community-based grantees, leadership networks, and social entrepreneurs—advances belonging.

Speakers: 

• Erika Montes, Belonging Colorado Program Lead, The Denver Foundation
• Papa Dia, Founder and Executive Director, African Leadership Group
• Susan Downs-Karkos, Director of Immigration, The Beacon Fund
• Juliana Tafur, Bridging Differences Program Director, Greater Good Science Center

Deep canvassing is a powerful, research-proven way to lastingly change hearts and minds by building connection across lines of difference. Participants will learn how to have authentic conversations grounded in vulnerability, curiosity, and story sharing. Using case studies, video of real conversations, and role play, participants will learn what makes deep canvassing unique and how to use it.

Speakers: 

• Steve Deline, Co-Founder, The New Conversation Initiative
• Ella Barrett, Co-Founder, The New Conversation Initiative
• Jessica Depies, Program Officer (Advisory Team), The Hearthland Foundation

Work to advance social innovation and progress is under fire in today’s atmosphere of division and broken trust, but people are putting trust in local leaders and solutions and are inventing ways for communities to thrive. This session will share learnings from the Aspen Institute’s Weave project, a hyperlocal funding model to help funders refocus on bottom-up social change.

Speakers:

• Frederick J. Riley, Executive Director, The Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project
• Danielle Battle, Deputy Executive Director, RICH - Restoring Inner City Hope, INC
• Melissa Rhodes Carter, Senior Manager, Community Grant Portfolios, Walmart Foundation

How can funders convene truly diverse groups and ensure their solutions make a difference? This session features Convergence’s Supports for Working Families Collaborative, which built cross-partisan consensus on family policies like paid leave, cash support and childcare. Participants will hear about the ripple effects of this collaborative and gain tools to apply to their work.

Speakers:

• Mariah Levison, CEO and President, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution
• Katie Beckmann, Children and Families Director, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
• Patrick Brown, Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Elizabeth Jacobs, Associate Vice President for Work, Education and Labor | Executive Director, WorkRise, Urban Institute

Local news is vital to trust, belonging, and social cohesion. This session highlights how funders can invest in journalism as civic infrastructure, partner with media beyond a check, and connect grantees with local outlets. Through real stories and dialogue, discover how to make lasting community impact.

Speakers: 

• Melissa Wind, Head of Philanthropic Partnerships, Minnesota Star Tribune
• Eric Roper, Reporter/Columnist, Minnesota Star Tribune
• Rob Harter, Executive Programs Assistant, McKnight Foundation
• Nora Hertel, Founder and Executive Director, Project Optimist

Many foundations want to act as conveners to bridge divides but don’t know where to start. Participants in this session will learn how funders can spark bold partnerships, increase social cohesion and reduce polarization. Through case studies, participants will learn how to combine dialogue and media literacy to bridge differences and will gain practical skills to apply to their work.

Speakers: 

• Becca Kearl, Executive Director, Living Room Conversations
• Ambika Kapur, Program Director, Education, Carnegie Corporation of New York
• Alice Sheehan, COO/CFO, Allsides

The March 2019 terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand revealed an essential truth about our modern information age: terrorists and violent extremists exploit digital platforms to radicalize, recruit, and inspire violence. This session will help participants understand the conditions online that contribute to radicalization and explore case studies and best practices for how to disrupt online pipelines to violence.

Speakers:

• Paul Ash, CEO, Christchurch Call Foundation
• Amy McIsaac, Managing Director, PACE

The by-products of colonialism perpetuate inequities among American Indian people that are mirrored in philanthropy. This session will share successes and challenges of engagement and funding between foundations and the Ute Mountain Ute people. Participants will gain suggestions on how to open lines of communication, engage cultural differences, and support solutions-driven problem-solving.

Speakers: 

• Robert Foley, Grants Program Director, Colorado Trust
• Tawnie Knight, Councilwoman, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
• Beverly Santicola, Executive Director, Center for Rural Outreach & Public Service
• Amy Swiatek, Senior Director, Rural and Statewide Networks, Philanthropy Colorado

Belonging is a basic human need associated with a range of positive outcomes, but how do you know if programs or investments are meaningfully building it? Presenters in this session will spotlight nonprofit and philanthropic leaders who are piloting early efforts to measure the hard-to-measure. They'll discuss why to measure, what they're learning, and how they are using data to shape strategy.

Speakers: 

• Kimberly Serrano, Director, Center for Inclusion and Belonging, American Immigration Council
• Chrissy Esposito, Research and Programs Manager, Colorado Health Institute
• Caitlin Shrigley, Director of Learning and Impact, Trust for Civic Life
• Shane Skinner, Lead Member Inclusion Coordinator, The Maybelle Center

At the same time foundations are managing one of the most disruptive periods in philanthropic history, a new wave of executives has taken the helm at many large foundations. What are their philosophies about engaging difference and what might their approaches show us about opportunities and challenges across the sector? This session will be a wide-ranging, interactive conversation with new CEOs about leadership in this moment, including how they see themselves managing boards and staff with differing views, deciding how to address polarizing topics, navigating a divisive policy landscape, and addressing threats to democratic norms.

Speakers:

• DeAngela Burns-Wallace, President and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Brian Eule, President and CEO, Heising-Simons Foundation
• Amber Miller, President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• Stacy Palmer, CEO, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Brenda Solorzano, President and CEO, The California Endowment

Learn how the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered with the Participatory Budgeting Project to create the conditions that allow innovative democratic practices to emerge. The session will focus on how this catalytic investment gave grassroots practitioners the tools they need to connect with their community to reimagine democracy in New Jersey, sparking a wave of advocacy across the state.

Speakers: 

• Rahel Mekdim Teka, Actin Co-Executive Director, Participatory Budgeting Project
• Marco Navarro, Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Tyrell Smith, Owner, Trent Towne Market
• Sharee Harrison, Owner, Treasure Island Promotions

Connect with your Practice Team over lunch to reflect on what you’re learning, practice new skills, and consider take-home strategies relevant to your work.

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with fellow attendees from Community Foundations.

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with fellow attendees from Corporate Foundations.

Leading in Turbulent Times: Building Team Resilience Through Dialogue 

What it is: A hands-on workshop that explores how leaders at any level can use constructive dialogue skills to navigate and foster organizational resilience through divided times. Participants will learn and practice strategies for navigating conflict, building trust, and increasing collaboration. Where possible, participants in like roles will be grouped together. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Understand why constructive dialogue is essential for sustaining strong civic and organizational ecosystems.
• Strengthen trust and collaboration with practical tools for guiding high-stakes conversations.
• Enhance your skills in listening deeply, sharing perspectives authentically, and leading with empathy while holding firm to your values.
• Gain resources to apply bridging practices that amplify the impact and durability of your efforts. 

Facilitators:  Mylien Duong, Chief Impact Officer, Constructive Dialogue Institute; Caroline Mehl, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Constructive Dialogue Institute

About Constructive Dialogue Institute: The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan nonprofit that equips individuals and institutions with the skills to communicate across differences and build cultures of constructive dialogue. 

Building Thriving Communities: Connecting the Cornerstones of Community to Catalyze Change 

What it is: A hands-on workshop where you’ll learn dialogic practices that help shift people from conflict to curiosity and, when leveraged at scale, build more resilient, hopeful, and cohesive communities. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Explore Essential Partners’ Reflective Structured Dialogue process and principles that promote mutual understanding, trust, and stronger relationships.
• Understand how intentional co-creation of structures and practices can build constructive patterns and shape community norms.
• Hear stories of real-world impact at the individual, organizational, and community levels.
• Learn to identify assets, opportunities, and community cornerstones that can catalyze change.
• Gain a renewed sense of hope. 

Facilitators: Meg Griffiths, Director of Programs, Essential Partners; John Sarrouf, Co-Executive Director, Essential Partners; CJ Suitt, Restorative Practice Associate, Essential Partners/ Dispute Settlement Center 

About Essential Partners: Essential Partners collaborates with civic groups, schools, faith communities, colleges, and organizations to build a culture of connection, a deeper sense of belonging, as well as mutual understanding and trust across differences of values, beliefs, and identities. 

Bridging to Belonging: Science to Practice 

What it is: A hands-on workshop where you'll learn and practice science-backed tools for supporting connection and creating spaces for belonging. We'll do a deep dive into the evidence and practices of belonging and explore how it can support the work of philanthropy—both in the workplace and the community. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Understand the science of connection and belonging.  
• Gain practical tools to create spaces where people feel they belong.
• Enhance your skills in fostering connection across divisions.
• Access resources to support your internal and external work of creating belonging across differences. 

Facilitators: Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Greater Good Science Center; Juliana Tafur, Bridging Differences Program Director, Greater Good Science Center 

About Greater Good Science Center: The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of wellbeing, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.

Our Shared Future: Integrating Approaches to Social Change 

What it is: In this workshop we will learn about the many networks and approaches working towards social change; leaning into different frameworks that surface natural tensions, and uncovering the mindsets needed to identify and execute potential complementarity within different social change efforts. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Reflect on and grapple with the brain science of uncertainty and certainty in order to break down siloes in our work.  
• Understand the Polarities Management framework and use “both/and” thinking as a tool to pierce our own assumptions and get the most out of our collaborations across difference.  
• Explore the “block/bridge/build” ecosystem to understand natural inclinations towards change-making, how we decide where we can make the most difference, and how to be in relationship with those in different parts of the ecosystem. 

Facilitators: Julia Roig, Chief Network Weaver, Horizons Project; Jarvis Williams, Democracy Fellow, Horizons Project 

About Horizons Project: The Horizons Project team acts as organizers, conveners, facilitators, and sense-makers, striving to impact the ecosystem of social change throughout the country. 

Long Bridges: How We Rehumanize One Another Across Big Divides 

What it is: This interactive workshop will help participants understand, develop, and implement innovative strategies through which organizations can meaningfully bridge "long" racial, ideological, or urban-rural divides. The workshop is grounded in experiences and lessons from Bridging for Democracy (B4D), a project initiated by the Othering and Belonging Institute, in partnership with leading community organizing groups across six states. As part of B4D, these groups identified communities they had previously avoided engaging with, and designed and carried out intentional bridging campaigns to foster listening and mutual recognition. Workshop participants will hear from leaders of these efforts, and learn, practice, and develop plans to implement their own long-bridging techniques. These techniques enable people to rehumanize one another, build regard, and envision an inclusive “we,” even without the need to agree on issues. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand how to develop and implement long bridging.   
• Use different formats and approaches to connecting across long divides that allow people to recognize one another and build regard, without erasing differences or needing to agree on issues.  
• Explore a framework on social fragmentation, democracy, and long bridging.   
• Gain skills and new ideas to implement bridges in your specific work and context. 

Facilitators: DeAngelo Bester, Executive Director, Workers Center for Racial Justice; Dr. Joshua Clark, Senior Social Scientist, Othering and Belonging Institute; Mansi Kathuria, Field Strategy and Research Analyst, Othering and Belonging Institute

About Othering and Belonging Institute: The Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley advances groundbreaking research, policy, and ideas that examine and remediate the processes of exclusion, marginalization, and structural inequality—what we call othering—in order to build a world based on inclusion, fairness, justice, and care for the earth—what we call belonging. 

Building Societal Resilience to Political and Identity-Based Violence 

What it is: Drawing from recent case studies, this workshop will support participants in building societal resilience to political and identity-based violence through communications, programmatic strategy, as well as network and ecosystem building. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand narratives that are used to justify violence, and how to counteract them.
• Explore community-based approaches to preventing, defusing, and responding to political and identity-based violence.
• Discover how philanthropy can play a crucial role in addressing risks for violence. 

Facilitators: Marissa Wong, Associate Director of Training & Field Support, Over Zero; Erin "Maz" Mazursky, Executive Director, Over Zero; Laura Livingston, Senior Director of Field Support and Strategy, Over Zero 

About Over Zero: Over Zero partners with community leaders, civil society, and researchers to harness the power of communication to prevent, resist and rise above identity-based violence and other forms of group-targeted harm. 

Building a Culture of Dialogue Across Difference

What it is: A workshop to build your capacity to explore disagreements while strengthening relationships, trust, learning, and collaboration.

What you’ll learn:

• Practice two core skills for difficult conversations across diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. 
• Get customized coaching from Resetting the Table staff and Council on Foundations staff.
• Increase your confidence to discuss charged issues. 
• Leave with replicable tools and exercises for building communication across differences in ways that strengthen connection, insight, and collaboration. 

Facilitators: Leah Reiser, Chief Training Officer, Resetting the Table; Cicella Monroe, Senior Trainer and Facilitator, Resetting the Table; Eyal Rabinovitch, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Resetting the Table 

Coaches: Jill Gordon, Senior Manager, Training, Council on Foundations; Yoo-Jin Kang, Director, Organizational Development and Inclusion, Council on Foundations; Brian Kastner, Director, Engagement, Council on Foundations; Daniela Rodriguez Ranf, Director, Leadership Development and Training, Council on Foundations; Nidale Zouhir, Director, Public Policy, Council on Foundations

About Resetting the Table: Resetting the Table (RTT) is dedicated to strengthening democracy by building collaborative deliberation across political siloes in American life.

Practicing Peace: Cultivating Emotional Maturity for Leading Across Difference 

What it is: Exhaustion, uncertainty, and conflict take a toll on every leader. Under pressure, we default to avoiding, appeasing, or pushing through—but these responses often leave us stuck. Emotional maturity offers another path: staying grounded, connected, and courageous when it matters most. This workshop will explore how moral, spiritual, and/or religious convictions can help you do this. 

What you’ll learn:

This interactive workshop will give participants space to: 

• Identify what happens “inside of me” when I encounter difference or conflict.
• Practice staying true to myself while remaining connected to others.
• Explore strategies for sustaining growth and maturity when change is hard.
• Draw from leadership research, social science, and moral resources across traditions, to practice concrete skills for navigating tension with steadiness and clarity. 

Facilitators: Michael Gulker, President, Colossian Forum; Heidi De Jonge, Associate Interfaith Chaplain, Queen's University 

About Colossian Forum: The Colossian Forum works with people to cultivate connection across difference. We teach leaders how to proactively identify and lean into potential areas of conflict and how to better care for people when conflict arises. 

Building Communities of Belonging in Public Spaces 

What it is: An interactive workshop that will explore best practices in community engagement in public spaces (parks, libraries, or other community gathering places) where democracy can thrive and bring people together across lines of difference. We'll also explore how to effectively measure the social and civic impacts of public space programming. 

What you’ll learn:

• Identify best practices for engaging communities in public spaces, and explore the resources and support needed to apply them.  
• Hear about the key barriers to effective social capital design and measurement faced by public space nonprofits, such as funding constraints, staff capacity, and trust-building, and explore ways to address these challenges.
• Strengthen grantmaking strategies by incorporating social impact measurement, supporting grantees in building evaluation capacity, and providing comprehensive resources before requiring new assessments. 

Facilitators: Kate Gannon, Associate Director of Capacity Building, Trust for Public Land; Cary Simmons, Director of Community Strategies, Trust for Public Land; Nichole Argo, PhD, Executive Director, TogetherUp Institute; Daniela Paz Peterson, Director of Welcoming Places, Trust for Public Land

About Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land believes everyone should have access to the outdoors. We create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. 

Free Expression and the Conditions for Transforming Disagreement for Better Collective Decision Making 

What it is: A workshop on how to harness disagreement and tension as catalysts for sharper thinking, stronger decisions, and more effective collective action. Free expression and healthy disagreement are essential to robust thinking and sound decision-making. Yet too often, default approaches to conflict create division, stagnation, and reductive thinking. This workshop will develop your understanding of the role of free expression and equip you to lean into disagreement, name tensions clearly, and use them to energize collaboration, problem-solving, and impact. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand the foundations of free expression and why it matters.
• Identify unproductive modes of disagreement and transform them into productive engagement that advances your mission.
• Lean into tensions and conflict to catalyze collective thinking.
• Leverage disagreement to move from stagnation to action and strengthen collaborative decision-making
• Apply adaptable models and concrete practices for fostering constructive disagreement within your organization and with stakeholders. 

Facilitators: Leila Brammer, Director of Curriculum, University of Chicago 

About Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression: The Chicago Forum promotes the understanding, practice, and advancement of free and open discourse at the University of Chicago and beyond. 

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

Join us for a People’s Supper Experience, hosted by Trust Labs, where we'll have the chance to reflect together on the themes of Building Together, and the stories and experiences we each bring to the table. Since 2017, more than 20,000 people have sat down for People's Suppers in over 100 cities and towns nationwide, in partnership with dozens of local government and civic groups, faith-based organizations and communities, colleges and universities, workplaces, and more.

Sponsored by:

Start your morning with breakfast and connect with fellow attendees before the day begins.

The decline in connection and trust is perhaps the greatest danger in the world today. To reverse it, we’ll learn how to connect again as we “break bread.”

During breakfast, Aaron Hurst, Founder and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Connection, will facilitate table conversations to reconnect us to one another and begin developing a shared vision for reconnecting humanity.

Together, each table will explore:

• Our own experiences building connection and community in our lives.
• The role we play in building connection in the lives of our teams (inside and outside of work).
• How the decline in connection is impacting the communities we fund, and how we can help.

By the end of breakfast, you will have made new friends and gained insight and inspiration into how to build connection in your life, leadership, and impact strategy.

Get your cardio in while enjoying the beauty of Seattle. All levels are welcome for this three-mile loop.

With shifts and pivots coming almost daily, we’ve been keeping an eye on the news out of Washington, D.C. and its impact on the charitable sector. This policy briefing will provide a space for the Council and foundation leaders to brief attendees on the latest policy changes and what they're hearing on the ground.

What motivates us to build the heartset and mindset to bring communities across the country together? Join us to listen in on a conversation among faith leaders as they grapple with humbling questions about moral authority, what is truly within our power to change, and how we know if our work is making things better—or inadvertently worse.

Welcome from Working Group: Ali Noorani, President, Barr Foundation; Nancy Van Milligen, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

Civic Science Talk: Dr. Samantha Moore-Berg, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, University of Utah

Panel Discussion: Aaron Alexander, Senior Rabbi, Adas Israel; Hurunnessa Fariad, Vice President of Strategic Funding and Relations, TAOFL; Andrew Hanauer, President and CEO, One America Movement; Dr. Joel Rainey, Lead Pastor, Covenant Church

Award Presentation and Funder Reflection: Kayce Ataiyero, Chief External Affairs Officer, The Joyce Foundation; Shelly O'Quinn, CEO, Innovia Foundation

Emcee: Scott Shigeoka, Author, Speaker, and Curiosity Expert

Artists: The Rhapsody Project

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

We are partnering with local rescue Motley Zoo Animal Rescue to bring loveable, huggable (and adoptable!) puppies to Building Together 2026. Stop by for a snuggle!

Discover how funders can bridge divides and build trust using Community Heart & Soul, a community engagement model rooted in shared values and storytelling. Through funder insights, inspiring case studies, and hands-on activities, participants of this session will gain actionable tools to strengthen connection and collaboration across differences in their own communities.

Speakers:

• Brent Baker, Executive Director, Bonner County Idaho Economic Development Corporation
• Joshua Kaiel, Director of Community Development, Innovia Foundation
• Jason Neises, Community Development Officer, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
• Elizabeth Wargo, Associate Professor, University of Idaho

Calls to bridge divides often collide with real tensions inside foundations – across boards, donors, DAF holders, staff, and grantees who hold differing political and ideological views. This CEO-only session features foundation CEOs grappling with those realities in real time, sharing how they set boundaries, manage risk, and lead with credibility amid disagreement. Participants will engage in a facilitated conversation focused on concrete leadership moves – how to build internal alignment and buy-in, navigate external partnerships, and stay anchored to mission without forcing unanimity. 

Speakers:

• Brad Clark, Leapfrog Strategies, Principal
• Gretchen Guess, President & CEO, Rasmuson Foundation
• Javier Soto, President & CEO, The Denver Foundation

Partisan gridlock has hampered U.S. climate progress, but funders have the power to change that. This session explores how philanthropy can unlock durable, bipartisan action by embracing ideological diversity and supporting authentic voices across the political spectrum. Attendees will leave with the confidence and concrete strategies to fund across political divides without compromising values.

Speakers:

• Madeleine Hahne, Engagement Manager, DEPLOY/US
• Alex Joyce, Vice President of Development, American Conservation Coalition
• Rose Luttenberger Caruso, Director of Advocacy, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
• Andrea Steiner, Chief Operating Officer, ClearPath

As toxic polarization threatens our social cohesion, explore why engaging with diverse perspectives can strengthen organizations, and how to elevate the importance of viewpoint diversity while setting appropriate boundaries. Drawing on work developed for Jewish organizations navigating conversations about antisemitism and Israel, this session will include skill-building and frameworks to bring home.

Speakers: 

• Ariella Saperstein, Director, Viewpoint Diversity Initiatives, Maimonides Fund
• Simon Greer, Founder, Cambridge Heath Ventures

Stories from around the world reveal how donors can effectively support community-healing processes anchored within the communities most impacted by high polarization. This session will use storytelling and interactive learning to provide practical strategies for how nonprofits and donors can harness the power of community-led processes to promote healing, reconciliation, and justice across even the deepest divisions.

Speakers: 

• Jesse Eaves, Senior Director, Peacebuilding, Humanity United
• Libby Hoffman, President, Catalyst For Peace
• Jesica Rhone, International Programs Director, McConnell Foundation
• Chup Thapa, Executive Director, Natural Resources Conflict Transformation Center - Nepal

Like sidewalks and libraries, local news is an essential resource for strong communities. But as once-thriving local newsrooms have disappeared across America, this vital public resource is at risk. Participants will examine roles and identify integration strategies philanthropy can use to revitalize local news ecosystems, strengthen civic participation, foster collaboration and bridge divides.

Speakers:

• Anika Anand, Co-founder, Commoner Company
• Kaarin Austin, Executive Director, Washington News Fund
• Mauri Ingram, President and CEO, Whatcom Community Foundation

Discover how philanthropy can actively fund and model pluralism to strengthen democracy and social cohesion in a time of deep division. Guided by New Pluralists and featuring case studies from Convergence, WV Can’t Wait, and Citizen University, participants will learn to spot, support, and scale pluralistic initiatives that build trust, foster inclusion, and create durable civic impact.

Speakers:

• Brittney Barlett, Board President and Leadership Team Member, WV Can’t Wait
• Kayla DeMonte, Deputy Director, Citizen University
• Lauren Higgins, Director of Ecosystem Strategies, New Pluralists
• Mariah Levison, CEO and President, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution

This session explores how funders are supporting libraries to build bridges across differences. Attendees will learn about discoveries and recommendations from recently completed pilot projects with libraries to test new social trust measurement tools and different bridge building approaches.  Participants in this session will gain practical insights and tools for fostering connection in their own work.

Speakers: 

• Phoebe Bierly, Project Director, IREX
• Shamichael Hallman, Senior Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity, Urban Libraries Council
• Melissa Rhodes Carter, Senior Manager, Community Resiliency, Caring and Connected Communities, Walmart Foundation
• Jennie Garner, Director, North Liberty Library

Language shapes how communities experience trust, belonging, and collaboration—often in ways we don’t intend. This session is designed for funders interested in strengthening trust, reducing risk, and supporting community problem-solving through more intentional language choices.

We’ll explore how language can either build connection or deepen division, drawing on insights from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement’s Civic Language Perceptions Project and the Council on Foundations’ Building Common Ground research.

The session will feature perspectives from funders who have applied this research in their work, alongside national data on how Americans across geographies perceive civic language. Participants will reflect on how language shows up in their own grantmaking, communications, and convenings, and discuss practical ways to model collaboration across differences.  

Participants will learn which words connect and which polarize and will practice editing philanthropic communications using research-backed tools.

Speakers:

• Brandon Cox, Director of Communications, Council on Foundations
• Siri Erickson, Senior Director for Strategy and Learning, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)
• Veronica Selzler, Managing Director, Strategy and Team Development, Hattaway Communications

At a time when extreme voices dominate our echo chambers, “in-group moderates” are more important than ever. This session features faith and philanthropic leaders from across the political spectrum, talking about how they navigate toxic polarization as in-group moderates, including practical tools and lessons that funders can bring back to their own networks and work.

Speakers: 

• Jazzalyn Livingston, National Program Director, The One America Movement
• Steven Morel, Chief of Staff, The One America Movement
• Rachel Pritzker, President, Pritzker Innovation Fund
• Joel Rainey, Lead Pastor, Covenant Church

Funders achieve greater impact when they can look beyond demographics to truly understand their beneficiaries. A “people-centered lens” starts with exploring the values, beliefs, and identities that shape how we think. Uncovering this, funders can see what motivates views and discover new paths for engagement.  This session includes new More In Common data, a funder case study, and an activity to apply insights.

Speakers: 

• Jazmin Kreimer, Head of Development, More in Common
• Kate Carney, Deputy Director, More in Common
• Jason Mangone, Executive Director, More in Common
• Chi Nguyen, Communications and Strategy Lead, Belonging, Einhorn Collaborative

Crises don't have to pull people apart; they can also be a turning point for collaboration and connection. In this interactive session, attendees will walk through real case studies and try out a scenario role play to explore constructive, pluralistic responses during tense moments. Attendees will learn how funders and practitioners can support each other, practice tools for staying grounded and strategic under pressure, and leave with practical ways to strengthen collaboration when the stakes are high.

What to expect:

Speakers: 

• Maxine Rich, Program Manager, Common Ground USA
• Ella Duncan, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager, Common Ground USA
• Shawn Jenkins, Strategy Lead, Bridging, Einhorn Collaborative

Connect with your Practice Team over lunch to reflect on what you’re learning, practice new skills, and consider take-home strategies relevant to your work.

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with your peers.

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with your peers.

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with your peers.

Leading in Turbulent Times: Building Team Resilience Through Dialogue 

What it is: A hands-on workshop that explores how leaders at any level can use constructive dialogue skills to navigate and foster organizational resilience through divided times. Participants will learn and practice strategies for navigating conflict, building trust, and increasing collaboration. Where possible, participants in like roles will be grouped together. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Understand why constructive dialogue is essential for sustaining strong civic and organizational ecosystems.
• Strengthen trust and collaboration with practical tools for guiding high-stakes conversations.
• Enhance your skills in listening deeply, sharing perspectives authentically, and leading with empathy while holding firm to your values.
• Gain resources to apply bridging practices that amplify the impact and durability of your efforts. 

Facilitators:  Mylien Duong, Chief Impact Officer, Constructive Dialogue Institute; Caroline Mehl, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Constructive Dialogue Institute

About Constructive Dialogue Institute: The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan nonprofit that equips individuals and institutions with the skills to communicate across differences and build cultures of constructive dialogue. 

Building Thriving Communities: Connecting the Cornerstones of Community to Catalyze Change 

What it is: A hands-on workshop where you’ll learn dialogic practices that help shift people from conflict to curiosity and, when leveraged at scale, build more resilient, hopeful, and cohesive communities. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Explore Essential Partners’ Reflective Structured Dialogue process and principles that promote mutual understanding, trust, and stronger relationships.
• Understand how intentional co-creation of structures and practices can build constructive patterns and shape community norms.
• Hear stories of real-world impact at the individual, organizational, and community levels.
• Learn to identify assets, opportunities, and community cornerstones that can catalyze change.
• Gain a renewed sense of hope. 

Facilitators: Meg Griffiths, Director of Programs, Essential Partners; John Sarrouf, Co-Executive Director, Essential Partners; CJ Suitt, Restorative Practice Associate, Essential Partners/ Dispute Settlement Center 

About Essential Partners: Essential Partners collaborates with civic groups, schools, faith communities, colleges, and organizations to build a culture of connection, a deeper sense of belonging, as well as mutual understanding and trust across differences of values, beliefs, and identities. 

Bridging to Belonging: Science to Practice 

What it is: A hands-on workshop where you'll learn and practice science-backed tools for supporting connection and creating spaces for belonging. We'll do a deep dive into the evidence and practices of belonging and explore how it can support the work of philanthropy—both in the workplace and the community. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Understand the science of connection and belonging.  
• Gain practical tools to create spaces where people feel they belong.
• Enhance your skills in fostering connection across divisions.
• Access resources to support your internal and external work of creating belonging across differences. 

Facilitators: Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Greater Good Science Center; Juliana Tafur, Bridging Differences Program Director, Greater Good Science Center 

About Greater Good Science Center: The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of wellbeing, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.

Our Shared Future: Integrating Approaches to Social Change 

What it is: In this workshop we will learn about the many networks and approaches working towards social change; leaning into different frameworks that surface natural tensions, and uncovering the mindsets needed to identify and execute potential complementarity within different social change efforts. 

What you’ll learn:   

• Reflect on and grapple with the brain science of uncertainty and certainty in order to break down siloes in our work.  
• Understand the Polarities Management framework and use “both/and” thinking as a tool to pierce our own assumptions and get the most out of our collaborations across difference.  
• Explore the “block/bridge/build” ecosystem to understand natural inclinations towards change-making, how we decide where we can make the most difference, and how to be in relationship with those in different parts of the ecosystem. 

Facilitators: Julia Roig, Chief Network Weaver, Horizons Project; Jarvis Williams, Democracy Fellow, Horizons Project 

About Horizons Project: The Horizons Project team acts as organizers, conveners, facilitators, and sense-makers, striving to impact the ecosystem of social change throughout the country. 

Long Bridges: How We Rehumanize One Another Across Big Divides 

What it is: This interactive workshop will help participants understand, develop, and implement innovative strategies through which organizations can meaningfully bridge "long" racial, ideological, or urban-rural divides. The workshop is grounded in experiences and lessons from Bridging for Democracy (B4D), a project initiated by the Othering and Belonging Institute, in partnership with leading community organizing groups across six states. As part of B4D, these groups identified communities they had previously avoided engaging with, and designed and carried out intentional bridging campaigns to foster listening and mutual recognition. Workshop participants will hear from leaders of these efforts, and learn, practice, and develop plans to implement their own long-bridging techniques. These techniques enable people to rehumanize one another, build regard, and envision an inclusive “we,” even without the need to agree on issues. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand how to develop and implement long bridging.   
• Use different formats and approaches to connecting across long divides that allow people to recognize one another and build regard, without erasing differences or needing to agree on issues.  
• Explore a framework on social fragmentation, democracy, and long bridging.   
• Gain skills and new ideas to implement bridges in your specific work and context. 

Facilitators: DeAngelo Bester, Executive Director, Workers Center for Racial Justice; Dr. Joshua Clark, Senior Social Scientist, Othering and Belonging Institute; Mansi Kathuria, Field Strategy and Research Analyst, Othering and Belonging Institute

About Othering and Belonging Institute: The Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley advances groundbreaking research, policy, and ideas that examine and remediate the processes of exclusion, marginalization, and structural inequality—what we call othering—in order to build a world based on inclusion, fairness, justice, and care for the earth—what we call belonging. 

Building Societal Resilience to Political and Identity-Based Violence 

What it is: Drawing from recent case studies, this workshop will support participants in building societal resilience to political and identity-based violence through communications, programmatic strategy, as well as network and ecosystem building. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand narratives that are used to justify violence, and how to counteract them.
• Explore community-based approaches to preventing, defusing, and responding to political and identity-based violence.
• Discover how philanthropy can play a crucial role in addressing risks for violence. 

Facilitators: Marissa Wong, Associate Director of Training & Field Support, Over Zero; Erin "Maz" Mazursky, Executive Director, Over Zero; Laura Livingston, Senior Director of Field Support and Strategy, Over Zero 

About Over Zero: Over Zero partners with community leaders, civil society, and researchers to harness the power of communication to prevent, resist and rise above identity-based violence and other forms of group-targeted harm. 

Building a Culture of Dialogue Across Difference

What it is: A workshop to build your capacity to explore disagreements while strengthening relationships, trust, learning, and collaboration.

What you’ll learn:

• Practice two core skills for difficult conversations across diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. 
• Get customized coaching from Resetting the Table staff and Council on Foundations staff.
• Increase your confidence to discuss charged issues. 
• Leave with replicable tools and exercises for building communication across differences in ways that strengthen connection, insight, and collaboration. 

Facilitators: Leah Reiser, Chief Training Officer, Resetting the Table; Cicella Monroe, Senior Trainer and Facilitator, Resetting the Table; Eyal Rabinovitch, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Resetting the Table 

Coaches: Jill Gordon, Senior Manager, Training, Council on Foundations; Yoo-Jin Kang, Director, Organizational Development and Inclusion, Council on Foundations; Brian Kastner, Director, Engagement, Council on Foundations; Daniela Rodriguez Ranf, Director, Leadership Development and Training, Council on Foundations; Nidale Zouhir, Director, Public Policy, Council on Foundations

About Resetting the Table: Resetting the Table (RTT) is dedicated to strengthening democracy by building collaborative deliberation across political siloes in American life.

Practicing Peace: Cultivating Emotional Maturity for Leading Across Difference 

What it is: Exhaustion, uncertainty, and conflict take a toll on every leader. Under pressure, we default to avoiding, appeasing, or pushing through—but these responses often leave us stuck. Emotional maturity offers another path: staying grounded, connected, and courageous when it matters most. This workshop will explore how moral, spiritual, and/or religious convictions can help you do this. 

What you’ll learn:

This interactive workshop will give participants space to: 

• Identify what happens “inside of me” when I encounter difference or conflict.
• Practice staying true to myself while remaining connected to others.
• Explore strategies for sustaining growth and maturity when change is hard.
• Draw from leadership research, social science, and moral resources across traditions, to practice concrete skills for navigating tension with steadiness and clarity. 

Facilitators: Michael Gulker, President, Colossian Forum; Heidi De Jonge, Associate Interfaith Chaplain, Queen's University 

About Colossian Forum: The Colossian Forum works with people to cultivate connection across difference. We teach leaders how to proactively identify and lean into potential areas of conflict and how to better care for people when conflict arises. 

Building Communities of Belonging in Public Spaces 

What it is: An interactive workshop that will explore best practices in community engagement in public spaces (parks, libraries, or other community gathering places) where democracy can thrive and bring people together across lines of difference. We'll also explore how to effectively measure the social and civic impacts of public space programming. 

What you’ll learn:

• Identify best practices for engaging communities in public spaces, and explore the resources and support needed to apply them.  
• Hear about the key barriers to effective social capital design and measurement faced by public space nonprofits, such as funding constraints, staff capacity, and trust-building, and explore ways to address these challenges.
• Strengthen grantmaking strategies by incorporating social impact measurement, supporting grantees in building evaluation capacity, and providing comprehensive resources before requiring new assessments. 

Facilitators: Kate Gannon, Associate Director of Capacity Building, Trust for Public Land; Cary Simmons, Director of Community Strategies, Trust for Public Land; Nichole Argo, PhD, Executive Director, TogetherUp Institute; Daniela Paz Peterson, Director of Welcoming Places, Trust for Public Land

About Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land believes everyone should have access to the outdoors. We create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. 

Free Expression and the Conditions for Transforming Disagreement for Better Collective Decision Making 

What it is: A workshop on how to harness disagreement and tension as catalysts for sharper thinking, stronger decisions, and more effective collective action. Free expression and healthy disagreement are essential to robust thinking and sound decision-making. Yet too often, default approaches to conflict create division, stagnation, and reductive thinking. This workshop will develop your understanding of the role of free expression and equip you to lean into disagreement, name tensions clearly, and use them to energize collaboration, problem-solving, and impact. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand the foundations of free expression and why it matters.
• Identify unproductive modes of disagreement and transform them into productive engagement that advances your mission.
• Lean into tensions and conflict to catalyze collective thinking.
• Leverage disagreement to move from stagnation to action and strengthen collaborative decision-making
• Apply adaptable models and concrete practices for fostering constructive disagreement within your organization and with stakeholders. 

Facilitators: Leila Brammer, Director of Curriculum, University of Chicago 

About Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression: The Chicago Forum promotes the understanding, practice, and advancement of free and open discourse at the University of Chicago and beyond. 

Want to explore the city and get to know fellow attendees over delicious food and great conversation? Join a dine-around! These small group gatherings offer opportunities to connect over dinner at local restaurants.

Attendees, view the list of available dine-arounds and RSVP by adding it to your schedule in the app.

Join the Council’s CEO and Board for light refreshments and good conversation during this invite-only event.

Sponsored by:

Stop by our conference living room lounge to enjoy some relaxed time with fellow attendees. Essential Partners will host a poetry activity, and there will be games available. Want to get artistic? You can work on our paint-by-number mural (a Council conference favorite!) or bring your own craft.

We invite you to join us for an evening movie screening of Prime Minister. The Right Honorable Dame Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister, led her nation through unprecedented challenges, implemented bold policies, and became the second leader in history to give birth in office, all while championing an inclusive and empathetic leadership style that changed global expectations of what a leader can be.

Bring your questions to continue and deepen conversations with our partners over breakfast. Chat with The Colossian Forum, Greater Good Science Center, Othering and Belonging Institute, Over Zero, Resetting the Table, and Trust for Public Land.

Start your morning with breakfast and connect with fellow attendees before the day begins.

Join an interactive breakfast session about how to effectively invest in connection across difference at the local, regional, and national levels. Join funders who are part of the New Pluralists collaborative who will provide context from their five years of investing together in strategies that foster belonging, cooperation, and social trust and then open up a discussion to bring your perspectives and learning from the conference into the room.

Hosted by New Pluralists

What becomes possible when people feel seen and valued? And how can belonging be cultivated in unexpected places—both in practice, and in culture? Together, we’ll discuss what a more connected society could look like, and what kind of commitment it will take to build.

Civic Science Talk: Sohad Murrar, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago

Spark Talks: Joey Clift, Comedian/TV Writer; Adrian H. Molina, Co-Director, Warm Cookies of the Revolution

Keynote: Eric Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, Citizen University

Funder Reflection: Sarah Cross, Senior Vice President, Stand Together; Carla Fredericks, CEO, The Christensen Fund

Practice Team Reflection: Kristen Scott Kennedy, Executive Vice President, Council on Foundations

Emcee: Scott Shigeoka, Author, Speaker, and Curiosity Expert

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

Learn how Rural Development Hubs bridge divides by pairing capital with trust, cultural grounding, and local leadership. This interactive session offers funders a framework to invest in ways that deepen belonging, shift narratives, and build civic and economic power in rural communities.

What to expect:

Speakers:

• Bonita Robertson-Hardy, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
• Olivia Sloan, Vice President of Native Health Partnerships, Anchorum Health Foundation

All social change efforts rely on attitude and ultimately behavior change for impact. Informed by social psychology and on-the-ground practice, top evaluators in the bridgebuilding field will help participants think through their projects and portfolios in real time. Participants will leave with evaluation strategies that align with their wider goals.

Speakers: 

• Allison Ralph, Founder and Principal, Cohesion Strategy
• Michelle Garred, Founder and Principal, Ripple Peace Research & Consulting 
• Kristina Kastler, Evaluation and Learning Officer, David and Lucille Packard Foundation 
• Karissa Raskin, CEO, Listen First Project 

In an era of polarization, declining civic trust, and complex social challenges, traditional grantmaking alone cannot create systemic change. This session explores how foundations are fostering social cohesion through innovative approaches like shifting narratives, building community power, and changing internal grantmaking and hiring practices.

Speakers:

• Miya Cain, Associate Director, FSG
• Erin Switalski, Program Director, Headwaters Foundation
• Beth Worthen, CEO, Natrona Collective Health Trust 

Community building is complex, and metrics are hard to get to. Try out a new tool built with and for community builders to take stock of progress and set course for what’s next.  This bilingual reflection tool brings added rigor, shared language, and real-world examples. Participants will have time to try it on a project relevant to them, and consider how it might enhance their work.

Speakers: 

• Max Gimbel, Director of Rural Community Building, The Ford Family Foundation
• Corey Newhouse, Founder and Principal, Public Profit

Join three collaborative-fund leaders working across environment, democracy, and narrative change as they share data-driven insights and real-world examples of projects they are funding that bring together philanthropy, NGOs, grassroots organizations, government partners, and diverse community constituencies to strengthen collaboration and advance a more pluralistic American society.

Speakers:

• Bridge Antoinette Evans, CEO, Pop Culture Collaborative
• Eva Hernandez, Executive Director, Mosaic Momentum
• Sarah Jaynes, Executive Director, Rural Democracy Initiative
• Isis Krause, Chief Strategy Officer, Philanthropy Together

This session introduces a fresh approach to dialogue in higher ed: a peer-led fellowship that equips student club leaders to adopt dialogue as a tool to reach club goals. Participants will engage in an interactive case study, then explore a funding perspective on campus discourse--why it matters, evidence of success, challenges, and opportunities.

What to expect:

Speakers: 

• Shira Hoffer, Executive Director, The Viewpoints Project
• John Churchill, Vice President of Grants and Programs, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations 

This session explores how Native-led and national funders are moving beyond transactional grantmaking toward trust, reciprocity, and long-term partnership. Through examples from Hawaiʻi and national partners, participants will learn relational, Indigenous-informed funding approaches and apply them to their own work.

Speakers:

• Molly Judge, Director of Philanthropic Solutions, Magic Cabinet
• Ku'uleinani Maunupau, President, Native Hawaiian Philanthropy
• Erik Stegman, CEO, Native Americans in Philanthropy 

Polarization is making it harder to lead organizations with diverse views. Leaders often face challenges when staff want them to speak out on polarized issues. Using new data from More in Common, presenters in this session will discuss evidence-based strategies to navigate internal pressures from values-driven teams while sustaining a healthy culture and advancing your mission.

Speakers:

• Kate Carney, Deputy Director, More in Common
• Jason Mangone, Executive Director, More in Common
• Amy McIsaac, Managing Director, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)
• Stacy Palmer, CEO, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Before you go, grab a boxed lunch to enjoy as you head home. Thank you for joining us at Building Together 2026!

Still have some time to explore? Head over to the Seattle Art Museum, the leading visual arts institution in the Pacific Northwest and a must-see while you're in the city. Show your conference badge at the ticketing desk and receive 50% off one ticket.