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, Fundamental

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 Resiliency, Caring and Connected Communities, 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, National Policy Director, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
• Patrick Brown, Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Elizabeth Jacobs, Senior Fellow, 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
• Nora Hertel, Founder and Executive Director, Project Optimist
• Tim Murphy, Program Officer - Alignment, McKnight Foundation

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
• Ashley Arana, Program Analyst, Carnegie Foundation
• Ambika Kapur, Program Director, Carnegie Foundation
• Alice Sheehan, COO/CFO, Allsides

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
• Shannon Green, President and CEO, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)
• Stacey Palmer, CEO, Chronicle of Philanthropy

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
• Bernadette Cuthair, Director of Planning and Development, 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 Analysis Manager, Colorado Health Institute
• Caitlin Shrigley, Director of Learning and Impact, Trust for Civic Life
• Shane Skinner, Lead Member Inclusion Coordinator, The Maybelle Center

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:

• Mauri Ingram, President and CEO, Whatcom Community Foundation
• Anika Anand, Co-founder, Commoner Company
• Sharon Miracle, President and CEO, Yakima Valley Community Foundation 

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

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

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:

• Laur Hesse Fisher, Vice President of Impact and Learning, DEPLOY/US
• Chris Barnard, President, American Conservation Coalition
• Rose Luttenberger Caruso, Director of Advocacy, C2ES
• Matt Mailloux, Program Director - Clean Energy and Permitting, 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 
• John Caulker, Founder and Executive Director, Fambul Tok
• Jesica Rhone, International Programs Director, McConnell Foundation 
• Chup Thapa, Executive Director, Natural Resources Conflict Transformation Center - Nepal

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, One America Movement and Citizen University, participants will learn to spot, support, and scale pluralistic initiatives that build trust, foster inclusion, and create durable civic impact.

Speakers:

• Mariah Levison, CEO and President, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution 
• Kayla DeMonte, Deputy Director, Citizen University 
• Alison Grubbs, Senior Director, New Pluralists

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, Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity, Urban Libraries Council 
• Melissa Rhodes Carter, Senior Manager, Community Resiliency, Caring and Connected Communities, Walmart Foundation
• Nick Shimmin, Adult Services Librarian, North Liberty Library

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: 

• Steven Morel, Senior Manager, Office of the CEO, The One America Movement
• Chandra Denap Whetstine, CEO, The One America Movement
• Rachel Pritzker, President, Pritzker Innovation Fund
• Joel Rainey, 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
• Tim Dixon, Co-founder, More in Common
• Chi Nguyen, Communications and Strategy Lead, Belonging, Einhorn Collaborative

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.

Speakers:

• Bonita Robertson-Hardy, Executive Director, Aspen Institute 
• 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 
• Autumn McDonald, Vice President of Community Investment and Partnerships, East Bay Community Foundation
• Erin Switalski, Program Director, Headwaters 
• 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
• Laura Isiordia, Bilingual Bicultural Senior Field Coordinator, 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:

• Eva Hernandez, Executive Director, Mosaic Momentum
• Bridge Antoinette Evans, CEO, Pop Culture Collaborative
• Isis Krause, Chief Strategy Officer, Philanthropy Together
• Quanita (Q) Toffie, Co-Executive Director, AAPI Civic Engagement Fund

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.

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:

• Erik Stegman, CEO, Native Americans in Philanthropy 
• Ku'uleinani Maunupau, President, Native Hawaiian Philanthropy

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.

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