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As organizations committed to strengthening community foundations, CFLeads and the Council on Foundations are partnering to offer a new public policy and advocacy training course for community foundations. This updated training will provide community foundation leaders and staff with the knowledge and resources needed to excel in advocating for the nonprofits and communities doing the hard work of social change. 

Workshop Hours

• Wednesday, February 1: 1:00-5:30 p.m. ET
• Thursday, February 2: 1:00-5:30 p.m. ET

Government policies and programs affect almost every aspect of our lives, from housing, healthcare and the environment to education, transportation, and safety.  For foundations striving to create equitable, inclusive, and widely prosperous communities, it is necessary to focus on strengthening and reimagining policies and systems.

Participation in advocacy is an essential strategy to advance the mission of community foundations. Yet a lack of understanding of the rules of advocacy and lobbying, confusion about the appropriate governance and risk management, as well as a dearth of tools and internal capacity needed to be successful prevents many community foundations from engaging in public policy. 

This learning opportunity is intended for CEOs and senior leadership staff from community foundations of all sizes that are committed to getting more involved in policy and advocacy work.

This training will provide community foundations across geographies and of all sizes with:

• Increased understanding of the importance of public policy to improve outcomes

• Improved policy practice

• Increased advocacy action

In this training, participants will:

• Understand a comprehensive picture of possible community foundation strategies to engage in effective public policy advocacy that advances the greater good

• Understand the complex dynamics around foundation staff’s relationships with policy advocacy organizations and explore the optimal relationship for your foundation

• Learn how to build support for advocacy among your foundation’s staff and board

• Learn how to improve your foundation’s grantmaking to more effectively participate in policy advocacy

Offered in partnership with: 

It is easy to get hung up on what you think you cannot do when engaging with policymakers. The good news is, you can do more than you may think!

Though the law varies among different types of foundations, all foundation types can engage in advocacy! The Council on Foundations Legal Team explained all the ways foundations can engage in public policy and advocacy.

Participants learned what constitutes permissible, non-partisan advocacy. We will explore regulations versus legislation, learning the difference and why it matters. Attendees will find out about exceptions to the limitation on lobbying. We will also discuss how grantmakers can support civic engagement, including what foundations can do to educate voters during election year politics and what it means to support or oppose a candidate.

In this webinar, we explored:

• What constitutes permissible, non-partisan advocacy and whether bi-partisan action is as good as non-partisan action
• The difference between regulation and legislation and why it matters
• Exceptions to the limitation on lobbying
• What foundations can do to educate voters and support civic engagement
• What qualifies as support or opposition for a particular candidate

Featuring the Council on Foundations Legal Team:

Join us for the June meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work.

Meeting Topic: CF Insights Annual Survey, previously known as the Columbus Survey, is known by many as the “census of the community foundation field.” It was originally launched by the Columbus Foundation in 1988, and administered by CF Insights, a service of Candid, since 2008. The survey collects data to uncover financial trends and operational activity among community foundations in the United States. Last year, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the New York Community Trust, CF Insights rebuilt the survey, and added a series of questions dedicated to understanding the extent to which community foundations engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Guest Speakers: David Rosado, Director of Network Engagement at Candid, is responsible for guiding the programmatic direction and long-term vision for Candid's two formal partner networks: the Funding Information Network and CF Insights.

Connect with community foundation peers to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The group meets monthly by Zoom to discuss SDG hot topics including education, local implementation, community alignment and communication, professional development, data, grantmaking, and more. This community is primarily focused on expanding the SDGs in the United States through community foundation action, but all nationalities are welcome.

By registering for this event, you agree to share some identifying information with the Central Florida Foundation, the partner for this event. 

Peer Discussion Leads

• Laura Simmelink, Senior Director of Programs, Community Foundation of Collier County
• Marian Clowes, Associate Director for Community Leadership, Parkersburg Area Community Foundation

Philanthropy Exchange is a peer-to-peer platform that connects Council members through shared interests, topics or resources. On the Exchange members can:

• Connect with their peers around the globe to discuss topics of shared interest
• Search an online library of best practices and template documents
• Seek and give candid advice in a private community of their peers
• Find members funding similar issues or performing similar roles in their foundation
• Share resources to develop stronger relationships that advance their work

Learn more about the Exchange by contacting, Jessica Chaparro.

Presentation Slides

Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) recently released a report "Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining two years of giving" to see how philanthropy has responded to the pandemic. In partnership with the Council on Foundations, CDP and Candid presented a webinar that highlighted the key learnings and provided recommendations for funders as the world continues to struggle with the impact of COVID-19. 

Key questions addressed included: 

• How have funders - in the U.S. and globally - responded financially to the pandemic?
• What are the trends in giving and how have they changed over time?
• What do funders need to focus on in the next few years? 
• What are the trends in grantmaking practices that have come in response to the pandemic? 

Speakers

Moderator

Natalie Ross

Vice President, Membership, Development and Finance
Council on Foundations

Welcome Remarks

Lori Bertman

President & CEO
Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation

This webinar was funded by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation and co-sponsored by the Council on Foundations, Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. 

Resources

• "Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining two years of giving" Report by Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid (2022)
• Philanthropy's Commitment During COVID-19  Pledge, Council on Foundations
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy's Race and Intersectional Equity Statement
• "Stronger Together: Supporting Mutual Aid for Equitable Recovery," by Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, Center for Disaster Philanthropy (2021)
• "Balancing Speed, Equity, and Impact during a Crisis" by Benjamin Soskis, Laura Tomasko, Shena Ashley, and Fay Walker - Urban Institute (2020)

Recent data and research from sources such as the Edelman Trust Barometer suggest declining trust in nonprofits and philanthropy in the United States. Fraying trust in institutions, perceptions that nonprofits and philanthropy are politicized, intensifying critiques of philanthropy as a “ruse” or self-promotion, increasing societal polarization, and well-publicized scandals all may play a part.

How does declining trust in institutions affect our ability as nonprofit organizations to make social change? Could it impact charitable giving? Lead to new governmental regulations? Or make it difficult to build the kinds of partnerships that advance our work? And what can and should philanthropy do to rebuild that trust?

This panel discussed current challenges, opportunities, and examples to help guide our work.

Moderator

• Phil Buchanan, President, Center for Effective Philanthropy

Panelists

• LaTida Smith, President, The Winston-Salem Foundation
• Chelsea Peters, Chief Strategy Officer, Walton Family Foundation
• Beth Breeze, Director, Global Challenges Doctoral Centre and Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent
• Kathleen Enright, President & CEO, Council on Foundations

In partnership with

Led by the Council on Foundations Legal Team, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities are addressed. The legal team will provide technical and practical understanding of complex rules and regulations.

Workshop Hours

• Tuesday, August 23: 1:00-4:30p.m. ET
• Wednesday, August 24: 1:00-4:30p.m. ET

Throughout the workshop, sessions will be curated by

• Insight from Council's top-notch legal team that interacts with nearly 2,000 foundation leaders each year
• Trends spotted by our broader team, including National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations
• Timely, relevant take on the basics that informs day-to-day business decisions and operations
• Expertise to advance your knowledge of the organization's inner workings--from admin to governance, donor stewardship to grantmaking.

With each session, there will be time for questions and a deep exploration of the answers. This workshop is open to any board or staff member from any community foundation that is eager to dive into the legalities of our business model and unlock the truth to effective management and leadership of a community foundation.

Sample Agenda

(2 Day Virtual Series)

Specific topics will be defined in advance of the workshop as attendees begin to submit ideas, pressing issues, and assist with the defining of sessions. This event is designed to be time sensitive and relevant to current issues. The format will be discussion-oriented, question and answer-based learning alongside peer sharing.

DAY 1: Tuesday, August 23 — 1:00-4:30 p.m. ET

• General Overview of new rules, regulations, and developments for CFs – Discuss latest new rules and regulations affecting community foundations.
  • Topics will vary based on current events and attendee requests, but often cover topics such H.R. 3988 (universal deductions), CARES Act, Updated Charity Act, Tax Deductibility, UPMIFA and related public policy trends.
• Small Group Discussions & Deep Dives with Attorneys: Most common legal complexities facing community foundations – Assessing the most common inquiries from the field nationally, Council attorneys will delve into pressing subjects and issues such as DAFs and permissible grantees, current laws and basic rules regulating DAFs, Notice 2017-73 regarding DAFs, and expenditure responsibility.

DAY 2: Wednesday, August 24 — 1:00-4:30 p.m. ET

• Trends and Challenges from the Field – Council experts will share the trending narratives shaping conversations in board rooms as well as the most common challenges shared among community foundations.
• Small Group & Deep Dive with Attorneys: Most common legal complexities facing community foundations – Assessing the most common inquiries from the field nationally, Council attorney Ben McDearmon will delve into pressing subjects and issues such as  scholarships, giving circles, corporate advised funds, variance power, and agency funds.