Following brief updates on SECF’s financials and governance, as well as the election of new trustees, we will welcome to our virtual stage Richard Rothstein, author of the bestselling book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, which recovers a forgotten history of how federal, state, and local policy explicitly segregated metropolitan areas nationwide, creating racially homogenous neighborhoods in patterns that, Rothstein argues, violate the Constitution and require remediation. Rothstein has spent years documenting the evidence that government not merely ignored discriminatory practices in the residential sphere but promoted them. The impact has been devastating for generations of African Americans who were denied the right to live where they wanted to live and raise and school their children where they could flourish most successfully.

Speaker: Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow, Economic Policy Institute; Senior Fellow (emeritus), Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Author, The Color of Law (Berkeley, CA)

Following our Morning Plenary, Richard Rothstein will join attendees for a discussion of the issues raised in his remarks and in his book, The Color of Law.

Speaker: Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow, Economic Policy Institute; Senior Fellow (emeritus), Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Author, The Color of Law (Berkeley, CA)

More and more, funders are looking to include the communities they serve in their grantmaking processes. This session will explore the strategy of participatory grantmaking and giving decision-making power about funding decisions to those foundations aim to serve.

The session will explore the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, a collective of funders, activists and community leaders working to advance the movements for Black girls and women in the Southeast. The consortium is creating an infrastructure for regional grantmaking and movement-building by providing resources to locally-based organizations that work directly with Black girls, including those outside of traditional nonprofit organizations. The consortium has a community-informed grantmaking strategy with women and girls serving as advisors and grants panelists throughout the process.

Speakers:
Felecia Lucky, President, Black Belt Community Foundation (Selma, AL)
Margo Miller, Executive Director, Appalachian Community Fund (Knoxville, TN)
Representatives of the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium (Selma, AL)

Across the American South, growing movements focused on equity, economic development, history, and the arts are converging to build social capital, engender civic pride, connect neighborhoods, support health and safety, grow social justice, and nurture a sense of belonging.

Speakers:
Mark Constantine, President & CEO, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation (Richmond, VA)
Clark Casteel, President & CEO, Danville Regional Foundation (Danville, VA)
Katie Ensign, Senior Program Officer, Jessie Ball duPont Fund (Jacksonville, FL)

What contributes to a hospitable and equitable foundation environment? What practices promote long- term effectiveness in the field? We’ll hear stories from two philanthropy professionals who experienced significant workplace challenges that undermined their ability to serve effectively and thrive personally. We’ll also hear about the intentional evolution of these same two foundations where governance and administrative changes over time resulted in healthier workplaces for all. With regard to our country’s most recent challenges, panelists will also speak to their adaptive strategies around workplace health and effectiveness during the pandemic and engaging challenges and opportunities around racial justice and equity within their offices, boardrooms, and communities. This session is designed for foundation trustees and leaders who seek governance and staff practices where people and professionals can thrive.

Speakers:
Mason Rummel, President & CEO, James Graham Brown Foundation (Nashville, TN)
Jennifer Oldham, Communications Director, The Healing Trust (Nashville, TN)

Facilitator: Jocelyn McDaniel, Director of Programs, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (Washington, DC)

Throughout the Annual Meeting, we will offer a variety of activities that give attendees a chance to relax, form deeper connections with colleagues or unwind with games, entertainment and more! We’ll announce more details on these events soon!

Pour yourself a drink, grab a snack and join with other Annual Meeting attendees for an hour of casual conversation and connection! This event is a chance for all attendees to come together, reconnect with old friends and begin making new ones!

Storytelling is more than a communication tactic. It is a powerful methodology that can be used to mobilize change and inspire a new future. The session will explore the ways philanthropy can use storytelling as a tool to bring understanding to complex issues, create strong partnerships, and meet their mission. Participants will learn how to tell their story through lively, organic, and spontaneous activities.

Speakers for this session will be announced soon!

Traditional evaluation approaches often come with inherent power dynamics that can elevate funders as the sole experts and undervalue the voices, expertise and experiences of grantee organizations and the communities they serve. Recent years have seen a paradigm shift and the field is pushing for equitable evaluation: more inclusive methods that place equity at the core of the work, are culturally relevant, and honor the input of grantmakers and grantees at every stage of the evaluation process.

Join us as we discuss principles of equitable evaluation, learn why it’s critical for foundations to adopt these practices, and hear how colleagues in the field are already successfully applying equitable evaluation and what they are learning.

Speaker: Dr. Shanesha Brooks-Tatum, Executive Vice President, Creative Research Solutions (Atlanta, GA)

At some point on the philanthropic journey a mentor can help lead the way, but how do we develop meaningful mentor relationships that are mutually beneficial? This session will explore the art and the science of creating mentorships that matter through the stories of two philanthropic leaders: Stephanie Cooper-Lewter of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and Mark Constantine of Richmond Memorial Health Foundation. To highlight the impact of a mentor mindset, this session will incorporate two StoryCorps animations that illustrate real-life stories powered by the mentorship way.

Speakers:
Mark Constantine, President & CEO, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation (Richmond, VA)
Stephanie Cooper-Lewter, Vice President of Programs and Administration, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust (Winston-Salem, NC)

Throughout the Annual Meeting, we will offer a variety of activities that give attendees a chance to relax, form deeper connections with colleagues or unwind with games, entertainment and more! We’ll announce more details on these events soon!

The 51st Annual Meeting will wrap up with inspiring remarks from Susan Taylor Batten, president and chief executive officer of ABFE, a membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. Batten has led the organization’s philanthropic advising and programming on responsive philanthropy in Black communities for foundation leaders, donors and aligned partners.

Speaker: Dr. Susan Taylor Batten, President & CEO, ABFE (New York, NY)

Following her Closing Keynote, Susan Taylor Batten will stay with us to offer further insights and answer questions from Annual Meeting attendees.

Speaker: Dr. Susan Taylor Batten, President & CEO, ABFE (New York, NY)