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GEO’s 2024 National Conference, hosted in partnership with Philanthropy California, offers grantmakers and other practitioners the opportunity to explore equity-centered and community-driven grantmaking practices that support transformational change in order to create a just, connected and inclusive society where we can all thrive.

In our commitment to advancing racial, social, and economic justice, it is essential that we closely examine the patterns present in grantmaking practices. By diligently gathering and analyzing demographic data about the organizations being funded, philanthropy can gain valuable insights and make meaningful strides toward achieving racial equity. With this clear framework in place, we can hold the sector accountable for our funding decisions and transparently assess our progress year after year, ensuring that our efforts contribute to real and lasting change.

As California faces threats from federal budget and policy proposals amid an anticipated flat (no-growth) budget for its 2025 – 2026 fiscal year, strategic choices grounded in values of racial and economic equity are needed to ensure that all residents can thrive. The state’s budget process holds the key to determining which policies will create a more equitable California, and philanthropy has an important opportunity to influence these outcomes over the course of the state’s budget cycle from January to June. 

This program is an opportunity to learn more about Sierra Health Foundation’s Community Economic Mobilization Initiative (CEMI) that works to build the capacity of frontline communities to advance equitable, regional economic development and climate resilience. 

A board chair transition is an important moment for a family philanthropy, often prompting larger decisions or a revisiting of the organization’s purpose and practices. All members of the board have a role to play in preparing for and managing these inevitable leadership shifts and need clarity about the strategies that will prepare the organization—family, staff, and other stakeholders—for the potential changes to come. What are the qualities and competencies that a successful board chair should embody, and what does the selection process entail? What are common challenges and opportunities that arise during the change management process? How does next-generation engagement, family legacy, and succession planning play a role? Whether you’re in the midst of a transition now, are preparing for an eventual shift, or haven’t yet considered this process, join this webinar to learn more about board chair succession planning.

In this second session of the Foundations of Racial Equity Series, we explore racial capitalism, which describes the current economic system of extracting social and economic value from people of color. Racial capitalism is based on the theft, exclusion and exploitation of the land, labor, and capital of people of color. Philanthropy—as a social, political, and economic strategy of society’s wealthiest people, mostly white men, and institutions that “do good” while moving wealth without tax exposure— upholds racial capitalism.

In the last year alone, Californians have experienced the impacts of multiple climate disasters including severe drought, extreme heatwaves, earthquakes, catastrophic wildfires, and now several back-to-back Atmospheric Rivers. Climate change will only continue amplifying the risk that Californians face from natural hazards. We can’t keep doing business as usual philanthropy to meet the scope of our current reality.