EPIPhany Groups give members the opportunity to connect with one another via email and/or in-person across common professional interest areas. Members self indicate their interest and you will be matched with other participants who have a similar interest area. Groups may choose to meet in-person, or simply communicate via email with questions or suggested readings to help advance their work.

A member of EPIP Boston’s leadership (i.e., a Steering Committee member or Ambassador) will serve as your contact and will be your first resource for all EPIP Boston/National related questions, in addition to serving as the point person for your EPIPhany Group.

All paying members of EPIP are eligible to become a part of EPIPhany Groups.

Below are three EPIPhany Groups that are currently accepting Boston members. If you have any interest in becoming involved in either of these groups, please email Sarah Grosvenor ([email protected]). Indicate which group you are interested in within the subject line.

Career Peers EPIPhany Group

Designed for program staff at grantmaking or grant advisory organizations, this idea was born based off of the sense that there are EPIP members working at small organizations who do not have many, or any, co-workers in comparable positions (e.g. program assistant/associate/officer) that they can turn to for sharing their ideas, challenges, and experiences in their work life or career paths. As a result, this EPIPhany group provides an opportunity for these members to get together for coffee on a regular basis (e.g. every other month) and develop a core peer circle. Discussions are not intended to be sector-specific, which will allow for members to hear about both commonalities and differences in job responsibilities from their peers. To ensure the most effective use of time and develop trusting relationships between group members, a relatively strong level of commitment to attending as many of the meetings as possible is preferred after the initial kickoff meetings.

Philanthropy and Education EPIPhany Group

Designed for people who have interest in education topics, this EPIPhany group, will discuss the role that philanthropy, and large foundations in particular, play in our country’s public education system. Topics may include anything from Mark Zuckerberg’s influence in Newark, to the Gates Foundation’s influence on charter schools. The group will read articles about and discuss/debate key issues in this area, while also participating in educational events sponsored by foundations in the Boston region.

Arts/Culture EPIPhany Group

The Arts/Culture EPIPhany group seeks to provide opportunities to network and build relationships with fellow funders; to share insights and updates on the local and national arts/culture nonprofit sector; to understand how different foundations approach grantmaking in arts/culture; to provide a forum to learn about innovative ideas and initiatives in arts/culture philanthropy (locally and nationally); and to partake in Greater Boston’s arts and cultural sector. Please contact Malka Travaglini ([email protected]) for more information.