Celebrating 25 Years of EPIP!

In times like these, it’s easy to stay focused on what’s difficult: the inequities we face, the work still ahead, the challenges that can feel unrelenting. At EPIP, we believe it’s important to make space for both the weight of this reality and the energy it takes to keep moving toward a more just and equitable world.

As we fight for our mission and our values, we also believe in celebrating the moments that remind us why we do this work. That’s why, this month and throughout the rest of 2025, we invite you to join us in celebrating a milestone: EPIP’s 25th anniversary!

While a few of us have been part of EPIP’s story since the beginning, most of us have joined along the way, building on the ideas and hard work of those who came before us. To kick off this celebration, we’re taking a look back at the journey that brought us here:

2000: EPIP is founded as a fiscally sponsored project of the New World Foundation by Rusty Stahl, who also becomes the organization’s first full-time Executive Director in 2001. The organization is created to combat the “isolation and invisibility” of young people in philanthropy and address the lack of professional development opportunities for new grant makers.

2001–2009: EPIP holds its founding meeting at the Council on Foundations conference and is later recognized as an official affinity group. The first EPIP chapters launched in Boston and New York City, followed by expansion into Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Indiana, Minnesota, and San Diego.

2010–2020: EPIP adopts its first strategic plan and hosts its inaugural national conference in Denver. The organization transitions its fiscal sponsorship to the Tides Center. During this period, Storme Gray is named Executive Director, EPIP grows beyond its New York base, becomes a fully remote organization, and also receives a $2 million grant from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving fund.

2022–2025: Storme Gray is named President & CEO.  EPIP becomes an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, completing its separation from its fiscal sponsor and launching independent operations in Q3 2023. In June 2024, EPIP hosts its first independently operated national conference in New Orleans, welcoming over 300 emerging professionals. In 2025, EPIP celebrates 25 years of impact and almost three years as an independent organization.

As we mark our 25th anniversary, we’re reflecting on where we’ve been and what it’s taken to get here, but we’re also looking ahead and continuing to push with us toward a more just and equitable philanthropic sector. 

Thank you for being part of this community, and stay tuned for further details about 25th anniversary celebrations taking place throughout the year.

EPIP News & Events 

Taking a Breath: A Message from Storme Gray

Dear EPIP Community,

As EPIP celebrates 25 years of cultivating leadership and building beloved community, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it means to lead with sustainability, humanity, and care. After nearly a decade of serving this organization, and following one of the most personally and professionally intense years of my life, I’ll be stepping away for a planned two-month sabbatical beginning May 1.

This decision is rooted in the values we hold dear at EPIP—values that insist leadership doesn’t have to mean burnout, and that rest isn’t something to be earned, but honored.

I share more about this moment, the invisible labor behind leadership, and what’s next for EPIP in my full message. You can read it here:
www.epip.org/taking_a_breath

With care,

Storme

Why the Census Matters for Equity, Power & Philanthropy

Decisions being made today will determine the fairness and accuracy of the 2030 Census, but many funders don’t engage until it’s too late. Join us for a workshop on May 21, 2025, from 3-4:30 pm ET to unpack why census work is a year-round, decade-long investment and what that means for equity-driven philanthropy now.

We’ll explore how Census and ACS data drive critical funding, representation, and power for communities of color and historically undercounted populations. Speakers will highlight how census organizing intersects with broader civic engagement and offers clear pathways for funders to support long-term infrastructure and data equity work.

This workshop is open to both EPIP members and guests. If you tried to register previously and received a "sold out" message, we've opened more registration slots, so please try again!

Register for the Summer Cohort of Philanthropology

Join EPIP for our Summer 2025 Cohort of Philanthropology™!

In order to use philanthropy to drive social change, it is crucial that new practitioners in the sector understand its context, history, and challenges. Philanthropology™ is EPIP's signature curriculum that responds to this need with an in-depth critical study of philanthropy through a social justice lens that includes academic and practitioner perspectives. 

The Philanthropology™ curriculum includes 9 hours of live virtual sessions spread over several weeks supplemented by reading materials, videos, and reflection activities. Participants learn the landscape and history of the philanthropic sector and dig into concepts like intersectionality, movement building, grantmaking with an equity lens, and strategies for putting this knowledge into practice. 

Session Dates: May 28, June 11, June 25

Registration for the series includes all three modules, which will take place over Zoom.

White Affinity Community of Practice 2025 Kickoff

The White Affinity Community of Practice provides a quarterly space for white-identifying members in the philanthropic ecosystem to come together for shared learning, accountability, storytelling, and resource sharing. After four years of a cohort-based model, we are evolving the space to be more expansive and ongoing for those who want shared accountability and connection as they try to hold rigorous anti-racist positions within the field. Any EPIP members who identify as white are welcome to attend. Join this for the 2025 Kickoff of this community on May 14, 2025 at 3:30-5 pm ET.

Emerging Women of Color Q2 Gathering | In Full Bloom: Growing Connection Through Shared Stories

Join us for the Q2 gathering of EPIP’s Emerging Women of Color (EWOC) Community of Practice on June 3, 2025, from 3-4:30 pm ET. This powerful storytelling session is designed to deepen connection, celebrate identity, and nourish community among emerging women of color. We’ll come together in a space of care, creativity, and reflection to explore the stories that shape who we are and how we show up in the world and in our work. 

Angered to Action: People of Color Network (PCN) Q2 Gathering

Join EPIP's People of Color Network (PCN) for our Q2 gathering on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 3:00 pm ET! We welcome you to a reviving session designed as a space to hold the anger, grief, and exhaustion that often arises with navigating systems built to silence us. We’ll explore transforming these emotions into purposeful momentum and community-rooted power. Whether your fire feels like a spark or a blaze, come as you are. All BIPOC-identifying members are welcome, even if you haven't joined previous sessions.

To get the latest news about Community of Practice events and activities, sign up for a Community of Practice.

Questions about our communities of practice or whether this is a good fit for you? Reach out to [email protected].

Chapter News & Events

EPIP Colorado | Cultivating Connections

Join the Colorado chapter of EPIP on May 13, 2025, from 9-10:30 am MT at the Gates Family Foundation offices for a dynamic gathering designed to spark meaningful dialogue between emerging and seasoned changemakers who are deeply committed to mentorship, equity, and community impact.

EPIP Boston | Community Conversation

Join EPIP's Boston Chapter for a Focus Group discussion on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 4-5:30 pm ET! We will be sharing updates on the location in the coming weeks. Light snacks will be provided.

EPIP Boston's theme for 2025 programming is Centering Community. In keeping with this theme, the goal of this Focus Group is to learn what our members and program attendees’ priorities and interests are for the year ahead, so that EPIP Boston can curate responsive programming based on the community’s needs. The conversation will be informal and lightly facilitated. Participants will have a chance to shape EPIP Boston's programming and connect with peers in the philanthropy sector.

EPIP Louisiana | Networking Happy Hour

Hey EPIP friends in Louisiana! Exciting things are brewing, and we want you to be part of it! Join us at Miel Brewery and Taproom for a laid-back, fun-filled, networking happy hour on May 15, 2025, from 4-6 PM as we reconnect, share ideas, and explore the revival of the Louisiana Chapter of EPIP!

Come enjoy great company and good conversation over drinks because great ideas and collaborations happen when we gather in the spirit of connection. Let’s explore how we can shape the future of EPIP Louisiana together!

Sector News & Events 

Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey Closes May 15th

The Council on Foundations' annual Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey (GSB) is accepting responses through May 15th. Grantmakers rely on this annual report to inform budgeting, talent recruitment and retention strategies, and personnel policies and practices. The GSB is made possible by the participation of organizations across the sector who share their salary data in our annual survey. Contents include:

• Increase, bonus, and severance eligibility and activity data
• Staff counts for full and part-time staff by grantmaker type and asset size
• Gender, race/ethnicity, age, and disability counts
• Staff tenure, departure, and turnover rates
• CEO-specific compensation, benefits, and discretionary grantmaking practices
• Benefits practices and employer costs

Questions? Read the GSB FAQ or contact [email protected]. 

Take the survey.

Attend AAPIP’s 35th Anniversary Conference

Celebrating 35 years since its founding, Asian Americans / Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) will be hosting its National Network Convening in Chicago, IL on May 19-21, 2025!

The Convening will offer space for participants to deepen their understanding of AANHPI community priorities and assets; share impactful funding strategies aimed at increasing the scale and scope of philanthropic resources benefiting AANHPI communities; and connect with one another to build community across AAPIP’s national network.

Learn more & register.

Registration Now Open! Neighborhood Funders Group 2025 National Convening: Seeding (and Ceding) Transformational Power

Neighborhood Funders Group is pleased to share that the 2025 National Convening will be held in Nashville, Tennessee the week of July 15-17, 2025! 

This convening will be a space for grantmakers to co-conspire and strategize around seeding transformational power — investing in grassroots powerbuilding, movement organizing and infrastructure, relationships, and supporting BIPOC communities now and for the long term — and ceding power — shifting and ending harmful philanthropic practices, being accountable to movement and communities, and partnering with movements to shift philanthropic portfolios in support of their long-term strategies.

Learn more and register.

Feminist Funded ‘25: Register Now!

Presented by the Women’s Funding Network, Feminist Funded ‘25 is the largest gathering of global leaders in feminist philanthropy, working to co-create a more just, equitable, and safer world for all. 

Feminist Funded ‘25 is happening September 10-11, 2025 (with Pre-Conference Policy Action Day on September 9) in Washington, DC. 

Tickets sold out quickly in 2023, so register now!

What We're Reading, Watching, & Listening To

• Social justice feels stuck – how can we fix it? - Manny Hothi, Trust for London
• In This Time of Crisis, Social Justice Philanthropy Must Change Its Tune - Christiana Baik, Nonprofit Quarterly
• In an Age of Authoritarianism, Philanthropy Must Evolve its Relationship to Risk - Deborah Barron, New Left Accelerator 
• Self-Determined: Foundations Must Match the Far Right’s Commitment to Systemic Change. Here’s How. - Kellian Staggers, NDN Collective
• Racial Justice Is a Public Good - Lori Villarosa, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity

Job Board 

Looking for a new opportunity?

The positions below are just the beginning. Check our Job Board for more opportunities from around the country! 

• Strategy and Research Program Associate - Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Remote
• Program Officer - Cameron Foundation, Petersburg, VA
• Director of Programs - Third Wave Fund, Remote
• Grantmaking Director, Ecosystems - Bush Foundation, Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Associate, Communications - Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Atlanta
• Director of Grantmaking and Capacity Building - Ms. Foundation for Women, Brooklyn, NY
• Program Associate, The Philanthropic Initiative - The Boston Foundation
• Director of Operations - Pisces Foundation, San Francisco

Want to explore the Job Board's filters and special features? Log in to your member account or join EPIP today.

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