Chao Yang is a first generation Hmong women leader with intense focus on impact.  She is driven by a desire to empower people to realize their greatest potential by building connection, collaboration, and ownership between groups that lead to societal progress. 

She is currently a Ron McKinley Fellow at Medtronic Foundation, where she oversees a diverse local and global grant portfolio.  Chao is prolific reader, writer and nature enthusiast.  Her community involvement, leadership and activism has brought about tangible and lasting impact that helps others capitalize on opportunities and succeed.  She is currently the Chair of the Minnesota EPIP Chapter and welcomes new ways in which she can contribute to empowering underserved communities.

Originally aired April 19th, 2017

Eliza is a member of EPIP San Diego works for the International Community Foundation (ICF) as their Marketing & Development Manager. "Perspectives on San Diego Grantmakers Taking a Stand Conference (March 2017)." Eliza  manages all activities related to donor relations and outreach, fundraising campaigns, and communications, working with the staff, Board, grantees, donors and the media to promote and expand ICF’s impact on the communities we serve. Eliza brings an intimate knowledge and passion for the Latin American region, where she has lived for over 20 years and continues to visit frequently.

Caroline is a member of our San Diego Steering Committee and is a program assistant at the Gary & Mary West Foundation (as well as working for their dental center). In her role as program assistant of the Gary and Mary West Foundation, Caroline Berger supports the Foundation’s grant activities in a variety of ways including research, grant writing, cultivating grantee and donor relationships. Berger supports the Foundation’s president and program officer assisting with projects and initiatives as needed. In addition to her work with the Foundation, Berger supports the Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center in its efforts to provide patient-centered, integrated care and related clinical research.

Hazel Garcia reached out to offer her research from InvestmentZen. Her work further highlights the challenges facing those currently experiencing poverty that include and go above and beyond those reference on the EPIP blog in 2016. Childcare expenses are not the only heavy burden; there are systemic difficulties that low income families face on a daily basis which continues the cycle, as illustrated in the powerful infographic in this blog post.

On the chilly Monday morning of March 6, 2017, Associated Grant Makers (AGM) convened a group of 75 representatives and leaders from foundations and other philanthropic institutions to begin the conversation surrounding philanthropy’s relationship to democracy and its role in the current political climate. The program was hosted at the Wimberly Theater in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, a space that is as beautiful as the name is lengthy.

Originally aired March 9th, 2017

Share your experience working in philanthropy or the social sector more broadly. Take the survey today! The survey is open until March 15th, 2017

Time for us to go beyond grants if we are serious about real change. >>>