The following is written by Alexis King, Steering Committee Member of the EPIP-NY Chapter, and staff at Living Cities, Inc.  Priding itself as a space that supports innovation in philanthropy, this year’s EPIP Annual Conference, LEAD!, did not disappoint in the range and depth of knowledge explored. There are three major points addressed during the conference that serve as great takeaways for attendees and the EPIP members unable to attend. Breaking silos. Throughout the conference there were many references to silos that block resources, connections, and opportunities to various communities. This year’s EPIP Conference made strides to not only address these silos but to ensure that the conversation help the next generation of leaders in philanthropy break those silos. From the lunch Plenary Session on Thursday, April 4^th that exchanged ideas on how foundations can think outside of the box, to the honest and candid, “The Personal  is Political: Race, Class, and Gender as Ongoing Conversation” and, “‘Doing Good’ in the Twenty-First Century” concurrent sessions, the conversations to create action tools included an emphasis on expanding  allies for your work and thinking with a cross sectored mindset for how to combat these silos were a stride in the right direction as a philanthropic community. (more…)