EPIP News & Events

Navigation, Celebration, and Connection

As February comes to a close, we find ourselves, like you, navigating a sea of change and uncertainty while holding on to resolve and clarity. There is no sugarcoating the severity of the federal threats to our nonprofit ecosystem, nor can we overlook the unwavering commitment from the philanthropic sector. Indeed, many funders appear to be taking a ‘wait and see’ approach or even pulling back their commitments to funding movements and racial justice altogether. Yet, we know the work continues, as so many of our partners in the field and on the ground remain steadfast in their commitments. As Rich Besser, President of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said recently, “If we’re not willing to stand up and use that privilege to help defend the work of those who are being attacked at this moment, we shouldn’t be in these jobs. It’s that simple.” 

Throughout Black History Month, we found grounding in moments of celebration and collective vision. We celebrated the 5th Black Girl Freedom Week, amplifying a future that invests in the dreams and leadership of Black girls and gender-expansive youth. We also launched another brilliant cohort of Philanthropology, delving into the history of the philanthropic sector, and kicked off the People of Color Network for 2025. Toward the end of the month, some of our team gathered for the CHANGE Philanthropy Partner Retreat, setting our sights on the 2025 Unity Summit and reinforcing our collective commitments as a coalition.

March marks the beginning of the philanthropy conference season, and we look forward to connecting with many of you this month. You will find members of the team at The Funders Network in Baltimore, Funding Forward in Houston, ABFE in Atlanta, and GEO in North Carolina. You’ll see registration information about many of these gatherings below in our sector news. The EPIP team will also be in San Francisco at the end of March for our staff retreat, and we hope to see some of you while we’re there. 

Let’s continue to stand firm in our commitments, together.

Communities of Practice

EPIP’s Communities of Practice give emerging professionals a space to grow, learn, and connect with their peers. Available Communities of Practice are:

• The People of Color Network: The People of Color Network (PCN) is a professional development and peer support network for EPIP members who identify as people of color. The PCN is designed to address the intersections of challenges and opportunities that are unique to emerging people of color in the sector. The spaces we provide, whether in person or virtual, are places where we hope you can show up in your wholeness to connect, vent, share strategies with peers, and learn key skills. 
• The Emerging Women of Color Community of Practice: The Emerging Women of Color (EWOC) community of practice was launched in 2022, focused on leadership development and network weaving for early- and mid-career women of color in philanthropy. Created in response to member requests, this community provides leadership development through the lens of race and gender. It also works to connect early-career women of color with a network of peers so that it takes less effort to ‘find your people’ in the field. 
  • The first gathering of the EWOC Community of Practice will be held virtually on March 11 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST. The theme of the gathering will be “Rooted in Community: Planting Seeds for Connection.” Together, we’ll explore the seeds of ideas, aspirations, and possibilities we want to create together in the year ahead. We will also engage in a reflective and relaxing activity designed to center ourselves, align with our intentions, and sow seeds of personal growth. Learn more.
• White Affinity Community of Practice: EPIP launched this space in 2021 to provide a rigorous and supportive environment for members who identify as white to deepen their knowledge of antiracism and develop skills and strategies to advance racial equity and inclusive leadership practices in philanthropy, unpack and process the harmful effects of white privilege and white supremacy culture including how both show up within individuals and institutions, and discuss shared challenges and experiences. 
  • The community is kicking off quarterly meetings for 2025 with experienced facilitators to push the group on community and shared accountability. Join the first quarterly meeting April 8 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You are welcome to join regardless of whether you’ve participated in one of the previous cohorts. Register your interest here. 

Contact programs@epip.org with any questions or to express interest in getting involved as a facilitator for future sessions.

Chapter News & Events 

EPIP NY | Celebrating Women of Color in Film: BAM Oscar Shorts

In honor of Women's History Month, join EPIP NY for an inspiring evening celebrating the work of women of color in film at BAM’s Oscar Shorts screening. This will be an opportunity to experience powerful storytelling and connect with fellow NY philanthropy professionals. Before the screening, we will gather for light refreshments and bites at Tacombi Fort Greene at 6 p.m. The screening will begin at 7 p.m.

Please only register if you’re confident you can attend, as we will be purchasing tickets based on the RSVP list.

Learn more and register today!

EPIP DC| Game Night

Join EPIP DC on March 20 at 5:30 p.m. for an evening of games, joy and laughter at The Board Room Bar and Brewery in Northern Virginia. Choose your own adventure with a variety of board games to meet your Scrabble, Monopoly (in every language), Taboo, or Sorry needs. Build community with philanthropy professionals in the region at this fun-filled event. We talk about sourcing joy in the midst of uncertainty, and we need it now more than ever!

Save your seat now.

Sector News & Events 

Breaking the Mold: The Transformative Effect of MacKenzie Scott's Big Gifts

A new report from The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) provides evidence that MacKenzie Scott's large, unrestricted gifts have helped strengthen nonprofits' financial stability and increased their community impact, even as there are mixed views of her giving among foundation leaders. 

The report, the final in CEP’s three-year study of the impact of Scott’s big gifts on nonprofits, analyzes survey responses from hundreds of nonprofit and foundation leaders. CEP reports that nonprofit recipients of Scott’s gifts are using grant funds to ensure long-term financial stability and few anticipate heightened challenge following use of the funds, often referred to as a “financial cliff.” The report also details that many nonprofits are able to demonstrate meaningful change created for the communities they serve, and nonprofit leaders report increased confidence, reduced burnout, and greater capacity for innovation. 

Read “Breaking the Mold: The Transformative Effect of MacKenzie Scott's Big Gifts,” here. 

In addition to the report, CEP also published a companion piece containing seven profiles of organizations that received funding from Scott. These detailed stories illuminate how Scott’s large, unrestricted gifts have transformed their organizations. Read it here.

#PhilanthropySoWhite 2025 - Solidarity Powers Repair Webinar

#PhilanthropySoWhite is Back!

In a moment where democratic values and social justice gains are facing unprecedented challenges, many foundations are struggling to find footing in this rapidly shifting landscape. The path forward demands that philanthropy emerge as a decisive bulwark for social progress.

In this fourth edition of #PhilanthropySoWhite, we’re bringing together three prominent white leaders in philanthropy to discuss how their solidarity with historically marginalized communities must include leveraging their institutional position and power to bring the healing and repair our country needs. 

Register for the webinar here.

Council on Foundations Career Pathways Leadership Cohort

Applications for the Council on Foundations' Career Pathways Leadership Cohort are due Monday, March 3! This 10-month hybrid program, built for mid- to senior-level philanthropic professionals, will prepare you to address the field’s current issues and connect you with a network of advocates and allies — all while helping you identify your authentic leadership style.

Learn more and complete your application.

The Break Fake Rules Podcast is Back for a New Season

The Break Fake Rules podcast is back for a brand new season. Join Stupski Foundation CEO Glen Galaich for a boundary-breaking season featuring a slate of inspiring rule-breakers in philanthropy, media, government, and more. 

Be part of the conversation that pushes philanthropy to confront its self-imposed rules to change the future of giving. Subscribe to Break Fake Rules on your favorite podcast platform and to Stupski’s YouTube channel for new content.

Register Now for Funding Forward 2025

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is proud to announce that Funding Forward 2025 is coming to Houston, Texas from March 31-April 3, 2025, with March 31 being a pre-session day! Funding Forward is the annual gathering of grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues organized by the affinity group Funders for LGBTQ Issues. Register here. 

Learn more about Funding Forward.

Registration for ABFE’s Harambee 2025 Annual Conference: Let’s All Pull Together Now Open

Join A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities (ABFE) for Harambee 2025 Annual Conference: Let’s All Pull Together, happening April 6-9, 2025 in Atlanta, GA. 

The largest assembly of Black professionals in organized philanthropy, the conference is an opportunity to come together in a city known for its deep legacy of Black excellence, activism, and culture to  connect, celebrate, and work alongside trailblazing leaders and changemakers.

Learn more and register now.

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 and register today.

Register Now: Hispanics in Philanthropy and Native Americans in Philanthropy Joint Conference!

For the first time, Hispanics in Philanthropy and Native Americans in Philanthropy are uniting for a groundbreaking joint conference. This historic collaboration will amplify the voices of Latine and Indigenous communities and cultivate pathways toward collective liberation. 

Registration is now open! Join these CHANGE partners in Albuquerque, New Mexico from June 16-18, 2025 for an empowering space for philanthropy, leadership, and transformative change within our communities.

Save the Date: 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 about the Convening today.

Feminist Funded ‘25: Save the Date

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, RSVP to be notified when tickets go on sale.

What We’re Reading, Watching & Listening To

• … The Silence of Our Friends - Candice C. Jones, Public Welfare Foundation
• Why the social sector is vital to healthy, thriving communities - Aleda Gagarin and Cathleen Clerkin, Ph.D., Candid 
• If communities are not backing down, we’re not backing down - Inatai Foundation
• Leadership & Race: A Call to Each Other, Exploration of the Current Racial Justice Landscape and Recommendations for Action - Ericka Stallings and Iman Mills Gordon, Leadership Learning Community
• Nonprofits Self-Censoring in Wake of Trump Actions - Lauren Girardin, Nonprofit Quarterly 
• The Looming Fight Over How We Give Our Data - Lucy Bernholz and Brigitte Pawliw-Fry, Stanford Social Innovation Review
• President's Letter: Courage Is Contagious - Deepak Bhargava, Freedom Together Foundation
• A New Framework for Governance Duties: Loving Accountability and Abundant Resourcing - Ananda Valenzuela, Nonprofit Quarterly

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! 

• Communications and Program Manager - Funders Together to End Homelessness, Remote
• Associate, Membership, Development, and Finance - The Council on Foundations, Remote
• Manager, Strategic Learning and Evaluation - The Council on Foundations, Remote
• Chief Operating Officer - East Bay Community Foundation, Oakland, CA
• Chief Financial Officer - East Bay Community Foundation, Oakland, CA
• Program Assistant - Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Program Associate, Environment - The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park, CA
• Executive Assistant, Executive Office - Meyer Foundation, Washington, DC

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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