January 2026

Renewal is Not Retreat

This season is heavy — and still, we are here.

In this month’s opening reflection, EPIP President & CEO, S. Gray, shares what renewal has come to mean in their sixth year of leadership and why staying whole is not separate from staying in the work.

As we enter this new year, many of us are doing so in a season that already carries weight — intensified by a society under strain. Rising uncertainty, deepening inequities, and persistent threats to our collective well-being are shaping this moment. It holds fear, fatigue, anger, and grief — and a kind of low-grade vigilance that never fully turns off.

Through conversations with our members, I know that many of you are also carrying heaviness, exhaustion, and uncertainty. And I hear the quiet question underneath conversations across our field — across roles, titles, and years of experience alike: 

How do we keep going when the ground keeps shifting beneath us?

EPIP News

Submit Your Session Ideas for EPIP 2026!

EPIP is seeking session proposals from our partners for the national conference, taking place in Chicago June 29 - July 1! The EPIP conference is known for providing dynamic, interactive, engaging sessions for early- and mid-career philanthropic leaders, and this year we will have an expanded slate of content for senior leaders as well. Want to learn more about what we’re looking for? See our guide here. 

Winter 2026 Cohort of Philanthropology™

Federal cuts, immigration shakeups, and DEI attacks. It is more vital than ever for philanthropy professionals to understand the scope of our ever-changing sector, movement building, equitable grantmaking, and most importantly, how to put this knowledge into practice. 

Philanthropology™ is EPIP's signature curriculum that upends conventional philanthropy with an in-depth critical study of the sector’s history, context, and challenges through a social justice lens.  

Join us for 9 hours of synchronous virtual sessions spread over several weeks. We’ll meet from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PST) for three Wednesdays: 

• Feb. 25 | Module 1: Philanthropy History, Ecosystem, and Evolution
• Mar. 11 | Module 2: Racial Equity and Equity Analysis in Grantmaking
• Mar. 25 | Module 3: Self-Advocacy and Personal Leadership

EPIP facilitators will lead you through curated course content and reflection activities while fostering a space to exchange insights with fellow emerging leaders.

Skills for Inclusive Leadership: Managing Up

Navigating complex work with your manager, team, and leadership is key to advancing equity in the fast-paced philanthropy sector. Join EPIP staff and special guests for an interactive workshop on different approaches to “managing up,” exploring power dynamics in virtual and hybrid workplaces, and sharing your own experiences. As always, EPIP spaces are designed for high-engagement, rooted in peer learning, and reflect our Inclusive Leadership Framework.

Questions about our workshop? Reach out to [email protected]. 

This event is open to all, and FREE to EPIP members. If you are an EPIP member, click here to log in and register at the member rate! Interested in becoming an EPIP member? Visit our membership page or contact [email protected].

Communities of Practice

Chapter News

Sector News

Level Up Campaign

We are proud to endorse the Level Up pledge — a two-year minimum commitment to increase giving, move money quickly and equitably, and share the data that proves it. Frontline communities deserve more than episodic funding. They deserve sustained investment that builds the power of those most impacted by injustice and works toward a more inclusive democracy and equitable economy.

If you’re ready to commit to action, to commit to equity, and are willing to verify your commitments, sign the Level Up Pledge today!

Forum WideNet Webinar: Learning from PIOs Responding to Federal Enforcement Surges

United Philanthropy Forum, in collaboration with a broad coalition of Forum members and partners, is hosting a timely webinar to draw on real-time experience from Minnesota and other states. This session will surface key lessons learned and field-informed recommendations for supporting communities affected by federal enforcement surges. Gain insights to strengthen preparedness, respond strategically, and deepen philanthropic engagement where it’s needed most. Happening Thursday, February 5, 2026, from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. EST.

Future of Philanthropy Starts Here

“For decades, philanthropy has measured generosity by what it gives away each year. Five percent became the benchmark. But the future is asking more.” As communities call for deeper partnership and a new generation of donors pushes for purpose, transparency, and impact, foundations are reexamining how fully they use their resources. Join Trista Harris on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 2 p.m. EST for a free webinar exploring what it really means to “get off our assets” and how philanthropy can better meet this moment.

Justice Funders Funder Organizing Institute

FOI is designed for funder organizers, donor organizers, and philanthropic practitioners who are ready to move more fully into what’s possible and needed for movements. Rooted in courage, care, and collective action, we will: Build beloved community: Connect deeply with peers and movement partners in relational, mutual, and reciprocal ways; Strengthen funder organizing capacity: Learn and apply transformative frameworks, tools, and practices for moving resources toward justice; Engage in collective action: Co-create strategies aligned with the Resonance Framework, including Just Transition Investing, Land Rematriation, Reparations, and Innovations in Asset Return. Applications due Monday, February 2, 2026!

Derailed: Rising Attacks and Retreating Resources for Racial Justice

In the past year, the Trump administration has intensified attacks on human rights and multiracial democracy: expanding detentions and deportations, deploying ICE and the National Guard in U.S. cities, dismantling race-explicit strategies across institutions, and threatening nonprofits that defend civil rights. Against this rising authoritarianism, funding for communities of color have fallen sharply since its 2021 peak and dropped below 2014 levels, derailing a decade of progress. But “derailed” does not mean irreversible. 

PRE’s latest report, Derailed: Rising Attacks and Retreating Resources for Racial Justice, traces these shifts and makes clear that this moment, while dire, is not irreversible. Join PRE’s webinar on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, from 1:45 - 3 p.m. EST to explore the findings and the path forward for philanthropy to course-correct and recommit to bold, race-explicit investment in communities most under attack.

G4GC’s National Convening

EPIP is proud to be a community partner for  the 2026 G4GC Convening — Investing in Ecosystems that Support Our Youth —  G4GC’s first national in-person gathering for funders and philanthropic leaders. This is an intentional space for funders to strategize, build community, and take concrete action to strengthen the ecosystems that care for and advance the work of girls and gender-expansive youth of Color. Together, we will explore how aligned resources, bold investment, and collaborative approaches can drive lasting impact, celebrate youth vision, and support the leaders and advocates who champion their work.

Tuesday, May 12 – Friday, May 15, 2026, in Charlotte, NC

What We're Reading, Watching, & Listening To

• Reconnecting with Purpose and Balance Workshop - Join former EPIP member Anbar Mahar in entering the new year with clarity and balance
• Derailed Report - Philanthropic innovative for Racial Equity (PRE)
• RWJF Futurism Report - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• A Sector in Crisis: How U.S. Nonprofits and Foundations Are Responding to Threats - Center for Effective Philanthropy 
• Resources for Supporting folks in Minnesota:
  • Immigrant Rapid Response Fund - Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
  • Clearinghouse of Funds - Stand with Minnesota
  • Supporting community during ICE operations - Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
  • MPlS Mutual Aid Linktr.ee - Hub for MPLS-based mutual aid efforts
  • MN NOICE - Directory of support for immigrants and refugees across MN
  • Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota - Provides free immigration legal services

If you'd like to share a resource for possible inclusion in a future EPIP newsletter, you can send this to [email protected].

Job Board 

Looking for a new opportunity?

View highlighted job opportunities from our Institutional Member and partner organizations below, and check our Job Board for more opportunities from around the country. 

• Events Manager - Asian Americans / Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Oakland, CA
• Philanthropist - ABCD, Washington
• Programs Associate - Levitt Family Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
• Controller - Schott Foundation for Public Education, Fully Remote
• Senior Communications Officer - The California Wellness Foundation, Oakland (preferred) or Los Angeles, CA
• Accounting Specialist - McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
• Salesforce and Data Systems Manager - The Tow Foundation, (Hybrid) New Canaan, CT

Would you like to post a job opening at your organization to the EPIP Job Board? Submit a job post here.

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