Celebrating Wins as We Step Into 2026

As we approach the solstice and holiday season, our team has been reflecting on the immense gratitude we feel for one another, our members, and those who help us stand strong in our values amidst turbulence and attacks on our sector and communities. 

While our team has many wins to share about our network, we also want to lift up some internal wins that we hope resonate with our members.

• We had another successful year with our 4-day workweek and multiple moments of office closure to let staff reset and recalibrate without having to redistribute work.
• We ushered in our first-ever sabbatical, for our President and CEO S. Gray. We had numerous staff hit work milestones (Elyse Gordon, our Director of Programs, celebrated 5 years with EPIP, while S. celebrated 8!); and life milestones among our team (moving across the country, a wedding, new pets, personal transformations).
• We also said thank you to outgoing board member Dion Cartwright, who was a longtime EPIP board member and former EPIP member.

Any of the work we do for our members stands on the shoulders of the people who make up the EPIP team, and for these contributions, we are ever grateful. 

Across our network, this year saw many wins even as our communities were reeling from attacks and loss of funding. 

• We built amazing relationships with Chicago champions and local vendors who will support our 2026 conference (June 29 - July 1!), particularly the team at Pen & Paper: A Joint Venture in the South Shore neighborhood. 
• We celebrated our 25th anniversary across the year, and refined our values for our new strategic framework. These were previewed at the 25th anniversary celebration. 
• We ran our 5th consecutive year of Philanthropology cohorts, now reaching over 400 people! (The next cohort is now live! See below to register.)
• Over 1,500 people registered for EPIP programs this year across our national and chapter programs … 
• … and EPIP chapters organized over 25 programs across the country, virtually and in person, solo and in partnership with other groups. 
• EPIP supported learning for philanthropic partners at the HIP/NAP joint conference, United Philanthropy Forum, 2025 Unity Summit, Funding Forward, and Council of Michigan Foundations. 
• We served on the advisory council of the QTPIES community of practice hosted by Funders for LGBTQ Issues, particularly lifting up the needs of early- and mid-career LGBTQ philanthropic professionals. 
• And, officially as of last week, we are proud endorsers of the Level Up Campaign through the CHANGE Philanthropy coalition! You can learn more below. 

Feeling a little FOMO from these wins and want to hear more about our 25th anniversary celebration and the Unity Summit? Read more here.

Thank you for your support, partnership, vulnerability, and participation this year. We know we are stronger when we’re as resourced as we can be, with clarity and purpose. We look forward to a renewed year of focus and convening in Chicago.

Happy solstice, new year, and holidays,

The EPIP team 

EPIP News

EPIP 2026 National Conference

Save the date for our national conference, June 29 - July 1 in Chicago, IL! This is the only gathering of its kind to focus exclusively on the leadership and professional development of early- and mid-career philanthropic practitioners, with additional content for senior leaders who are emerging into their leadership. Stay tuned for a call for sessions launching in January and registration in February!

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

As an emerging inclusive leader in philanthropy, it's incumbent that you're able to navigate fast-paced and complex work with your manager, team, and organizational leadership to advocate for equity and move your work forward. The ability to "manage up" looks different in every organization, for every role, and at every phase of your career. In this interactive workshop, join EPIP staff and special guests to learn about different approaches to 'managing up', how to navigate power dynamics in virtual and/or hybrid workplaces, and to share your own stories of working with philanthropic leadership. As always, EPIP spaces are designed for high-engagement, rooted in peer learning, and reflect our Inclusive Leadership Framework.

This workshop is part of EPIP's Skills for Inclusive Leadership quarterly workshop series. Stay tuned for the forthcoming workshops on advocacy and philanthropic financial literacy through an equity lens.  

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

Q4 Emerging Women of Color: Gathering Joy & Celebrating What We've Grown Together

Chapter News

EPIP Boston | Virtual Book Swap & Holiday Treat Social

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!.  

Save the Date: Native Americans in Philanthropy Conference

Join leaders and practitioners from across the sector at the Native Americans in Philanthropy 2026 Annual Conference. It’s a powerful opportunity to learn from Indigenous-led approaches, strengthen your work, and deepen your commitment to more equitable philanthropy.

Tuesday, April 14 – Thursday, April 16, 2026

Save the Date: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities Harambee 2026 Annual Conference

Registration is open! ABFE’s 2026 Harambee Annual Conference is headed to San Francisco, CA. Activities will kick off with a pre-conference day on Sunday, April 19th, followed by three days of powerful sessions, connections, and strategy.

Monday, April 20 – Wednesday, April 22, 2026

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

• Beyond Spend-Down vs. Perpetuity: Five Alternative Path - Elizabeth Dale and Zev Lowe, Inside Philanthropy
• Jessyca Dudley on Accountability, Extraction, and the Culture of Philanthropy - Tirrea Billings, Philanthropy Unfiltered
• Do Donor-Advised Funds Respond to Nonprofit Financial Distress? - CCS Fundraising
• A Practical Guide to Liberatory Leadership: Rooting Our Actions in Our Collective Transformation - Nonprofit Quarterly

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. 

• Accounting Specialist - McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
• Salesforce and Data Systems Manager - The Tow Foundation, New Canaan, CT (Hybrid)
• Partnership Engagement Director - McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
• Senior Program Officer, Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems - McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
• Senior Accountant - Heising-Simons Foundation, San Francisco, CA
• Program Associate, Environment and Science - The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Los Altos, CA
• Program Officer, Global Reproductive Equity - The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park, CA
• Program and Operations Associate - The Durfee Foundation Foundation, Los Altos, CA

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

Join Our Community!