Private philanthropy is a transitional form. If we seek to support transformational work, then we ourselves must be open to transformation. - Farhad Ebrahimi
We invite you to join your fellow Philanthropy New York members for our 2023 in-person Annual Meeting - From Possibility into Practice. As our first in-person Annual Meeting in three years, we will engage our community in heart, mind, body, and spirit through a full day of immersive experiences, art, peer reflections, and our signature PhilTalks, featuring dynamic guest speakers.
Through movement, art, and dialogue, we will build on the collective reimagining of a philanthropic ecosystem characterized by trust, relationship, and accountability to the society we want to be. We will continue to lift up ways in which power can be recognized, shared, and built with those who are most harmed by racialized policies and practices.
As always, we invite you into a space of learning and action. Join us in moving from possibility into practice, to be open to transformation so that we can live into the true meaning of the word philanthropy - "a love of humankind."
Program Agenda
**more details to come
9:45 AM Check-in and Networking
10:30 AM Welcome and Opening Reflections
10:45 AM An Invitation to Movement - Mind, Body, and Spirit
- Camille Cyprian (Founder and Healer-in-Residence, Centered Spaces) will lead us in a joyful, facilitated movement. Join us in both individual and collective movement and be immersed in the exploration of mind, body, and spirit as we prime our hearts to be open and receptive to what is possible, to change.
11:00 AM Funder Panel: Shifting to Build
- Shifting philanthropic practice does not only reside in the realm of programming staff. Consider with us: what are you shifting to build within your sphere of influence? What are you collectively building to support new ways of working, doing, and being? Join a panel of your peers who have been able to shift their way of working in order to build something new or open up a new possibility in their work. From grants management to investments to evaluation, be ready to interrogate the most entrenched areas of philanthropy and find out what is possible.
- Kenya Bryant, Program Officer, Citi Foundation
- Don Chen, President, Surdna Foundation
- Rachel Kimber, Vice President of Grants Management, Smile Train
- Rickke Mananzala (Moderator), Executive Director, New York Foundation
12:20 PM Business Meeting & Lunch
- Join us for the Annual Business Meeting of the membership and celebrate the work of the Philanthropy New York community. Cast your vote to appoint Philanthropy New York’s new Directors, and share our appreciation for outgoing board leadership.
1:25 PM Phil Talk: Advancing Towards a Values Revolution - The Role
of Philanthropy
- What are the values shaping your policies and practices? What do you believe in and who do you believe in? Are you a foundation that is maintaining a missionary culture or shifting to a culture of transformation? Nathaniel Smith (Founder and Chief Equity Officer, Partnership for Southern Equity) invites you to seize this current moment to disrupt philanthropy’s old beliefs and practices and work towards a new shared prosperity agenda. Come explore what it would take to move beyond supporting communities to navigate systems of oppression and institutional inequities and, instead, to transform these systems.
1:50 PM Phil Talk: Creating New Centers of Gravity
- What do we mean when we say we seek to “build the capacity” of our nonprofit partners? Who is being served and toward what ends? Join Tiloma Jayasinghe (CEO, Community Resource Exchange) as we explore capacity building as a tool for transformation. Hear what practices we need to shift, what power we need to cede, to truly show up in support of communities. Come explore the possibility of developing new paradigms and creating new centers of gravity in our thinking.
2:30 PM Connection: Building Communities of Practice
- You are invited to connect with your PNY colleagues in communities committed to shifting from possibilities into practice towards more possibilities. Reflect on your strategies, your practices, and your sphere of influence from wherever you are at your foundation. What is your role in making visible what’s invisible in order to shift power in service to racial equity?
- Operational/HR/Tech Staff
- CEOs/Trustees/Senior Leadership
- Programming Staff/Grants Managers
- Concurrent session: During this time, you have the option to join a guided tour of the Ford Art Gallery exhibit, No Justice Without Love. Or stick around till after the Closing to drop by the exhibit!
3:50 PM Dance Performance: The Missing Fruit
- Choreographer and Artistic Director of kNoname Artist, Roderick George, joins us to showcase his work-in-process, The Missing Fruit, which explores the impacts of racial violence and racism in public health through an interdisciplinary production rooted in dance and theater to an original score by the musical duo Slowdanger. The Missing Fruit symbolizes the historic impact of pressure while centering joy and pleasure through Black social dance, narration, and scenic design.
4:10 PM - 4:30 PM Collective Movement & Closing Remarks
How do you sign up?
Members: Please log in and click the Register Now link above (no fee).
Philanthropy New York’s annual meeting is an exclusive event for PNY members and invited guests.
Registration is required by April 27th. RSVP is required to attend in person.
What else should you know?
This is in-person event. Space is limited and will be first come, first serve basis.
** Safety protocol: The health and safety of our members and staff remain a top priority. Masking during the Annual Meeting, while not required, is highly encouraged within all areas of Philanthropy New York's spaces, unless eating or drinking. The Ford Foundation is no longer requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the building, but please be sure to have a photo ID to check-in with security. **
Please email register@philanthropynewyork.org with questions or for further information on this program or on eligibility.