Advocacy Spotlight: Families for Safe Streets
TFN's Advocacy Spotlight Series, spearheaded by the network's Mobility and Access Collaborative, lifts up the work of nonprofit grantees making an impact in their communities and beyond. We asked funders to nominate a stellar grantee to be featured in this series. We'll share these Advocacy Spotlights TFN’s Blog and social media platforms as part of our commitment to amplifying community-led sustainability solutions and building the field of philanthropy through shared learning.
Advocacy Spotlight: Families for Safe Streets
Nominated by: Natalie Draisin, Director, North America Office and United Nations Representative, FIA Foundation
Families for Safe Streets hosted the Queens Children's March Street Safety in March 2024 following a deadly crash that killed a child in the New York City community. The march drew more than 300 participants, most of them families from the school districts in the areas.
About Families for Safe Streets
Families for Safe Streets (FSS) is at the forefront of a movement to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries by addressing one of the most significant yet preventable causes of crashes: speeding. Their work is rooted in evidence-based solutions, including advocating for 20mph speed limits and promoting Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology, both of which are proven to save lives.
FSS is driven by the lived experiences of crash survivors and families who have lost loved ones to traffic violence. Their advocacy is not only personal but also deeply impactful in shaping policy at the local, state, and national levels. In 2024 alone, they successfully passed legislation in New York State to allow 20mph speed limits, played a key role in Washington D.C.’s adoption of ISA for reckless drivers, and helped introduce ISA legislation in six states.
The organization prioritizes equity by focusing on the disproportionate impact of unsafe roadways on marginalized communities. Lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color often face higher rates of traffic violence due to historical underinvestment in safe infrastructure. By advocating for lower speed limits and ISA technology — especially for the most reckless drivers — FSS is actively working to make streets safer for those who need it most. Their coalition-building efforts, which include organizations such as AARP-NY, the United Federation of Teachers, and the National Transportation Safety Board, reflect their commitment to a broad, intersectional approach to roadway safety.
Families for Safe Street members at the official signing ceremony for Sammy's Law with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in May 2024, following almost five years of campaigning.
About Their Impact
One of Families for Safe Streets’ most significant victories in 2024 was the passage of Sammy's Law, a bill that allows NYC to limit speeds to 20mph, a historic policy change that aligns with global best practices. The implementation of these lower speed limits began in October 2024, with FSS leading efforts to secure community support across New York City through advocacy at local Community Board meetings. Their persistent efforts have made New York City a national model, demonstrating that such policies are achievable even in the most complex urban environments.
In addition to their work on speed limits, FSS has been instrumental in advancing Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) legislation. Their advocacy led to the passage of an ISA for Reckless Drivers bill in Washington D.C., and they played a major role in pushing similar legislation in California (SB961). Despite the California governor’s veto following an aggressive lobbying campaign by auto manufacturers, FSS successfully brought national attention to ISA, laying the groundwork for further legislative victories. The latest news of success comes from their state-level ISA push. They have successfully passed bills through three legislatures in the past four months: Virginia, Georgia, and Washington State. They are working on additional bills in New York State, California, Maryland, and Arizona. Their hope is to dramatically expand the number of state-level bills introduced across the country next year.
In December 2024, they co-founded a national ISA coalition, which has already introduced legislation in six states, including Virginia, where a bill is making its way through the legislature. Through strategic advocacy, grassroots organizing, and an unwavering commitment to traffic safety, Families for Safe Streets is proving that bold policy changes can save lives. Their work is not just about changing laws—it’s about shifting cultural norms and ensuring that safe streets are a right, not a privilege.
Families for Safe Streets supporters celebrate a successful community board vote to redesign the most dangerous corridor on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 2016. The campaign took more than three years, and was prompted by a string of particularly horrible crashes in the community.
Learn More
Learn more about Families for Safe Streets work at this upcoming webinar, How Technology Can Stop Super Speeders on Monday, May 7 at 2 p.m. ET.
Featured Image: Following a crash that killed two children in Brooklyn, around 1,000 people participated in the 2018 Brooklyn Children's Rally for Street Safety
Photo Credit: All photos provided by Families for Safe Streets.
About this series: TFN invited funders to nominate a stellar grantee to be featured in the Mobility and Access Collaborative's Advocacy Spotlight series. The stories in this series were submitted by funders and shared with nominees in advance for fact-checking and further clarification when needed. If you have any questions about this series or TFN's Mobility and Access Collaborative, please contact Martha Roskowski martha@fundersnetwork.org
TFN Joins 'Unite in Advance' Solidarity Campaign
The Funders Network is proud to sign on to the Unite in Advance campaign supporting philanthropy’s “freedom to give” in the face of increased threats from governmental attacks.
The campaign launched Wednesday with a piece in Nonprofit Quarterly authored by McKnight Foundation President Tonya Allen, MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey, and Freedom Together Foundation President Deepak Bhargava.
"It’s no secret: Foundations could be the next American institutions under attack," they write. "Why does this matter? Because millions of people across the nation depend on nonprofits to meet their basic needs — and those nonprofits depend on resources from foundations to deliver important services, support their communities, and pay their workers."
Their piece outlines three steps foundations can take right now to stand with each other and the people and communities we serve:
- Prepare for what's coming, but don't obey in advance.
- Stand in solidarity with each other.
- Step up to provide more support to communities who need us.
➡️ You can read the full piece here.
A Public Statement from Philanthropy
Dozens of foundations and philanthropy serving organizations have already signed on to the Unite in Advance solidarity statement below, including a number of TFN members:
Everyone—wherever we're from or whatever our point of view—wants to live in a nation that upholds the fundamental rights and liberties we all deserve and need to thrive.
As charitable giving organizations – private and family foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations, and more – we contribute to communities in every corner of America. Together, we support new parents and elders, veterans and school children, hospitals and libraries, churches and food kitchens, artists and researchers, throughout rural, suburban, and urban communities in every state and territory. Yet in this moment, we face the threat of governmental attacks on our ability to carry out this vital mission, when the communities, organizations, and individuals we support need it most.
We don’t all share the same beliefs or priorities. Neither do our donors or the communities we serve. But as charitable giving institutions, we are united behind our First Amendment right to give as an expression of our own distinct values. Especially in this time of great need, we must have the freedom to direct our resources to a wide variety of important services, issues, and places, to improve lives today and build a stronger future for our country. The health and safety of the American people, our nation’s economic stability, and the vibrancy of our democracy depend on it.
➡️ To read the full list of signatories, or to submit our own organization to the list, please visit the solidarity statement webpage coordinated by the Council on Foundations.
TFN Board Elections & Updates: Warm Welcome & Fond Farewells
BY Dion Cartwright, TFN President & CEO
The Funders Network's work centers on cultivating courageous philanthropic leaders who are engaged, emboldened and equipped to bring about a just society.
TFN's membership undertakes an important task each year: the election of our Board of Directors, which plays an essential role in ensuring we remain a robust, connected and mission-driven organization.
I’m excited to share several updates about TFN’s Board of Directors, including the addition of a new member to our board: Treye Johnson, a program director at the George Gund Foundation, which is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Treye leads the foundation’s grantmaking focused on economic justice and community power. He has been involved with TFN’s Inclusive Economies working group, as well as its predecessor, the Restoring Prosperity in Older Industrial Cities working group.
Treye originally joined Gund as a Fellow from 2013 to 2015 before working on program development and community engagement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He re-joined the Gund team in 2022. Treye also previously worked as a program officer at Burton D. Morgan Foundation, which focused on entrepreneurship education on the youth, collegiate and adult levels.
A former high school athletic director with a master's degree in sports administration, he currently serves as athletic director at his son's school.
Our network’s Board of Directors reflects the depth and breadth of our membership, representing a range of grantmaking institutions and a wealth of professional expertise and lived experience.
In addition to Treye, this recent slate of candidates included four returning board members.
The board approved the 2025 – 2027 slate of directors at its January meeting, and the slate was elected by virtual ballot among TFN's organizational membership in March.
Read on to learn more about this year’s slate of candidates, as well as the board officers elected by the Board of Directors at their January meeting. (For more information on TFN's board selection and election criteria, please read our Election FAQ page.)
TFN offers a wealth of volunteer leadership opportunities that not only give you a chance to support TFN and our broader mission, but also expand your own professional networks. If you or a member of your team is looking to deepen your engagement with our community of funders and partners, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at dcartwright@fundersnetwork.org.
Second Term
Isabel Barrios
Director for Disaster Recovery and Resilience
Greater New Orleans Foundation
Lisa Jacobson
Senior Program Officer, Mobility
Barr Foundation
and TFN PLACES Alum
Nathaniel Smith
Founder and Chief Equity Officer
Partnership for Southern Equity
Third Term
Sheena Solomon
Executive Director
The Gifford Foundation
and TFN PLACES Alum
Board Officers
Officers are elected for a one-year term, except the chairperson, who has a two-year term.The current chair is at the mid-point of her two-year term.
Chairperson
(2024-2026)
Sheena Solomon
Executive Director
The Gifford Foundation
and TFN PLACES Alum
Vice Chairperson
(2025-2026)
Surabhi Pandit
Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Community Engagement
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and TFN PLACES Alum
Treasurer
(2025-2026)
Karla Twedt-Ball
President & CEO
Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
Secretary
(2025-2026)
Lisa Jacobson
Senior Program Officer, Mobility
Barr Foundation and TFN PLACES Alum
Fond Farewells
The January meeting of TFN's Board of Directors marked the final board meeting for members Chan Brown of the Kansas Health Foundation and Don Hickman of the Initiative Foundation.
We're grateful to Chan and Don for their dedication to the board and support for TFN's broader mission. Don's time on the board also included serving as board chairperson from 2022-2024.
Thank you, Chan and Don!
With Gratitude
We’d also like to share our appreciation for the sitting board members who were not up for reelection this year:
Jessica Boehland
Kresge Foundation
Nathan Boon
William Penn Foundation
Kaying Hang
The Center at Sierra Health Foundation
Janel M. Hines
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Elizabeth Love
Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation
Surabhi Pandit
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Kumar Raj
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Mark Tran
The California Endowment
Thank you to all of our board members, past and present, for your service!
Featured image: TFN Board Chair Sheena Solomon greets Treye Johnson, the newest addition to the board, at TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference in March. Photo credit: Jen Sapienza
How are TFN board members selected? Board of Directors FAQ's
BY TFN STAFF
TFN members recently elected a new slate of candidates to serve on the network’s Board of Directors. An engaged and active board that represents the depth and diversity of our membership is critical to our mission-driven work, which centers on cultivating courageous philanthropic leaders who are engaged, emboldened and equipped to bring about a just society.
Curious to learn more about how candidates for TFN’s Board of Directors are selected and elected?
Below are some frequently asked questions about this process.
How many members are on the full TFN Board of Directors?
The 2025-2027 election brings the total number of board members to 14.
Who gets to vote in TFN Board of Directors elections?
TFN’s Board of Directors met in January 2025 to approve the slate of candidates. TFN member organizations in good standing received electronic ballots to cast their votes, which were due in March. Each member organization is entitled to one vote, with electronic ballots sent to the primary contact listed on TFN’s membership roster.
The board also elects its officers at the January meeting.
How are prospective board members identified and recruited?
The board’s Organizational Development Committee oversees the
nomination process for directors and officers. Their goal is to identify a strong pool of candidates, and ensure the overall board composition reflects a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.
TFN also strives to cultivate a board that is reflective of the types of grantmaking institutions that make up our membership, from institutions with national and regional reach to place-based community foundations.
Factors for consideration include a candidate’s: ctors for consideration include a candidate’s:
- Level of engagement and leadership across TFN, such as participation in the PLACES Fellowship, working groups, or other programs
- Availability and willingness to devote time to board duties
- Issue/content areas of expertise
- Race and ethnicity
- Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression
- Type and asset size of their grantmaking institution
- Geographic location
- Ability to exercise sound judgement
Candidates are selected based on their unique capabilities and perspectives that will enhance the board’s effectiveness as a governing body.
➡️More information about the nomination process and criteria is available in the Election Information Guide.
How can I volunteer for TFN leadership opportunities?
TFN offers a wealth of volunteer leadership opportunities that not only give you a chance to support TFN and our broader mission, but also expand your own professional networks. These opportunities include serving on our board, as well as designing learning sessions, event planning committees and programmatic steering and advisory committees. If you or a member of your team is looking to deepen your engagement with our community of funders and partners, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at membership@fundersnetwork.org.
Featured image: TFN Board Member Kaying Hang shares the results of the board elections at TFN’s 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore in March. Photo credit: Jen Sapienza
Meet TFN's 2025 PLACES Fellows!
BY Dion Cartwright, President & CEO, and Talissa Lahaliyed, Equity Programs Manager
We’re honored to announce the 2025 PLACES Fellowship cohort — a remarkable group of philanthropic leaders who are deeply committed to advancing intersectional equity and driving lasting, positive change in communities across the U.S. and Canada.
As we mark the 15th anniversary of the PLACES Fellowship, we’re filled with both pride and a profound sense of urgency.
Our communities are facing compounding crises, from the enduring impacts of systemic racism and economic inequality to the ongoing threats of climate change and political polarization. Investing in courageous leadership in these challenging and uncertain times is not just important, it is imperative.
Agents of Change
Since its inception, PLACES — which stands for Professionals Learning About Community, Equity and Sustainability — has equipped philanthropic leaders with the knowledge, tools, and relationships needed to confront structural racism and embed equity into their work.
Over the past decade and a half, PLACES has grown into more than a learning experience: It is a powerful network of more than 200 alums who are challenging the status quo, shifting philanthropic practices, and supporting community-led solutions that prioritize those most impacted by environmental, economic and social inequities.
The 2025 PLACES cohort represents the very best of this ongoing work. These funders come from across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Hawai’i and Canada, and reflect a rich diversity of geographies, cultures, identities, and lived experiences
Their work spans urban and rural communities alike, and they represent a broad spectrum of grantmaking institutions. What unites them is a shared desire to create a more inclusive and just world, whether through their personal journeys or professional endeavors.
Investing in Leadership
We want to extend thanks to the TFN members and investors whose support makes PLACES possible year after year.
We also want to acknowledge institutional support provided by the PLACES Fellows’ organizations, and the investment of time and resources needed to participate in this professional development opportunity.
Their commitment is a reminder that by investing in people, we are investing in the transformative change our communities deserve and our sector needs.
On behalf of the PLACES Leadership Network, the selection committee (comprised entirely of PLACES alums), and the entire TFN community, please join us in congratulating the 2025 PLACES Fellows!
New Plenary Update! Susan Taylor Batten, Temi F. Bennett & Alice Y. Hom to speak at TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference
BY TFN STAFF
In today’s complex social and political landscape, bold leadership is more critical than ever — yet those who take courageous stands often face backlash, diminished resources, physical threats, and pressure to water down their work.
Those challenges can be even more pronounced for leaders of color, especially those carrying multiple identities, amid concerted efforts to undermine and attack the values, policies, and programs that support intersectional diversity, equity and inclusion.
Are foundations truly ready, willing and able to ensure leaders of color not only survive but thrive in these tumultuous times?
Join us March 17-19 in Baltimore for TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together, where we'll welcome three powerful voices to our main stage to share their lived experiences and strategies for supporting courageous leadership in the face of internal and external adversity.
Our Monday Plenary Panel: Supporting and Protecting Bold Leaders of Color will feature Susan Taylor Batten of ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, Temi F. Bennett of iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility and Alice Y. Hom of CHANGE Philanthropy
This plenary session will explore how and why organizations and individuals should step up to ensure bold leaders of color have the resources, networks, and environments necessary to not only survive but thrive — and build stronger and more effective teams in the process.
➡️Read on to learn more about TFN25 and our Monday Plenary Panel, and be sure to check out our learning agenda for a full list of plenary presenters and other speakers.
About the Panelists
Susan Taylor Batten
President & CEO
ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities.
ABFE is a membership-driven philanthropic organization that champions responsive and transformative investment in Black communities. Since 2009, Taylor Batten has spearheaded ABFE's philanthropic counsel and initiatives on responsive philanthropy for Black communities, aiding foundation leaders, donors, and partners.
Bringing over 25 years of leadership in both private and public sectors to ABFE, she previously held positions with the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Community Change Initiatives Unit, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture overseeing research and evaluation of food assistance programs, and with the Government of the District of Columbia as an analyst focusing on child and family support initiatives.
She serves on the boards of the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance and Giving Gap and regularly lectures at HBCUs about philanthropy in Black communities.
Temi F. Bennett
Co-CEO
iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility
iF envisions a world where Black people and people of the global majority live powerfully, abundantly and beautifully in healthy, self-determined communities free of social, economic and ideological violence.
Bennett has been the driver of iF's embrace of reparations as an essential element of any effort to advance racial justice. She co-led an effort in partnership with the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy to create the 2024 report Cracks in the Foundation: Philanthropy’s Role in Reparations for Black People in the DMV.
The report developed and executed a methodology that examines D.C.-based foundation endowments to determine if Black communities were harmed in their creation.
She also co-founded and is a member of Resourcing Radical Justice (RRJ), a funders collective that centers Black liberation as the path to a thriving greater Washington region and s a member of the policy table and the reparations working group of Movement 4 Black Lives (M4BL).
Alice Y. Hom,
Executive Director
CHANGE Philanthropy
CHANGE Philanthropy is a coalition of philanthropic networks working together to strengthen bridges across funders and communities.They seek to transform philanthropy from within by building knowledge, fostering diversity, and creating connections. Prior to joining CHANGE, Hom worked on educating funders on operationalizing racial justice with an intersectional lens as the Director of Equity and Social Justice at Northern California Grantmakers.
Hom currently serves on the board of the American LGBTQ+ Museum and on the Advisory Council for the Conscious Style Guide, a resource on inclusive, respectful and empowering language on ability/disability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexuality, and socioeconomic status.
Alice is a co-editor of two anthologies, Q & A: Voices from Queer Asian North America and Q & A: Queer in Asian America.
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How we're meeting the moment at TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore
BY Dion Cartwright, TFN President & CEO
It’s only been a few weeks since the start of the new presidential administration.
Almost immediately, we’ve been confronted with a barrage of policy shifts designed to upend environmental protections, disrupt federal funding to essential programs and unravel decades of social and economic progress.
Many of these actions are aimed directly at already marginalized groups, threatening their physical safety and throttling access to opportunity, education, housing and healthcare.
Now more than ever, we need leaders in philanthropy willing to move resources in service of environmental, economic and racial justice.
So how can you best be of service in this moment?
By deepening your knowledge, aligning your strategies and honing your skills as effective grantmakers committed to the communities and causes you care about.
Next month, our network of funders and partners will gather in Baltimore for TFN’s 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together. Our annual conferences and other year-round learning opportunities always seek to center those most harmed by the intersecting impacts of environmental, economic and racial injustice. Those values are embedded in our network’s DNA.
But we recognize the urgency of the moment. That’s why the learning agenda for this year’s conference sets aside time to unpack political impacts on our work and identify opportunities for individual and collective action.
I'm especially thrilled that we'll welcome noted civil rights attorney and activist Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, as our TFN25 Closing Plenary presenter.
We also recognize that many of our members have been successfully navigating divisive political climates at the state and local levels for years — and have managed to score big wins in the process.
We’re creating space for them to share their insights and strategies in Baltimore as well.
Below are just a few highlights on our TFN25 learning agenda designed to help us navigate the road ahead.
Shared Learning and Collaboration
Given the enormity of the challenges we are facing, it’s tempting to put our own professional development on the back burner.
You may even feel a little guilty taking time to attend a conference, especially if you are working with communities feeling the immediate fallout from hateful policies or recovering from climate disasters.
But we need leaders who are emboldened, engaged and energized to meet this moment.
Regardless of your funding focus, I encourage you to venture beyond the silos and find common cause and opportunities to collaborate with other funders.
To support team learning and action-building within your organization, TFN is offering our members discounted group registration rates.
I hope you’ll join me in my hometown of Baltimore – and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
Plenary Panel: Federal Funding on the Frontlines of Climate Change
Just three years into an ambitious federal commitment to deeply invest in climate and clean energy work in ways that advance justice and equity, the ground has shifted.
Moderated by Helen Chin of the Communities First Fund, our panel discussion will feature Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, formerly of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Dr. Sacoby Wilson of the University of Maryland; and Meishka L. Mitchell of the Emerald Cities Collaborative.
TFN, along with our partners at the Health and Environmental Funders Network and Neighborhood Funders Group, has convened hundreds of philanthropic, grassroots, and government leaders to explore the priorities and align the strategies needed to unlock federal funds and move projects forward. These included supporting a series of regional convenings organized by Communities First.
I’m eager to learn more from our TFN25 plenary panelists about how philanthropy can step up in this moment to support community partners, secure available funding, and drive sustainable and equitable infrastructure projects.
Bolder Advocacy | Critical Conversations
Tim Mooney, senior counsel with the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice, will be available for free, one-on-one technical assistance sessions. He’ll answer questions and offer guidance on how foundations can engage in advocacy, as well as support their grantees’ advocacy work, without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.
Critical Conversations
Tim will also be on hand to lead one of our Critical Conversations, which are facilitated peer-to-peer conversations for funders to explore difficult issues in a frank and confidential setting. Critical Conversation: Post-election Legal Landscape is one of several Critical Conversations on this year’s agenda that speak to this singular moment.
Visit our TFN25 Agenda for more information about our Critical Conversation facilitators, who are leading sessions focused on Post-election Organizing and Movement Building, Immigration and Migrant Support, Reimagining Philanthropy and Beyond Allyship.
Effective Narratives in an Era of Mistrust
This Skill-building Workshop looks at how political polarization and subjective “facts” threaten democracy.
Nat Kendall-Taylor of the FrameWorks Institute will lead us through how and why certain narratives succeed, offer insights into ways to reframe complex issues, and share examples that have inspired action.
Building Power for Environmental Justice in Challenging Political Climates
Join this Concurrent Session to learn strategies that groups in the heart of the fossil fuel industry are using to build power for environmental justice communities and working-class people of color.
We’ll hear from innovators supporting climate funding infrastructure and ecosystems of organizations in the South, and changemakers leading the charge for a just transition to renewable resources in oil-rich Texas.
This panel features Vanessa Toro Barragán of the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, Claudia Magana of Organized Power in Numbers, Frances Valdez of Houston in Action, and Billy Briscoe of Clean Energy Fund of Texas.
Focus on Community-Driven Solutions
From small, rural community organizations to large urban foundations, our robust network of funders reflects a broad spectrum of philanthropic work across a range of issues.
Our equity-focused learning agenda centers those most harmed by the intersecting impacts of environmental, economic and racial injustice – and highlights the philanthropic investments that support movement and power-building at the local level.
Baltimore has long been a crucible for progressive action and creative thinking, where grassroots movements and community-driven initiatives have emerged in response to systemic issues.
We’ll get a chance to learn from local changemakers making a difference across Baltimore on our popular Mobile Tours, including the positive impact local HBCUs are having on neighboring communities.
These are just a few of the sessions taking place at our 25th Anniversary Conference. You won't want to miss it!
About the Author
Dion Cartwright is president and CEO of The Funders Network. You can learn more about Dion on our TFN Team page.
Featured Image: Baltimore's Black Arts District | @officialblackartsdistrict
Maya Wiley, Civil Rights Attorney & Activist, Will Close Out TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore!
BY TFN STAFF
We are thrilled to announce that Maya Wiley, a nationally respected civil rights attorney and activist, will join us in Baltimore to close out TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together!
As we navigate an unprecedented era that threatens our democracy, undermines our civil liberties and jeopardizes the wellbeing of our communities and planet, how do we stay anchored in who we are and the work before us?
Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, will share her expertise and insight in a powerful Closing Plenary focused on turning adversity into action that creates lasting change.
The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights is the oldest and largest civil rights coalition in the U.S. Now in its 75th year, the coalition serves as a strategic hub for more than 200 member organizations fighting to protect, defend and expand civil rights across the U.S.
Wiley has dedicated her own life to the fights for justice, equality and fairness.
She is a former legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, was the first Black woman to serve as counsel to the mayor of New York City and was a senior advisor on race and poverty at the Open Society Foundations.
She also co-founded the nonprofit Center for Social Inclusion, an organization that focused on transforming structural racism into fair opportunity at the intersection of race and poverty as it relates to education, the digital divide, land use planning, the green economy, and more. (The center merged with Race Forward in 2017.)
Wiley is the author of Remember, You Are a Wiley, politically-charged memoir that draws on her upbringing in a household that prioritized activism, hope and resilience above all else: Her father was a noted leader in the civil rights and economic justice movements, work that landed him on President Nixon’s enemies list, while her mother organized third-party political platforms.
We hope you'll join us for Wiley's Closing Plenary at TFN25 as she explores how we can leverage our collective power to transcend division and meet this moment.
➡️Check out our TFN25 Anniversary Conference website to view our Learning Agenda, Accessibility and Wellbeing policies, and more.
Mobility & Access Advocacy Spotlight: Nominate a stellar transportation grantee!
Please note this blog has been updated with a new deadline for submissions.
BY Martha Roskowski, Coordinator for TFN’s Mobility and Access Collaborative
Nonprofit leaders across the country are strategizing, organizing and mobilizing for better transit service, safer walking and biking, and fewer highway expansions. Their work supports marginalized communities and builds more equitable and sustainable systems.
Are you supporting any of these stellar grantees through your grantmaking? If so, let us know!
TFN’s Mobility and Access Collaborative is launching an Advocacy Spotlight series that will lift up nonprofit grantees making an impact in their communities and beyond.
If you’d like to nominate a grantee for this series, fill out this short online form. The deadline to submit has been extended to March 31, 2025.
We’ll feature the grantee on TFN’s social media platforms and other communications platforms as part of our commitment to amplifying community-led sustainability solutions and building the field of philanthropy through shared learning.
“Local and grassroots advocates are hard at work fighting for more abundant public transportation systems that form the bedrock of safe, healthy, and vibrant communities,” said Chris Van Eyken, director of research and policy for TransitCenter and a member of the Mobility and Access Collaborative’s Design Committee.
“This series will highlight how their dedicated efforts have led to transportation investments that connect communities to economic opportunities and essential services, improve public health outcomes, and reduce the environmental impacts of transportation.”
We’ll share the Advocacy Spotlights starting in the spring. If your nominated grantee is selected for this series, we’ll reach out to you and the grantee group to confirm additional details.
Questions or suggestions? Please contact Martha Roskowski martha@fundersnetwork.org
Connect with Bolder Advocacy Senior Counsel Tim Mooney at TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore!
In these challenging times, many funders are eager to support their grantees’ advocacy and movement-building work — or step up their own organization’s advocacy efforts.
These are key strategies in the philanthropy toolbox.
But we know there is a lot of confusion about what’s allowed and what’s effective. That’s why we’re proud to partner with Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy program for TFN’s 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together, March 17-19 in Baltimore.
TFN25 will feature Tim Mooney, senior counsel with Bolder Advocacy, as our on-site “Office Hours” resource for one-on-one technical assistance sessions.
Bolder Advocacy provides training, technical assistance, tools, and resources to help foundations (and their grantees) maximize their impact without running afoul of the rules governing nonprofits and charitable organizations.
We’re offering this resource as part of TFN’s ongoing commitment to help funders navigate the road ahead with a forward-looking eye towards strategic approaches at the federal, state, regional, and local levels.
Tim will be available for appointments during designated windows throughout the conference to:
- Answer questions about how private and public foundations can support grantees’ advocacy efforts;
- Offer guidance on how foundations can engage in advocacy themselves;
- Share tools and resources;
- And strategize about what this moment calls for.
Registered attendees can sign up for these short, private technical assistance sessions through our Swapcard digital platform/conference app.
Tim also will co-facilitate Critical Conversation: Post-election Legal Landscape with Abby Levine, associate general counsel at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (and formerly of Bolder Advocacy), on Wednesday morning, March 19.
As senior counsel at Bolder Advocacy, Tim provides one-on-one technical assistance for nonprofit advocates, teaches nonprofit and election law workshops and writes on these issues for Bolder Advocacy publications.
(Tim and his colleagues also share their legal wisdom on the Bolder Advocacy podcast, Rules of the Game.)
He began his legal career as co-founder and counsel for Columbia Riverkeeper, working to protect and restore the largest watershed in the Pacific Northwest. He has also served as senior counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
As we embrace strategies, tools and tactics to Be Bold Together, we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the team at Alliance for Justice.
We first offered similar by-appointment resources with Bolder Advocacy at our 2017 Annual Conference in the Twin Cities. We’ve been grateful to have featured their insight and expertise on a number of webinars and learning opportunities in recent years.
Please visit our TFN25 website to see our full agenda as well as speaker updates and other highlights.
Photo by tookapic is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA