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
Registration Now Open! TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together | March 16-17, 2025
Registration is now open for TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together, which takes place March 17-19 in Baltimore, Md.!
Below is a message from our TFN25 Conference Co-chairs, Thomasina (Tomi) Hiers of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Danista E. Hunte of the Maryland Philanthropy Network and Kacey Wetzel of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
We’re thrilled The Funders Network is celebrating its 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore on March 17-19.
Throughout its history, TFN has brought funders together to build relationships, align strategies and inspire action.
Opportunities to connect and collaborate have always been essential to our work.
But we know that in the coming months, many of us will be wrestling with how to channel philanthropic resources – and our own mental and physical energies – to best serve the people and places we care for.
How can we effectively work to address escalating climate crises, overcome barriers to opportunity and safeguard the wellbeing of vulnerable communities, while also navigating shifting political terrain?
Now, perhaps more than ever, is the time to lean into TFN’s incredible community of mission-aligned funders, partners and allies.
What We're Excited About
TFN’s 25th Anniversary Conference will bring together hundreds of grantmakers representing a broad spectrum of place-based philanthropy, from small, rural community organizations to large urban foundations.
Our equity-centered learning agenda will offer practical skill-building sessions, thought-provoking breakouts and compelling plenary speakers.
We’ll also create space for generative conversations that unpack critical topics, including the post-election legal landscape and movement-building opportunities.
Baltimore has a rich history of resilience and innovation in the face of systemic challenges. We’re excited about the chance to learn from people driving meaningful change in neighborhoods across Baltimore during TFN’s signature Mobile Workshops.
And we can’t wait to celebrate our culinary heritage at the Eat Here! reception in Baltimore’s Remington neighborhood, a favorite destination for local artists, nonprofits and innovators.
TFN’s Anniversary Conference will also explore the power of media and the arts to create narrative change and social impact.
We’ll showcase local performers in our Artistic Interludes and Opening Plenary by Wombworks Productions, and offer a thoughtful documentary – and filmmaker Q&A – at our popular TFN @ the Movies event.
Join Us!
Our 25th Anniversary theme — Be Bold Together — is a call to all of us to embrace courageous action and meaningful collaboration that helps unlock environmental, economic and racial justice.
It’s also a reminder about the power of community, of finding your people, and knowing that no one is alone in this work.
We are all in this together.
So whether you’re a familiar face at TFN events or a newcomer curious about our network, we hope you’ll join us to share strategies, insight and motivation for the road ahead.
We look forward to being bold – together – in Baltimore!
With gratitude,
TFN 25th Anniversary Conference Co-chairs
Thomasina (Tomi) Hiers
Vice President, Center for Civic Sites and Community Change
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Danista E. Hunte
President & CEO
Maryland Philanthropy Network
Kacey Wetzel
Vice President of Programs
Chesapeake Bay Trust
➡️ Learn nore about TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together, including Agenda Highlights, Accessibility & Wellbeing policies and Childcare options., here.
TFN's 25th Anniversary: Help us continue our mission and build our network!
BY TFN Staff
This giving season, join us in celebrating TFN’s 25th Anniversary — and help advance and support our mission for the future!
Whether it’s through an individual donation or as an organizational sponsor of our 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore this March, your contribution will help us sustain our network and live our values.
The collective power of our funders, partners and allies has been at the heart of TFN since our inception, creating opportunities for shared learning, collaboration and action.
TFN works to break down silos and connect funders with diverse areas of focus, educating and inspiring the philanthropic sector to help create communities and regions that are sustainable, prosperous, healthy and just for all people.
We know the coming year will likely mean deep reflection and difficult conversations as we face an increasingly complicated political and cultural landscape.
We’re committed to helping our community navigate the road ahead through our equity-centered learning agendas, issue-based and funder-led working groups, and signature offerings like our annual conference and PLACES Fellowship.
Below are some opportunities to support our 25th Anniversary campaign and other TFN 2025 priorities.
Individual Donations
TFN 25th Anniversary: Be Bold Together
Advance TFN’s mission to activate and support bold philanthropic leadership.
Your contribution helps sustain our network and provide issue-based programming, opportunities to connect and collaborate, and platforms to share strategies and resources.
PLACES 15th Anniversary
More than 200 philanthropy professionals have completed TFN’s equity-centered PLACES Fellowship, becoming agents of change across the sector.
Help support and advance the program, including coaching and curricula for both Fellows and Alums, travel sponsorships, engagement opportunities, and complimentary conference registration for current PLACES Fellows.
Beyond a Land Acknowledgement
Only a sliver or philanthropic dollars go to support Native tribal communities or Indigenous-led organizations. In 2024, TFN adopted a new land acknowledgement practice: For all in-person gatherings, TFN also makes a financial contribution to a local organization led by and serving Native American/Indigenous communities. At our 25th Anniversary Conference in 2025, we will acknowledge and contribute to a Baltimore-based organization as part of this commitment.
Support Local Vendors & Food Systems
TFN’s Eat Here! culinary reception is a popular fixture at our annual conferences, celebrating the rich tapestry of the host community’s culinary scene and agricultural heritage. Your contribution will help support local chefs and vendors, notably minority- and women-owned businesses at our 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore.
Organizational Sponsors
TFN offers mission- and issue-aligned opportunities to sponsor our 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together, which takes place March 17-19 in Baltimore.
Our learning agenda offers skill-building workshops, deep-dive strategy sessions and opportunities to forge new connections — enriching funders, their teams, and the broader philanthropic sector.
We’re also committed to equitable compensation for all vendors, artists and non-profit speakers, and sustainable practices whenever possible.
➡️Click on the sponsor deck below to learn more about sponsor levels and benefits.
➡️ Ready to become a sponsor? Please fill out this Sponsorship Form to sign on today!
Become a Member
Are you hoping to increase the impact of your grantmaking, share best strategies, and find opportunities for meaningful collaboration?
Become a TFN member and your organization will join more than 130 foundations across the U.S. and Canada committed to creating communities and regions that are sustainable, prosperous and equitable.
➡️Read our Membership At a Glance learn more!
Fellowships Address Barriers for People of Color in the Climate Field | Cross-post
The Funders Network is committed to sharing the stories and strategies of our members, partners and others in the philanthropic sector working to create more sustainable, prosperous and equitable communities.
Today, we’re sharing a recent blog post by Barr Foundation's Emily Sidla, climate program manager, and Rory Neuner, senior learning officer.
BY Emily Sidla and Rory Neuner, Barr Foundation
At the heart of Barr’s Climate program is the belief that achieving our ambitious climate goals requires building an inclusive, multi-racial, and equity-centered movement. How do we make this a reality? One key approach is to expand career pathways in the climate field. People of color face systemic barriers to entering and advancing in the field, and remain under-represented. According to the 2023 Green 2.0 Report, people of color account for only 38% of full-time staff and 31.5% of individuals responsible for leading* non-profit climate and environmental organizations.
In recent years, we’ve invested in new approaches to building a more diverse cadre of leaders within the climate movement. One of our strategies is supporting fellowships and leadership development programs that create pathways for people of color to enter and advance in the field. We’ve identified a gap in substantive, longer-term programs focused on early career development and leadership growth for young professionals. Since 2021, Barr’s Climate Program has funded three early career fellowship programs in the Northeast: the RAY fellowship, the Racial Equity in Policy and Planning Fellowship (REPP), and the Young Climate Leaders of Color/Young Black Climate Leaders programs. These programs recruit individuals committed to the values of equity and inclusion, offering access to mentorship, in-person and virtual retreats, peer gatherings, professional development, networking opportunities and skill building sessions. To date, 16 fellows have been supported with Barr funding.
Three years in, we sought to better understand the experiences of both the fellows and the staff running the fellowship programs. To achieve this, we partnered with the consulting firm Public Profit on a learning and evaluation project. Our goal was to listen to the fellows and the staff, and identify opportunities for greater impact. We gathered data through surveys and focus groups with the fellows, as well as focus groups with program staff. Participation was entirely voluntary—our aim was to gather as much feedback as possible without imposing an additional burden on participants. We were encouraged to see that 80% chose to opt in, including to the more time-intensive focus groups.
What We Heard
The evaluation highlighted three key findings:
1. The barriers to entering the climate and environment field are substantial.
When asked about the barriers they faced before their fellowships, fellows reported a steep climb into the field, confirming our assumptions and providing greater clarity on where to focus our efforts. Fellows identified several top barriers:
- The most common challenge was a lack of personal connections within the climate and environmental field, with 67% of fellows citing this issue. Additionally, 60% reported lacking contacts who could guide them on how to enter and succeed in the field.
- A second major barrier was financial: Sixty percent of fellows noted that wages in climate and environmental roles were lower than comparable positions in other industries. Furthermore, many jobs/internships were unpaid or paid inadequately, considering the skills and experience required. High living costs in locations where jobs/internships are available also made these opportunities financially inaccessible (60%). Difficulty finding and applying for jobs/internships was another common challenge (60%).
- A third area of concern was workplace culture. Fellows described feeling discouraged by environments where they didn’t see others with similar personal backgrounds or experiences (53%), where organizational values didn’t align with their own (60%), or where they felt isolated or unwelcome (40%).
2. These programs made a meaningful difference in alleviating some of those barriers.
Most fellows reported that the relationship-building and networking opportunities provided by their fellowship programs exceeded their expectations. We were pleased to learn about the overall positive impacts and appreciated the fellows’ thoughtful reflections on areas for improvement. Fellows shared that the chance to form deeper relationships and expand their peer and alumni networks was particularly valuable. Many also noted that the programs helped to alleviate some of the financial barriers and improved feelings of morale and belonging in the workplace.
3. There’s a need for even more connections.
Building connections and networks within the climate and environmental field was top priority for fellows. They expressed a desire for more opportunities to connect with others in their programs and to form relationships with local leaders in the field. Fellows indicated they would be more likely to recommend their programs to peers if there were additional chances for networking and learning from experienced professionals. Both fellows and program staff suggested that Barr could play an important role as a convener, by hosting networking events and facilitating connections.
Next Steps for Barr: Meaning Making from Feedback
The feedback we received from the surveys and focus groups illustrates the positive impact these fellowships have had in supporting early-career leaders in the climate and environmental field. It also underscores the value of inclusive listening—engaging those closest to the work, such as the fellows – as a powerful way for funders to inform and shape future actions. Beyond funding programs like these, we heard that Barr can play an important role as a convener, helping to connect individuals in the field who are working to advance climate solutions. In response, we’re planning targeted steps to expand the Climate Program’s role in organizing convenings and networking, particularly for young and emerging leaders of color.
While the magnitude of the barriers to entering the field is discouraging, these findings bring enormous value by lifting up the top barriers and showing us and others in the field what should be prioritized. They also reinforce the importance of the organizing, policy advocacy, and movement building work supported by our Clean Energy, Mobility, and Climate Resilience strategies which aim to drive long-term, systemic progress and reduce barriers.
At Barr, we remain committed to racial equity, recognizing that we all play a part in building a diverse, inclusive, and just climate movement. First and foremost, we thank the fellows who participated in this evaluation—your honest feedback has been invaluable, and we are proud of your leadership and vision. We also appreciate the program staff for enriching our learning process. To funders and climate organizations, we can all do better by listening more closely to those impacted by our work and using these insights to make more informed and equitable decisions. We hope this work inspires others to support leadership fellowships and address barriers in the field, fostering a truly inclusive and multicultural environment through thoughtful policies, practices, and workplace culture. For those already funding these efforts, we look forward to sharing insights and collaborating to deepen our collective impact.
➡️To read the original post and access the full summary of the Barr Foundation's evaluation findings, click here.
"Boston and Woburn" by donovan_terry is licensed under CC BY-NC
We Stand Boldly in Our Commitments: Election reflections & resources from TFN's Dion Cartwright
BY Dion Cartwright, TFN President & CEO
We are only four days away from a high-stakes presidential election, with more than 60 million ballots already cast by early and mail-in voting.
The outcome may come down to a razor-thin margin and we may not know the final results for days or even weeks after Election Day, if polls and pundits are to be believed.
Uncertainty can be a heavy weight to bear, even for optimistic folks like myself.
I am certain about this, though: Philanthropy, at its best and boldest, has a moral mandate to unlock the resources that will move us closer to racial, environmental and economic justice – regardless of who is in office.
As we head into the final stretch of this presidential election, I wanted to share these reflections and resources with TFN’s community of funders, partners and allies.
The Road Ahead
TFN is committed to helping our members and the broader philanthropic sector navigate the post-election landscape.
Over the past year, we’ve been unpacking political impacts on our work, including partisan efforts that threaten historic levels of climate investment and concerted efforts to roll back decades of progress on social justice issues.
Looking forward, our funder-led working groups will be holding peer learning calls and funder briefings to process the impact a new administration will have on our communities and climate. We are creating space at our 25th Anniversary Conference in Baltimore to further share insights and strategies.
TFN is co-sponsoring two post-election webinars organized by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Smart Growth California, a TFN initiative, is also partnering with SoCal Grantmakers for a hybrid virtual/in-person convening later this month to explore the impact election results could have on the environment.
Support Those Doing the Work
As the head of a network focused on creating more sustainable, prosperous and just communities, I know that we’ll have a steeper hill to climb depending on who sits in the Oval Office.
But I also know that our journey toward justice began long before this election cycle, and will continue long after.
And the hate-filled rhetoric targeting immigrants, trans kids, women of color and other marginalized groups?
While those disgusting comments and so-called “jokes” have been trumpeted and celebrated by candidates up and down the ballot, they aren’t just confined to the campaign trail.
Those harmful words can be heard on our social media feeds, in our kids’ classrooms, at our places of work and worship. Maybe even across our own kitchen tables.
They’re not new to those of us who have been hearing them our whole lives – just louder.
That’s why it’s important to acknowledge and support those working toward meaningful change, from grassroots movement leaders to bold voices in philanthropy calling out injustices in the sector.
We see you and stand by you.
And to those foundations that are considering pulling back on their equity commitments, or paring down their internal equity practices: I encourage you to reconsider, and implore you not to sacrifice our shared struggle in the name of political pragmatism or fear. Stand boldly with us in our commitments.
Our Commitment to Racial Equity
TFN will continue to center racial equity in all that we do. We remain steadfast in our belief that we cannot address the escalating climate crisis, widening wealth gap or stark inequities in healthcare access – among other critical issues – without addressing systemic racial injustice.
We are ten toes down for diversity, equity and inclusion, regardless of the pushback from those who want to undermine or water down these values.
What We Ask of You
- VOTE! If you didn’t make it to early voting, please show up on Nov. 5. It’s an honor and a duty that many of our ancestors fought for.
- Prepare for post-election action. Support grassroots organizations that are ready to respond to challenges facing marginalized and racialized communities. Host conversations with grantees and partners on the election's impact. Fund legal services and strategies to help inform policy and advocacy efforts, and support narrative change by uplifting the stories of those most impacted.
- Support advocacy efforts that defend the rights of immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ community and those fighting for reproductive justice. There are many worthy organizations, but I’ll lift up fellow philanthropy serving networks such as Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Funders for LGBTQ Issues and Funders for Reproductive Equity.
- Flex your own advocacy muscles. There are opportunities to impact policies at the local, state and federal level beyond presidential elections. TFN has worked with Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy to provide resources to our network. Their website has additional resources for foundations looking to advance their missions through policy advocacy.
- Invest in equity-focused professional development for your team, your board – and yourself. Philanthropy needs leaders who have the understanding and skills to embed equity into their programmatic, grantmaking and community engagement practices. TFN’s cross-cutting approach to racial equity informs our internal and external practices, including our working groups, virtual learning opportunities and in-person events. Please reach out to me or Vice President of Programs and Partnerships Ann Fowler Wallace if you’d like to learn more.
- Let us know what you’re doing. If your organization has an election-related statement, resource or learning opportunity, send it our way. Please reach out to TFN Senior Communications Director Tere Figueras Negrete to be considered for our round-up of post-election resources.
And finally, I encourage each of you in the coming days to set aside time for something – or someone – that brings you joy.
Like Audre Lorde wrote: Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.
Be well and take care.
Rocking Baltimore pride — and my early voting sticker.
Additional Resources
Imagining 2025: What’s next for disaster philanthropy?
Nov. 14 | 1-2 p.m. ET
Webinar
This Center for Disaster Philanthropy webinar is co-sponsored by TFN, Alliance Magazine, Philanthropy New York and United Philanthropy Forum.
The Election and Its Impact on The Environment
Nov. 15 | 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. PT
Hybrid virtual/in-person
This SoCal Grantmakers event is presented in partnership with Smart Growth California, a TFN initiative.
The 2024 Election and the Path Ahead
Nov. 19 | 12:30-2 p.m. ET
Webinar
This webinar is organized by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees and is co-sponsored by TFN, Philanthropy New York, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Forefront, and Funders Together to End Homelessness.
Decision '24 Post-Election Briefing: Debrief + Sector Outlook
Nov. 20 | 12- 1:15 p.m. ET
Webinar
To help PSOs and their foundation members make sense of it all, join United Philanthropy Forum for our special Decision ’24 Post-Election Webinar, where we will analyze the results, discuss potential policy shifts, and look ahead to what’s on the horizon for the coming year.
This Much We Know
Blog Post | Barr Foundation
President and Trustee Jim Canales on how the Barr Foundation will meet this moment.
For an updated list of post-election statements, resources and events, click here.
Featured photo by Ronile | CC BY-NC-SA
Next 100 Years Challenge Update: Importance of Heat Data Collection | Cross Post
The Funders Network is committed to sharing the stories and strategies of our members, partners and others in the philanthropic sector working to create more sustainable, prosperous and equitable communities.
Today, we’re sharing a recent blog post from Isabel Barrios of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and a member of TFN's Board of Directors.
BY Isabel Barrios, Senior Program Officer, Greater New Orleans Foundation
When was the last time you were at a playground or a bus stop on a hot day? As it turns out, depending on the materials used and availability of shade nearby, these places can be dangerously hot and unsafe on hot days. Jason Neville, Executive Director of the Lafitte Greenway Partnership (formerly Friends of Lafitte Greenway,) recently discovered a nearly 50̊ temperature difference between a sun-exposed playground surface (127̊ ) and a nearby shaded grassy spot (80̊ ) with a user-friendly Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera.
On Saturday, September 28, the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Next 100 Years Challenge participants were hosted by the Lafitte Greenway Partnership for a heat data collection training at the Sojourner Truth Center in Mid-City. Trainers, Janice Barnes and Leo Temko of Climate Adaptation Partners, focused on the hazard that heat presents for communities and how to use heat data to make outdoor spaces safer. Participants learned about why it is important to address heat, how to collect heat data using FLIR cameras, and how to use the data collected to create cooler spaces. After some practice, participants teamed up and took the FLIR cameras outside for a test run.
The Foundation launched the Next 100 Years Challenge in celebration of our centennial year to inspire great ideas for resilient infrastructure projects, including nature-based solutions, that will reduce the threat from storms and other disasters and which can attract federal and state funds for their construction.
➡️Read Isabel's full post to learn more about this event and GNOF's $1.2 million in awards for projects focused on community-centered and cost-effective infrastructure improvements.
Lafitte Greenway Partnership for a heat data collection training at the Sojourner Truth Center.
Photo credits: Greater New Orleans Foundation.
Going PLACES: Conflicting histories — and a future worth fighting for — in Denver
BY Patrick Moreno-Covington, PLACES Fellow and Program Officer, Rockwell Fund
During TFN's PLACES Fellowship, we understand that when we go on a site visit, Fellows are in for new experiences where we learn from and alongside dynamic funders, community organizers and nonprofit leaders who offer their own expertise about their communities. We pair what we thought we once knew with new information, context and possible application.
As I planned for our trip to Denver I was apprehensive about engaging with a city where I have my own conflicting history.
Going to college in Colorado Springs, Denver represented the big, dynamic city — an urban center of culture in the outdoorsy dream that is the rest of the state. In the summer of 2010, I was selected for a summer internship at a Denver-based think tank.
My experience that summer proved to be influential and instructive. While I learned a lot about the Colorado legislature and the expectations of nonprofit employees, it was the time biking around the city and attending concerts that proved to be the most influential. Despite the city’s quaint neighborhoods and well-appointed parks, certainly a friendly playground for bike rides and social outings, something did not feel right. While my roommates and college friends still had aspirations of a post-college life, I left Denver feeling like an outsider — that the city was not meant for me.
One thing about PLACES that I value is the importance placed on understanding the history and context of each site visit. As a former history student, connecting to the stories of these places and the stories that communities share about themselves can often be equally revealing.
Local guide and activist Celeste Martinez led PLACES Fellows on a tour of History Colorado during their Denver site visit. Photo credit: Patrick Moreno-Covington
On a visit to the History Colorado center — escorted by local guide and activist Celeste Martinez — we saw how the dual nature of place can be utilized by audiences. While History Colorado featured voices outside of the mainstream, including the rise of Latino activism in the state, the central narrative featured in the museum was one of pioneering, European descendants who moved to Colorado. They came in the hopes of striking it rich during the state’s gold rush but instead settled on the eastern plains. While the narrative acknowledged the presence of Indigenous people in the area, the centering of white settlers as intrepid pioneers who formed Denver into a thriving city reiterates a sanitized narrative free from the violence of colonialism. The descendants of Colorado’s white settlers and the later newcomers to the state would leave History Colorado’s main exhibit feeling part of a proud legacy of development.
That narrative stood in stark contrast to an exhibit just on the next floor that detailed the horrifying events of the Sand Creek Massacre. Using multimedia storytelling written and designed by contemporary and historic Cheyenne and Arapaho members, the exhibit told the story of how abrogated treaties between Indigenous tribes and the United States, fears of white settlers, and troops stationed to fight in the Civil War led to a massacre of an estimated 230 people, the majority of whom were women, children and the elderly.
The massacre accelerated the dispossession of Cheyenne and Arapaho people from their ancestral and sacred lands of Colorado’s eastern plains and ushered in a new era of unfettered white settlement that was celebrated just one floor below. The exhibit detailed not only the long-lasting pain of the violent massacre but also the hope, promise and ongoing connection that Cheyenne and Arapaho people continue to have to Sandy Creek.
The contradiction of these two histories’ connection to one place was emblematic of the rest of our visit to Denver.
This contradiction was present in speaking with Renee M. Chacon, a Flipina/Xicana who is also Diné, the Indigenous people native to the region. She works as an activist and healer, and is the co-founder of Womxn from the Mountain. Renee also sits on the city council of Commerce City, a few miles north of Denver. She led PLACES Fellows on a Diné healing exercise before introducing us to Commerce City — her home and the site of much of her organizing and activism. Commerce City is home to 1,400 companies, including the largest oil refinery in the Rocky Mountain region. She noted the longstanding fights between her majority Latinx neighbors and the heavy industry that has failed to be held accountable for polluting the community’s water and air.
We heard valuable lessons about her experience organizing at local and state levels. But beyond that, Renee’s passion and commitment to fighting for land that has so often poisoned her and her family reminded me of the Cheyenne and Arapaho voices committed to forging a future despite historic and ongoing injustices.
I once again left Denver to return home to Houston with many lessons learned and a commitment to use my experiences to make my community a stronger place. The timing of the Denver trip and my deep reflections on place couldn’t have been more relevant.
Image of Houston's Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. Photo credit: Patrick Moreno-Covington
My organization, Rockwell Fund, is undergoing a strategic redesign that will focus on a specific neighborhood here in Houston rather than funding across Houston’s health, housing and education sectors. After extensive research, including conversations with grasstops and grassroots leaders, our foundation has decided to partner with residents in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood to invest a minimum of $20 million over the next 10 years.
As I continued to learn and connect with organizations working on the ground in Kashmere, I kept returning to my time in Denver and the conversations with Renee, Celeste and my PLACES Fellows. For so long, Kashmere Gardens residents have been stigmatized and the neighborhood demonized as violent, unsafe and low-income. Those stigmas became a self-fulfilling prophecy as legacies of segregation, redlining and disinvestment had devastating impacts on the neighborhood. Heavy industry has resulted in numerous adverse health effects. Climate change has exacerbated natural disasters, further threatening already vulnerable residents — who were then systematically denied relief by state government. The people of Kashmere Gardens, just like the descendants of Sand Creek and the residents of Commerce City, have plenty of reasons to feel conflicted over the place they call home — and understand that its future is worth fighting for.
At PLACES we get to learn and grow together through discussions about how place and the stories tied to those places impact our work in philanthropy. Our time in Denver reminded me that the connections to our homes can be challenging and at times traumatic. But it also showed that in order for us to do this work, we have to craft a new, reimagined future with an honest foundation in our history.
PLACES Fellows enjoy a meal together during their Denver site visit. Photo credit: Patrick Moreno-Covington
About the Author
Patrick Moreno-Covington is a 2024 PLACES Fellow. He works as a program officer at the Rockwell Fund, a private foundation serving the Greater Houston area.
Featured image at top: 'The Sand Creek Massacre,' a painting on elk hide by Northern Arapaho artist Eugene J. Ridgely, Sr. (Eagle Robe), 1994. The artwork is on display at History Colorado in Denver.
Broad Intersections: Water, Transportation & Daily Life Along New Orleans' Lafitte Greenway
When I’m biking home from work on the Lafitte Greenway bike path, I’m grateful for the lighted path that separates me from automobiles and allows me to roll safely. On days when I’m enjoying a ride in the rain, I’m also grateful that the stormwater – rather than causing floods that obstruct my ride – is intentionally stored and filtered in the adjacent green stormwater infrastructure before being slowly released into the traditional drainage system.
At other points, the ride isn’t so smooth.
A faulty spot in the underground water system has created a pothole in the road. A recently repaved street is under construction again because the water (or any other) utility needs to fix something below the surface – but didn’t manage to do it while the street was torn up. A green infrastructure project to reduce neighborhood flooding is stalled because the contractor only had enough workers to focus on prepping the ground for a nearby building… maybe it’s even a transit hub. A street reconstruction project is so narrowly funded the project can’t also improve the drainage or add trees… the list could go on, but I’m having too much fun on the ride.
Dan Favre helped organize a bike tour focused on sustainability and equity, including a ride along the Lafitte Greenway, as part of TFN's 2023 Annual Conference in New Orleans. Photo credit: Martha Roskowski
Back on the Greenway, I’m also grateful for the new pedestrian/bike bridges that allow me to safely cross over the canal – part of that important drainage system – that runs adjacent to the trail. On hot days, I’m grateful for the trees that keep me cooler on the ride (and help soak up that rain!)
From the asphalt and pipes to the nature-based solutions and trees, transportation and water infrastructure deeply intertwine to create an experience of place. As we collectively build infrastructure and other systems that enable greater freedom, justice and equity, let’s create a framework that allows the deep focus needed to make specific changes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Favre is the director of environmental programs at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. He serves on the steering committees for both TFN's Urban Water Funders working group and Mobility and Access Collaborative. Dan was one of the co-chairs of TFN's 2023 Annual Conference: Ignite Action, which took place in New Orleans. He also sat on the planning committee for the March 2024 Spring Convening of several TFN working groups in Austin.
⇒ GO DEEPER:
Are you curious to learn more about the intersecting issues of water and transit? Register for Common Ground: A Two-part Learning Series with TFN's Urban Water Funders and Mobility and Access Collaborative, at 1 p.m. ET Oct. 8 and Oct. 22. Following our Spring Convening in Austin (which you can read about here), funders from the Urban Water Funders working group and Mobility and Access Collaborative walked away noting similar challenges and opportunities across these areas. Join us for a two-part conversation in which we first unpack all the places where water and transportation intersect.
We'll also explore how our TFN working groups might better learn and align our work for sustainable and equitable infrastructure that better serves communities.
Save the Date: We're headed to Baltimore for TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference!
BY TFN Staff
We're headed to Charm City for TFN's 25th Anniversary Conference: Be Bold Together!
Be sure to save the date to join us March 17-19, 2025 in Baltimore for a thought-provoking and action-oriented gathering that will bring together place-based, regional and national funders.
Join us to deepen your learning, share strategies, and broaden your professional networks.
TFN's 25th Anniversary theme — Be Bold Together — reflects our belief that leaders in philanthropy can and should embrace courageous action and meaningful collaboration that will help unlock environmental, economic and racial justice.
We'll amplify the powerful and creative work that is making an impact on people, places and policies.
We'll make space for frank conversations about the shortcomings and challenges we face as a sector.
We'll take time to center joy — and celebrate the progress and the possibilities of creating a more equitable future, together.
And, like at every TFN conference, we'll have ample opportunities for you to connect, recharge and socialize with fellow funders.
Registration will launch in the winter with discounted rates for members, early bird, and group registrations.
But if you'd like to get a jump on lodging, please visit our 25th Anniversary: Be Bold Together event page for more information. (We'll be staying at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, located on the Inner Harbor, the city's historic seaport.)
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned for more details on speakers, sessions and other 25th Anniversary Conference highlights in the coming weeks. We'll share updates on our conference event page, as well as on our LinkedIn and Instagram — so be sure to follow us on social!
Thank You!
We want to extend a huge thank you to our 25th Anniversary Conference Co-chairs and Planning Committee, who met with us for two days this summer.
Their support and insight is essential to helping us craft a learning agenda that is interdisciplinary, cross-cutting and aligned with TFN’s Strategic & Racial Equity Frameworks.
25th Anniversary Conference Co-chairs
- Thomasina (Tomi) Hiers, Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Danista E. Hunte, Maryland Philanthropy Network
- Kacey Wetzel, Chesapeake Bay Trust
Planning Committee
- Isabel Barrios, Greater New Orleans Foundation
- Jacqueline Caldwell,Community Collaborator
- Erin Coryell, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
- Kaying Hang, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation
- Elisabeth Hyleck, Maryland Philanthropy Network
- Elizabeth Love, Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation
- Surabhi Pandit, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
- Sally Ray, Center for Disaster Philanthropy
- Nathaniel Smith, Partnership for Southern Equity
- Sheena Solomon, The Gifford Foundation
- Scot Spencer, Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Karla Twedt-Ball, Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
We hope to see you in Baltimore! If you're unsure about your organization's membership status, please reach out to Navita Persaud, director of member services, at navita@fundersnetwork.org.