The Funders Network’s 2021 Virtual Conference: Rise Together | The Funders Network | 15 March 2021 | Virtual Event

In these uncertain times, we are all doing our best to prioritize the wellbeing of those we care about and the communities we serve. For this reason, The Funders Network has decided to move our 2021 Annual Conference to an all-virtual format.

It is precisely because we are in such uncertain waters that it is essential that we take the time to seek out the meaningful connections, strategies and inspirations that fuel and support your work as grantmakers.

While we had originally hoped to come together — in person — in New Orleans, we will nonetheless find ways to lift up and learn from this amazing and resilient community as part of our virtual conference.

We are also seeking ways to minimize the economic impact of this decision, and will be highlighting opportunities to support local New Orleans vendors, artists and community causes as part of our conference offerings.

TFN’s 2021 Virtual Conference: Rise Together will create a virtual space for funders to explore the strategies and stories that are creating more equitable, sustainable, and resilient places to live — work that has taken on increased urgency as we face the dual challenges of a global pandemic and structural racism.

TFN’s mission is to leverage philanthropy’s unique potential to help create communities and regions that are sustainable, prosperous and just for all people. But we recognize that these goals cannot be achieved without first challenging and confronting the systemic imbalances in power, privilege and access to resources that disproportionately impact communities of color, specifically Black people, and create stark inequities that continue to harm racialized and marginalized people and places.

In keeping with our 2021 Virtual Conference theme — Rise Together — we’ve encouraged session ideas that are interdisciplinary, cross-cutting and grounded in racial equity.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sharing more details about our conference offerings and learning agenda designed to lift up and explore some of the most urgent questions of the day:
• How do we help communities address and overcome the impacts of the novel coronavirus in ways that are urgent and equitable?
• How can we help dismantle the systemic racism that touches every aspect of our lives, including the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the places where we live, work and play?
• And how do we use our privilege and power, as a sector and as individuals, to amplify calls for racial justice in ways that are meaningful, effective and authentic?