Forefront was honored to host Illinois community leaders, social impact colleagues, and other changemakers for the Annual Summit: Practicing Equitable Leadership. The Annual Summit included a full day of programs to educate and celebrate the social impact sector across the entire state of Illinois.

We have provided below a few highlights of the breakout sessions.

Unifying Illinois to Advance Racial Equity

Speakers: Leon Andrews (CEO, Equal Measure)

Eduardo Salinas (Research Scientist, NORC at the University of Chicago)

Sharmin Shahjahan (Director of Racial Equity Collective)

This session provided background and tools needed for organizations to advance racial equity collectively.  With thanks to those who participated in Forefront’s Racial Equity Mapping Survey and interviews, we shared our findings report that highlighted common themes and regional differences in racial equity programming and policies across the state.  Most excitingly, we launched the  Illinois Database of Racial Equity Asset Map (iDREAM).  This interactive digital tool is designed to highlight existing racial equity programs and policies, help facilitate local and statewide collaboration, and increase knowledge and resource access.

We are grateful to Leon for sharing our journey towards racial equity.  He provided historical context and a framework to operationalize racial equity in our own organization and the communities we serve.  Lastly, we provided an overview of the Inaugural Cohort of the Racial Equity Collective that will launch early next year.  The multi-sector cohort of leaders will focus on defining and measuring racial equity and will facilitate regional roundtables and coordinate regional efforts to create equitable communities across Illinois.

If you are interested in joining the Collective, Inaugural Cohort, or have questions, please contact Sharmin Shahjahan, Director of Racial Equity Collective at [email protected]

Attendees of the Unifying Illinois to Advance Racial Equity breakout session of Forefront’s Annual Summit.

Sharing Leadership & Expanding Impact

As Forefront’s signature resource for nonprofit partnerships, the Mission Sustainability Initiative (MSI) had a lot to discuss at this year’s summit about shared leadership and collaboration. MSI Director Kate Piatt-Eckert gathered members of three funders collectives (the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund, Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness, and the Mission Sustainability Initiative) for a conversation about how foundations are collaborating to expand their impact, learn from one another, and innovate in their grantmaking. Jane Kimondo of Crossroads Fund, Tina Ramirez Moon of Healthy Communities Foundation, and Tameeka Christian of the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation demystified the inner workings of pooled funds and explored ongoing conversations around racial equity in grantmaking. Meanwhile, MSI Advisory Committee Member Alicia T. Vega provided direct MSI support at the Summit’s Resource Fair. She engaged with nonprofit leaders interested in exploring collaboration and discussed some of the ideas and resources they need to guide their work.

Kate Piatt-Eckert, Director of the Mission Sustainability Initiative at Forefront; Jane Kimondo, Executive Director of Crossroads Fund; Tina Ramirez Moon, Senior Program Manager of Healing and Resilience at Healthy Communities Foundation; Tameeka Christian, Ph.D., Program Officer at J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation (left to right)

Mission Sustainability Initiative Advisory Committee Member Alicia T. Vega (right) at the Resource Fair with Tami Foley, Executive Director of Mid Central Community Action (left)

Statewide Equitable Philanthropy

In this breakout session, Moderator Carlos García León introduced the principles of Trust-Based Philanthropy and Community-Centric Fundraising, leading to a highly engaging and educational conversation with Julio Rodriguez and John Stremsterfer.  The moderated discussion provided an opportunity for the panelists to share their experiences practicing the principles and explore the systems of the past, the current models (TBP and CCF) used currently to overcome barriers to be more inclusive and equitable, and how to encourage the implementation of the Trust-Based Philanthropy and Community-Centric Fundraising principles within your organization.

“Community-Centric Fundraising is a movement to evolve how fundraising is done in the nonprofit sector. Its goal is to support fundraisers and other nonprofit professionals to re-examine every fundraising philosophy and practice they have been taught, engage in vigorous ongoing conversations, and explore doing fundraising in ways that reduce harm and further social justice.”

“Trust-Based Philanthropy movement is fundamentally reimagining the role funders can have in building a more just and equitable society.”

Interested in learning more, click the link below.

Community-Centric Fundraising: https://communitycentricfundraising.org/

Trust-Based Philanthropy: https://www.trustbasedphilanthropy.org/

Ethical Rainmaker Podcast: http://www.theethicalrainmaker.com/

Moderator Carlos García León, Individual Giving Manager of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Panelists: Julio Rodriguez (on the left), Deputy Director of the Office of Employment and Training, IL Dept. of Commerce, Co-founder, and Board President of ALMA, and John Stremsterfer (on the right), President and CEO, Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln.

Advocacy as a Catalyst for Cultivating Trust

Forefront’s Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Holly Ambuehl, moderated a panel discussion that explored practical ways to build trust between government and the nonprofit sector. The panel was intended to cultivate a better understanding of how to improve the level of trust public officials have in nonprofit leaders, why that matters, related obstacles, and an understanding of how Forefront’s legislative agenda can contribute to improved trust in the sector in the coming year. Panelists included Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago); Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria); Tony Martinez, CEO Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation/Forefront Policy Co. Chair; Erick Deshaun Dorris, Arts Alliance IL; and Ariel Hampton, Illinois Environmental Council. One key takeaway from the lengthy conversation was the importance of relationship-building and bringing the voices and stories of stakeholders into the process. Action items for Forefront’s policy team in response to this discussion include ensuring that we have stakeholders signed up to receive alerts through our action-center in every legislative district, and doubling down on our efforts to include members and stakeholders when we meet with elected officials at any level of government.

Panelists (left to right): Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago); Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria); Tony Martinez, CEO Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation/Forefront Policy Co. Chair; Erick Deshaun Dorris, Arts Alliance IL; and Ariel Hampton, Illinois Environmental Council.

A special thank you to the Annual Summit 2023 Sponsors!