Forefront is pleased to partner with the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project on a four-part webinar series on using trust-based values to guide your philanthropy’s grantmaking practices, culture, structures, and leadership.
Sessions will take place on February 3, March 3, March 31, and May 5, 2022 from noon to 1:30pm Central Time. Each session will include a 60-minute panel discussion featuring case stories from foundation leaders who have operationalized trust-based philanthropy within their orgs, followed by a 30-minute facilitated breakout discussion for members of partnering organizations. While we recommend attending all four sessions for an optimal experience, each individual session will be designed to stand on its own.
Who should attend: This webinar series is for anyone who works at a grantmaking organization, regardless of role and familiarity with trust-based philanthropy – however, most of the material will feel most relevant to those in senior leadership or decision-making roles. The series will offer enough introductory material for funders who are less familiar with trust-based philanthropy, while providing new material and deeper context for those who have attended past programs from the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project.
Session #2: TBP in 4D: Embracing and Embedding a Trust-Based Culture
Thursday, March 3, 2022
Noon-1:30PM CT
Culture is an organization’s general way of being, expressed in organizational norms, assumptions, and behaviors. Given trust-based philanthropy’s values-driven stance on centering relationships and sharing power, nurturing a trust-based culture is essential to making your trust-based philanthropy possible.
In order to nurture a trust-based culture, we must understand our starting point. The majority of institutions operate within a white dominant cultural context, wherein perceptions of trustworthiness and achievement are skewed in favor of those who have had access to – and have assimilated to – white dominant norms. In this default culture, we also tend to prioritize wealth over the communities we serve – as indicated in commonly used phrases such as return on investment, proof of concept, and even program “officer.”
So how can funders identify – and undo – cultural barriers to trust and equity? And what does it look like to build a trust-based, racially equitable culture that prioritizes honesty, community, creativity, and joy within and beyond your organization? In this session, we’ll hear from leaders that have prioritized culture-building within their organizations, including the strategies they are deploying to foster a sense of connection and collaboration, and what they’re doing to build and sustain trust internally so that they can advance their trust-based goals externally.
Participants can expect to walk away with a clearer understanding of how white dominant culture shows up in our assumptions and norms; and strategies for initiating and deepening a culture of power consciousness, humility, and collaboration.