Program

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Institutes

The EGA Institutes are designed as “101 Sessions,” geared toward those new to an issue area or those who wish to expand their knowledge of the basics. The sessions are hosted by fellow funder affinity groups and are for funders only.

The cost of the EGA Institutes is $55 ($75 after September 7), which includes the full day of workshops.

8:30 - 10:00 am

Media + Policy = Impact!
with Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media

Blue Vinyl, An Inconvenient Truth, Ironweed Films, the Media That Matters Film Festival, TV, Radio, the Web… we could go on—and we will! Join us to learn how you can effectively and efficiently raise awareness about environmental policy issues and move the public and policymakers to action.

MODERATOR

Alyce Myatt is managing director of Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM).  Previously, she provided analysis and strategic planning for media and philanthropic organizations, was a Vice President of Programming at PBS, and a program officer at the MacArthur Foundation.  Her production credits include the Smithsonian, Nickelodeon, and 20/20.

Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining: Making Global Connections around a Hidden Environmental and Human Rights Tragedy
with the Funders Network on Trade and Globalization

This institute will explore the impact of globalization on domestic policies and issues through a case study demonstrating links between coal, climate change, globalization and energy use. Communities in Appalachia fighting mountaintop removal have formed a regional alliance, linked with groups in other countries, and are examining viable alternatives to coal. The issues at the heart of this session—energy development, climate, and building transnational alliances to address global problems—will appeal to grantmakers seeking entry-points on funding domestically around international issues and how best to fund around climate change, and to all grantmakers working on climate/energy, health/environment, consumption, biodiversity and conservation.

MODERATOR

Millie Buchanan is program officer for toxics and environmental justice at the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, where she began work in 1994 after directing a statewide non-profit environmental organization in North Carolina for many years. Millie has served on the EGA’s management board as board chair and on past program committees.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Green Beyond Grants: Implementing Sustainability Practices in your Foundation Offices and at Events
with the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption and the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders

The “Green Beyond Grants” Institute will explain the benefits of implementing sustainability practices in your foundation’s operations. This institute will also provide hands-on guidance to get started, focusing on sourcing local and delicious food and overall waste prevention. Through an interactive game, presentations and take-home guides, participants will gain practical advice and the inspiration to either begin or to strengthen in-house sustainable programs in your foundation offices and events. Annie Leonard and Virginia Clarke-Laskin contributed to the “Green Beyond Grants” guide and have worked with EGA and other organizations to implement sustainable food and materials practices at funder Retreats and other events.

MODERATORS

Virginia Clarke-Laskin, is the coordinator for the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF), a project of Community Partners. Virginia has worked with a variety of international education programs including the University of California’s Education Abroad Program (2000-2002) and the Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria (1995-2000). Virginia is based in Santa Barbara, California. 

Annie Leonard is the coordinator of the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, a workgroup of EGA. Annie has worked with NGOs on waste and pollution prevention issues for nearly 20 years, including leading EGA’s Zero Waste program at its Retreats since 2003. She is based in Berkeley, California. 

Heart of the Earth: Building Collaborations to Sustain Indigenous Environments
with the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous communities have a sacred relationship with Mother Earth and possess ancient knowledge that has existed for millennia—wisdom that offers holistic alternatives in dealing with local and global environmental issues. Please join us in this spirited workshop as donors that fund collaborations within traditional Indigenous territories offer their insight and important lessons. Panelists will share varied experiences on their successes and failures, limitations and opportunities, as well as valuable examples of collaborative efforts in dealing with multi-disciplinary challenges associated with bio-cultural conservation.

This session will feature representatives from European and U.S.-based foundations that will discuss effective strategies and approaches to building equitable partnerships with Indigenous communities. Participants will take away key measures and practical tools to incorporate into their existing and future funding portfolios. A limited number of the Indigenous Peoples Funders and Resource Guide will be distributed, as well as additional publications and reports on international development efforts in remote communities around the world.   

SPEAKER

Liz Hosken was born near Johannesburg, South Africa, She was active from a young age in both environmental issues and the anti-apartheid movement. She was exiled to the UK in her early 20s, and co-founded the Gaia Foundation in 1984. As Director of Gaia she works with pioneers and visionaries for ecological and social justice. In 1991, Liz Hosken received the Jameson Award and, on behalf of Gaia, has received the Schumacher Award and a One World Award for media work on biodiversity related issues. She is a fellow of the Findhorn Foundation and advisor to the Goldman Prize.

Phrang Roy was born and raised in the Khasi matrilineal hill tribe of Meghalaya state in Northeastern India, Phrang Roy is an internationally renowned expert on rural development, gender and indigenous peoples.  Now serving as an Assistant Secretary-General within the United Nations system, Mr. Roy began his career as an Extension Agent working in agriculture and natural resource management in rural Maharashtra.  Mr. Roy graduated from the Indian National Academy of Administration and also holds a BSc in physics from Gauhati University and an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.  He has frequently collaborated with researchers, artists, filmmakers and others to highlight indigenous, gender and agricultural issues from the experience of the people themselves.  These efforts include a film, Still, The Children are Here, with Mira Nair and Dinaz Stafford, on the erosion of women’s knowledge about globally important traditional rice varieties among the Garo.

MODERATOR

Evelyn Arce-White, Chibcha (Colombian-American) descent, serves as Executive Director for International Funders for Indigenous Peoples and has been working for IFIP since Oct 2002. Evelyn has a Masters Degree from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. IFIP, founded in 1999 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2006, actively facilitates dialogue among its grantmaking members and Indigenous communities to help funders better understand and address the contemporary issues faced by Indigenous Peoples—from the disappearance of language to mining to deforestation.

12:00 – 1:00 pm

Lunch

1:30 – 5:00 pm

Grantmaking with a Racial Equity Lens
with the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity

EGA and the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) will present a pre-conference workshop for environmental grantmakers who want to strengthen their skills to address issues of racial equity for greater overall effectiveness in their work. This interactive session will draw from expert resources, the wisdom of peers in the room, and PRE and GrantCraft’s recently published Guide to Grantmaking with a Racial Equity Lens. Participants will take away environmental case studies, and an array of resources and tools to continue the discussion within their foundations and with grantees.

Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion will provide a structural racism analysis showing how seemingly race-neutral issues are affected by accumulated historical, political, cultural discrimination and exclusion, and conversely, how the solutions to these issues are strengthened by recognizing the effects of these conditions.

MODERATOR

Lori Villarosa is the director of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity, a multiyear project intended to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources aimed at combating institutional and structural racism. Lori has been in philanthropy for more than 16 years, having previously worked as a program officer with the CS Mott Foundation.

Maya Wiley is the founder and director of the Center for Social Inclusion and Vice Chair of the Tides Network board.  A civil rights attorney and policy advocate with nearly 20 years experience, she has litigated, lobbied the U.S. Congress and developed programs to transform structural racism in the U.S. and in South Africa. Maya was formerly a senior advisor on race and poverty with the Open Society Institute and has worked for the ACLU, the NAACP and served on Human Rights Watch's board.

1:30 –3:00 pm

Defining Focus, Maximizing Impact
with the EGA Small Foundations Group

From combating climate change to protecting the rights of indigenous cultures around the world, small foundations are having a big impact on today’s most challenging environmental problems. Yet these foundations often struggle to define a programmatic focus that yields the greatest impact. Struggling to identify an appropriate scale at which to work? Wondering how to craft a strategy that achieves big results? Whether you are working for a newly-formed small foundation, or a more established one that is reviewing its priorities, this institute can help. Join leading experts, working both domestically and internationally, as we share ideas, strategies, and lessons learned to help small foundations find a focus. 

MODERATOR

Heidi Binko is the executive director of the WestWind Foundation and currently serves on the board of Appalachian Voices, an organization working to stop mountaintop removal coal mining. Before receiving a graduate degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Heidi worked for various land conservation organizations in Colorado and Washington, D.C.

Lori Udall is currently the program director at the Sacharuna Foundation, which combines grantmaking for land and wildlife conservation with indigenous rights. With more than 25 years of experience in international environmental and human rights policy, Lori has worked for Environmental Defense, International Rivers Network, and First Nations Development Institute. 

5:30 – 6:30 pm

Newcomers’ Welcome Reception

EGA Retreat newcomers are invited to join EGA board, staff, and fellow members for highly interactive introductions and welcome.

7:00 – 10:00 pm

Opening Reception and Dinner

Meet and greet colleagues while the Latin musical duet Los Trinos—the songbirds—play acoustic Latino music. Los Trinos perform with guitar, harp, violin and accordion, singing in two-part harmony. Their repertoire covers the musical palette of all of Mexico and Latin America. Easy listening and wonderful sounds will accompany a delicious opening meal.