9:00am PT

Welcome and Grounding 

Opening Plenary: Staying Focused on the Path Toward Justice and Liberation

In Funders Together’s strategic framework, we state that “Housing justice is a building block for racial justice and liberation. A just housing society offers the assurance of safe, secure, affordable, and dignified living conditions where people have power and agency over how and where they live. […] Funders Together advocates for corrective action, such as reparations, to address the cumulative disparities and transform systems of accountability to ensure housing for all.”  

With homelessness as a hot policy issue during a consequential election year and the Supreme Court taking up the most consequential case about homelessness in over 40 years, all of us – organizers and philanthropy together – must stay focused on how meeting the needs of the moment are connected to long term housing and racial justice.  

The opening plenary of our 2024 Funders Forum addressed questions such as:  

• How do we stay focused on transformational change amidst a barrage of policies and tactics that are designed keep us in a constant mode of crisis response? 
• What are housing and racial justice goals movement leaders working toward, and how can philanthropy be in better lockstep with them? 
• What is the type of power building philanthropy should invest in for marginalized communities to actualize their vision for housing justice?  

Speakers

• Aria Florant, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Liberation Ventures
• Gloria Bruce, Senior Program Officer, Housing and Public Private Partnerships, Crankstart Foundation (moderator)
• Tammy Bang Luu, Director of Programs, Grassroots Power Project
• Vikas Maturi, Chief of Staff, Liberation Ventures

View the recording of the opening plenary.

Resources:

• 2023 Funders Institute Recording: Embracing Accountability and Examining Trust in Grantmaking for Housing Justice
• A Multiracial Democracy in the United States Requires Racial Repair
• A Reparations Roadmap for Philanthropy
• Grassroots Power Project: Strategic Power Building Alignments in States
• Liberation Ventures: Our 25 Year Vision, 3 Phase Plan to Win
• Philanthropy’s Role in Reparations and Building a Culture of Racial Repair

11:15am PT

Introducing Funders Together's Policy Framework

Funders Together’s policy framework serves as a guide to our priority public policy issue areas and how we will engage in both reform and transformational ways. The three pillars of our platform – Housing Abundance, Thriving Communities, and People Power -  embrace intersectionality and encourage policy advocacy that is bold, aspirational, and capable of holding the fullness of our humanity and our communities’ potential. The policy priorities under each pillar reflect our current best thinking and analysis of the issues before us and the levers of power and influence most viable for creating sustainable change and for making meaningful progress toward housing justice.                                         
 
With this policy framework, we hope to continue our work of transforming philanthropy’s role in housing justice advocacy and elevate and diversify the voices of organizers and activists while centering people with lived experience.  

During this conversation at the Funders Forum, participants used Funders Together’s policy framework to engage in active dialogue on how we as funders can meet the needs of the moment while supporting long-term transformative change. 

Resource:

• Funders Together Policy Framework (coming soon!)

1:00pm PT

NAEH Opening Plenary 

2:30pm PT

Funders Forum Reconvened

Participants spent a few minutes getting energized for the afternoon, then chose which afternoon program they’d like to participate in:

Program A: How are Funders Working toward Housing Justice?

Since releasing our new strategic framework in 2022, Funders Together has been focusing on defining housing justice for our members and lifting up the work of movement leaders and grassroots organizers. And, the questions on many of our members’ minds are, “What does this mean for philanthropy? How are other funders using their resources and position to advance housing justice?”  

During the afternoon of the Funders Forum, several Funders Together members shared what they are doing to advance housing justice. Recognizing that our work is a constant evolution and cannot be done without support and accountability from others, we created space for discussion through case consultations. Participants had an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and offer insights from their own experiences, and those presenting their work will gained valuable advice to deepen their own knowledge.  

Case Consultation Leaders

• Allison Clark, MacArthur Foundation
• Emma Hertz, HealthSpark Foundation
• Diana Amparo Jiménez, Weingart Foundation
• Lucky Michael, Arlene & Michael Rosen Foundation
• Shilpa Bavikatte, Crown Family Philanthropies

Program B: Embracing Repair for Youth Housing Justice

When we realize our north star of housing justice, we will have also ended homelessness for youth. Young people, too, deserve “power and agency over how and where they live,” to cite our strategic framework. But it won’t happen by accident: we must continue to reflect on how prevention and services may look different for children and youth.

This breakout session dedicated time for youth homelessness funders (and funders exploring youth work) to envision a world where philanthropy failed to catalyze the movement to end youth homelessness and identify ways to prevent that future. In addition to building relationships, we concluded by naming key priorities for youth homelessness programming in the coming months.

Resource:

• Imagining a better future: Youth Homelessness Funders Predict Our Path Forward

4:00pm PT