Learning Labs: Equitable Grantmaking in Practice

This event is on Tuesday, November 18 – Wednesday, November 19 from 9am-1pm both days.

Grab your spreadsheets, dust off your Theory of Change, rally your stack of notebooks: Catalyst Learning Labs are your office hour to get things done. In these workshop-style sessions designed for hands-on engagement, participants will be encouraged to bring their own materials to translate their learning into practical action.

This year’s labs are all about putting equity into practice. Together with national partner PEAK Grantmaking, we will spend two days digging into practical strategies to put equitable grantmaking into practice at your organization.

Day 1: Rightsizing the Grantmaking Process will cover:

• How to identify burdensome application and reporting practices that drain nonprofit capacity
• Practical ways to streamline requirements across the grant lifecycle
• Steps to create actionable plans to overcome barriers and simplify your process

Day 2: Participatory Grantmaking will cover:

• Practical and effective strategies for building authentic community boards that reflect and represent the communities you serve
• Approaches to sharing power effectively through the right level of support and training
• How to design a participatory process that fosters genuine engagement and delivers equitable outcomes.

This is an opportunity for all members committed to enhancing their grantmaking with an equity-driven approach. Whether you’re just beginning your journey towards equitable grantmaking or you’re a seasoned funder eager to share insights and lessons learned, we welcome everyone who wants to deepen their practice and contribute to this shared mission.

Participants will get the most out of this series by joining us for both days, but participation in a single day is available if needed.

Target Audience

This program is designed for members of Catalyst. If you are interested in Catalyst membership, please contact Melissa Leon.

Catalyst is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. Please let us know how we can help you fully participate by contacting Maryan Osman. 

Speakers

Vanessa Elkan | Senior Knowledge and Learning Manager | PEAK Grantmaking

Vanessa Elkan (she, her, hers) joined PEAK Grantmaking as the senior knowledge and learning manager in June 2023. In this role, she oversees the development of PEAK’s educational content, knowledge-sharing, and community engagement strategies that support the leadership and skill development of our members and emergent learning network in philanthropy. Vanessa brings over 17 years of experience managing grantmaking, leadership development, and research initiatives in philanthropy and government. She holds a master’s in public policy degree from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. She earned bachelor’s degrees in history and sociology from the University of Oregon’s Robert D. Clark Honors College. Vanessa lives in Portland, Oregon, with her significant other, Justino, dog, Rudy, and cat, Bernie. When she isn’t refereeing the animals, she enjoys traveling, home improvement projects, baking, and spending time with her family. 

Jen Sarduy | Community Organizer & JEDI Facilitator

Jen Sarduy (they, them, theirs) is a community organizer; justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) facilitator; and creative communications professional with a commitment to producing innovative and strategic narrative campaigns that move justice forward. As a mission-based facilitator, writer, and relationship manager, they use their skills to seek out and build strong stories that get to the root causes of conflicts and tensions. Jen is skilled at event-based organizing, using details and stories to create atmospheres that cultivate deep learning and relationship-building, while prioritizing rest, play, and art. In 2021, Jen ran for the Fort Worth City Council on a community-created platform that demanded collaboration over clout, growth over gentrification, justice over jails, and fair housing over harassment. Jen lives in Boston, Massachusetts—on the native land of the Massachusett, Pawtucket, and Naumkeag peoples—with their three kids, their dog, Phoebe (their favorite child), and a reluctant feline family member, Lola.