Spaces to connect, learn, and collaborate.

Advocacy is a powerful way for funders to extend the impact of their grantmaking. While funding often responds to immediate needs, advocacy helps shape the policy environment that influences long-term outcomes. Used thoughtfully, it allows dollars to go further and supports more durable change. This session introduces advocacy as a practical tool that funders—and their … Continue reading Fundamentals Academy Session 2: Advocacy 101

Join Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties and Impala for a practical training session focused on using the Philanthropy Database and the Catalyst Data Hub to support your fundraising strategy. Discover how to find aligned funders, explore who is funding peer organizations, and use regional data to better understand the philanthropic landscape in San … Continue reading Catalyst Data Hub Training Session for Nonprofits

This gathering in Sacramento will bring together funders from across the state and beyond to reconnect, recharge, and rebuild — with time to strengthen relationships, gain inspiration, and explore philanthropy’s role in shaping California’s future. Why Sacramento? Sacramento is a meeting ground where California’s diverse regions converge — politically, economically, and culturally. It’s a hub … Continue reading Smart Growth California’s 2026 Funder Summit

Join Catalyst’s first 2026 gathering of the Corporate Members Community of Practice, a corporate-only spaces will provide a space to facilitate learning, share best practices, and foster connections among CSR professionals in our region. Our first meeting will include an overview of how corporate funders can utilize our newly launched Catalyst Data Hub, an open-access … Continue reading Corporate Members Community of Practice

In collaboration with Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA), Catalyst members are invited to a community conversation about GIA’s National Conference coming to the San Diego–Tijuana region in October 2027. Join us for an in-person gathering to connect with fellow arts and culture funders and help inform the themes, content, and regional stories that will be … Continue reading Preparing for the GIA 2027 Conference: San Diego–Tijuana Funders Roundtable

As the nonprofit and philanthropic landscapes continue to shift, philanthropic leaders are being called to navigate complex decisions, evolving expectations, and increasing pressure to ensure their structures and practices reflect their values. During this discussion with Marcus Walton, President and CEO at Grantmakers in Effective Organizations (GEO), we will discuss how philanthropic governance and leadership … Continue reading Leadership for This Moment: Member Lunch with GEO’s Marcus Walton

This session offers a timely update on how communities statewide are responding to ICE deployments, with a regional focus on Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire, and the Central Coast/Ventura. Participants will examine how enforcement patterns, community response, and funding needs have shifted since June of 2025, explore lessons from other regions, and discuss … Continue reading National Lessons, Regional Action: Preparing for ICE Deployments

Art has long been a way for people to carry pieces of home with them — across borders, languages and generations. Join Daylight San Diego for Making Home: How Immigrants Use Art to Find Belonging, a conversation with local artists and community members about how creative practices help immigrant communities build identity, connection and a … Continue reading Making Home: How Immigrants Use Art to Find Belonging

Philanthropy California invites you to join our 2026 Philanthropy in Sacramento Day, coming up on Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8. This is an opportunity to connect with funders from across the state, build alignment and strategic coordination around key cross-regional issues, educate and advocate with state policy makers and agencies. With turmoil and … Continue reading 2026 Philanthropy in Sacramento Day

Join Catalyst’s first 2026 gathering of our Family Foundations Community of Practice, a funder-only space designed for learning, knowledge exchange, and connection with fellow family foundation peers and staff. At this first meeting of the year, we will offer a deep dive into the findings from the 2025 Pulse of the Practice report, Catalyst’s regional … Continue reading Family Foundations Community of Practice

Join us for the third session of our four-part Fundamentals Academy to learn about the key indicators of nonprofit financial health and ways to refine the practices funders choose for assessing nonprofit fiscal health. Nonprofit financial statements can often feel like an overwhelming wall of numbers, making it hard to extract actionable insights, and traditional … Continue reading Fundamentals Academy Session 3: Understanding Nonprofit Financial Health & Reframing Financial Due Diligence

In the past year, the Trump administration has waged a relentless assault on democratic norms, the free press, and constitutional checks and balances and has sought to divide Americans by scapegoating immigrants, transgender individuals, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. What has become clear – as explored in GCIR’s 2025 anti-authoritarian funder series – is … Continue reading A Bound Imperative: American Democracy and the Fight for Immigrant Rights