Latest News at NCG
See You at the 2024 Annual Conference!
Slated for Tuesday, June 18, 2024 in Downtown Oakland at the Oakland Marriott City Center, this year's conference theme, Imagine & Act, resonates deeply with the current landscape of philanthropy.
Moving from Acknowledgement to Action: Supporting Indigenous Sovereignty
My partner and I recently engaged in the annual ritual that is paying U.S. income tax.
Remembering Joe Brooks
This past week, Joe Brooks joined the ancestors, bringing to a close a powerful life and career whose impact extended deep into Bay Area philanthropy, and well beyond. Joe’s legacy in this field is vital and active through the dozens of leaders whose lives he touched in more than five decades of public service – including my own.
Introducing Our New Vice President for Equity and Justice: Huong Nguyen-Yap
Drumroll please, for our newest team member Huong Nguyen-Yap, who as the Northern California Grantmakers’ first Vice President of Equity and Justice will be accelerating racial equity efforts not only for NCG but for the philanthropic field.
Retreat to Step Forward: A Day in the Racial Equity Journey of NCG
One of the things I love about being President of NCG is how powerfully I am reminded of the privilege and responsibility of the position. Leading the organization whose charge it is to strengthen philanthropic practice in Northern California has never had more meaning than it does today.
Introducing Your Dynamic 2023-2024 NCG Board!
Our team recently returned from a Summer refresh, where we pumped the brakes on the remarkable array of activities we are cooking up and allowed the team to recharge in anticipation of the second half of the year. It’s part of our commitment to centering wellness in racial equity, and while time off alone can’t address all the challenges facing workers in these existential times, it’s a good start.
Continuing Conference Momentum
The 2023 edition of the NCG Annual Conference was powerful on so many levels. We had 411 folks represent the complete diversity of philanthropy and their nonprofit allies. The theme – mapping a collective future – held deep resonance with participants, and the content received high marks throughout the day.
Solidarity, Not Charity in Philanthropy
First, let’s get honest about the historical context we are operating in. Philanthropy exists as a result of capitalism and was formed through centuries of slavery, colonization, and displacement. The systems are designed to extract resources, privatize wealth, and centralize power and control of said resources. The systems are successfully doing exactly what they have been designed to do.