RECENT EVENTS

A Special Invitation from PACE-Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement  & Grassroots Grantmakers Hosted By For More Information  Chris Gates (PACE) Janis Foster (Grassroots Grantmakers) Monday Evening at the Summit: PACE & Grassroots Grantmakers Joint Reception PACE-Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement and Grassroots Grantmakers invite you to our joint reception at the Council on Foundation's 2008 Leadership Summit. Monday, May 5th 6:30 - 8:00 pm Rooms Maryland 1 & 2 Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center National Harbor, Maryland Stop in for networking, cocktails and conversation: Connect with colleagues who are innovators in the civic engagement world. Make new contacts with grantmakers--and grantmaker networks--that are supporting resident-driven approaches to improve communities. Hear brief remarks from Anne Mosle (W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Vice President for Programs) and Ben Binswanger (COO for The Case Foundation) about how these two national foundations are supporting civic engagement and citizen-led philanthropy. All are welcome.

New Webinar: How Local Governments Are Reinventing Civic Engagement

Join us for a Webinar on April 29 Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/490961398 PACE, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, is a learning community of funders and foundations who are involved in the fields of civic engagement and democratic renewal. One of its current projects is a research effort to identify how local governments around the country are reinventing the processes of civic engagement. PACE Executive Director Chris Gates, and researcher/writer Mike McGrath, will present preliminary findings from this research effort and answer questions about how local governments are creatively engaging with their residents. Title:   New Webinar: How Local Governments Are Reinventing Civic Engagement Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM MDT (9am Pacific, 11am Central, 12pm Eastern) System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer

November 6, 2007: 9:30am - 2:00pm

NCG & Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)
present an All Member Gathering

Giving in the Connected Age

What is the essence of the connected age? Why is it different? And what do we need to change about our work as grantmakers to be successful?

Do you ask yourself any of the following questions:

• How can I integrate technology into my work?
• What do I need to pay attention to?
• How do I get started?

This program will provide an opportunity to learn about new technology and methods of connecting, and will highlight how members of our community use these methods to enhance and support their work.

Come join us for a half-day follow-up to the January All Member Gathering to learn how the Philanthropic sector can be engaged with and informed by technology. The program will begin with a keynote from Allison Fine, the author of the highly acclaimed book, Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age. The keynote will be followed by engaged discussion moderated by Chris Gates, Executive Director of PACE around specific examples from foundations that have used technology to inform their strategic planning and grantmaking, and will conclude with a networking lunch.

Location TBA (on the Peninsula)

For more information please contact:
Lauren Friedman
Program Associate, Northern California Grantmakers
415-777-4111 x16
lfriedman@ncg.org
www.ncg.org

NOTE: This program is designed for a funders only audience and is participation is complimentary to NCG and PACE members. If you are a non-member and interested in attending, please contact Erik Tvede of NCG's member services department at 415.777.4111 x 28.

Online Registration Link: http://www.ncg.org/events/reg_meal_free.html

Proteus Fund ~ Johnson Foundation
Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation
Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement

announce a Democracy Agenda Project Funder Strategy Session on

CREATING AND SUPPORTING A HOLISTIC DEMOCRACY AGENDA

September 10-11, 2007 ~ Wingspread Conference Center ~ Racine, Wisconsin

In collaboration with PACE, FCCP and other civic participation funders, Proteus Fund has conducted a research project exploring whether an integrated, comprehensive approach to democracy issues could be more effective than single-issue or sectoral approaches. The Democracy Agenda Project has examined linkages and gaps among areas in the field, including structural reform to elections, lowering barriers to participation, deliberative and shared governance approaches to democracy and campaign finance reform.

The two-day Wingspread conference provides an unparalleled opportunity for a small group of funders to thoughtfully consider the results of this research in dialogue with practitioners and colleagues who are pioneering more holistic grantmaking approaches and to discuss emerging funding strategies for systems change. Our goal is to collectively identify the most effective current approaches and funding strategies and the most promising experiments in the field that are working to better integrate a more holistic democracy agenda. The conference culminates an eight-month research process that has included:

• Review of literature in the field
• Extensive interviews with advocates, analysts, journalists, academics, independent scholars, elected officials, legal advocates, pollsters, deliberative democracy and social capital practitioners, individual donors and foundation funders
• Two-day convening hosted by the Joyce Foundation, of practitioners, scholars and advocates to envision a systems approach to changing our democracy system
• Case studies of integrated democracy work in Minnesota, North Carolina and California
• A report summarizing the research and detailing emerging approaches in the field and possible funding strategies, which will be disseminated before the conference

Open Session at the 58th Annual Council on Foundations conference in Seattle, Washington

Date: Sunday, April 29, 2007

Location: Room 609, Washington State Trade & Conference Center, Seattle

Time: 8:30am – 11:00am

Schedule:
8:30am-coffee, breakfast and conversation
9:00am-Panel Presentations
10:00am-Questions, Comments and Dialogue
11:00am-adjourn

“Citizens Leading the Way: A New Plan for Rebuilding New Orleans”

Moderator: Christopher T. Gates, Executive Director, PACE

Speakers:
- The Honorable Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, New Orleans City Councilwoman
- Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer, President, AmericaSpeaks
- Carey Shea, Associate Director, Rockefeller Foundation

In the wake of a natural and human disaster, thousands of citizens have involved themselves in the recovery process in New Orleans by coming together to set city-wide rebuilding priorities at a unique set of town meetings held simultaneously in cities around the country. By learning from the mistakes that have occurred in previous civic engagement efforts, this foundation-supported project, the Unified New Orleans Plan, has worked assiduously to engage the true diversity of the New Orleans community and create a plan that they hope will be supported by the community at large. Panelists will include a representative of the funding community who supported this effort, the architect of the innovative process that was used and a representative of the community of New Orleans. Join us for a spirited conversation about how philanthropy has played a leadership role in addressing one of the most critical issues of our time-the rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina.

Please join The Surdna Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Open Society Institute, and The New York Regional Association of Grantmakers in welcoming Chris Gates, the new Executive Director of PACE Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement

PACE is a national community of grantmakers and donors committed to strengthening democracy by using the power and resources of philanthropy to open pathways to civic participation. Formerly known as the Grantmakers Forum on Community and National Service, PACE recently renamed itself to signal a broader approach to educating grantmakers about effective civic engagement strategies that strengthen our communities. These strategies include community problem solving, civic education, leadership training, and political reform. To access PACE's Profiles of Engagement Investments and other reports, please click here.

Chris Gates, former president of the National Civic League, became PACE’s new Executive Director in June 2006. Leadership of PACE offers Chris the opportunity to sustain his longtime commitment to promoting meaningful participation in community affairs. Chris is a national leader and frequent speaker on topics relating to the state of our democracy, the interaction between citizens and government, and innovative community problem solving.

Chris also serves on a variety of boards, including the Council for the Advancement of Citizenship and the California Center for Civic Renewal. He is an elected Fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration, Co-chair of the Civic Practices Network, and served as Co-chair of the Saguaro Seminar, a Harvard University project studying social capital. He is also the founding chairman of the Colorado Institute for Leadership Training.

This funders briefing offers New York grantmakers an opportunity to meet Chris, learn how PACE can best serve the needs of foundations interested in civic engagement, and learn about other foundations' civic engagement strategies.

Date: Wednesday, September 13th

Time: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Breakfast will be available.

Place: The Surdna Foundation, 330 Madison Avenue (between 42nd and 43rd Streets), 30th floor

RSVP: Please contact Elisabeth Pulvermann at 212-557-0010, or epulvermann@surdna.org