Agenda

Visit Davidson College for a half-day on-campus experience highlighting the college’s mission and initiatives, with a focus on the newly created D.G. and Harriet Wall Martin Institute for Public Good and the college's efforts around education and reconciliation. The visit will include a welcome from college President Doug Hicks, a spotlight on the Martin Institute for Public Good, engagement with the sculpture “With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited,” and time to experience campus spaces foundational to this work.

Cost: $35

CharlotteEAST’s mission is to develop and strengthen social and economic capital in East Charlotte by elevating the collective voice of its people, neighborhoods, schools, nonprofits, businesses, and civic organizations. In this site visit, we will:

• Share and contextualize the story of place for East Charlotte.
• Understand the resilience of community, particularly the impact of recent immigration enforcement activity on community members and businesses. 
• Explore why grassroots organizations matter in times of crisis – and how they are best positioned and connected to people in communities.

Cost: $55

The Whitewater Center in Charlotte is the largest outdoor center of its kind. Featuring the world’s largest manmade whitewater river and 1,300 acres of protected woodlands along the Catawba River, the Center’s goal is to facilitate and promote engagement with the active lifestyle among as many people as possible, as often as possible.

The Center features 40 miles of trails for mountain biking and trail racing, whitewater channels for rafting and kayaking that transform into ice skating and curling rinks in winter, treetop courses for ropes and zip lining, and a 70-acre dog park. Throughout the year, the Center hosts over 100 events and competitions, including the whitewater kayaking Olympic trials, numerous festivals and various private events. (Note: Water activities are not available in November. Food and beverages will be available for sale on-site.) 

Base cost: $30 (includes 1.5 hour guided tour) 

Optional add-ons: 

• Mountain biking: $39
• Climbing: $29
• Ice skating (weather permitting): $25

Foundations pivot. The question isn't if – it's whether you do it with intention or get swept into it. 

Generational turnover in family foundations and pressure to address equity issues – or wait for a different political environment – are among many developments forcing strategy conversations that leaders might often prefer to avoid. Plus, many leaders who have guided their organizations through decades of change are now approaching their own career transitions. These two realities are more connected than most boards and CEOs want to acknowledge. This session is for foundation CEOs ready to ask the hard questions out loud. 

On strategy: What signals that your current strategy is no longer relevant, or no longer honest? How do you build the internal consensus to move? This candid, moderated discussion will explore the triggers that tell you a shift is needed, how to bring others into the conversation at the right moment, and what matters most during the change itself: your foundation's reputation, its relationships, and its obligations to current grantees. We'll examine how to honor those commitments and frame the shift publicly in a way that demonstrates continuity of values even as strategy evolves. 

On succession: When is the right moment to bring your board into the conversation about your exit, early enough to plan meaningfully, but not so early that your authority quietly erodes? For CEOs who have led their organizations for 10 to 20 years, the transition isn't just a personnel change. It's an organizational identity event. 

This session brings together foundation CEOs who have navigated these moments or are navigating them now. The goal: to lead both transitions with clarity and purpose, on your own terms.

Cost: $200

Join your corporate grantmaking peers for lunch and an opportunity for discussion and learning focused on the unique needs and interests of corporate grantmaking professionals. This session will be hosted by a peer corporate grantmaker. More details about the programming and speakers will be announced soon!

Cost: $100

For those new to Philanthropy Southeast or the Annual Meeting, this is your chance to start building connections with fellow newcomers while learning more about us, our team, our leadership, the Annual Meeting and your Philanthropy Southeast membership!

Brian Goldstone is a journalist, an anthropologist, and the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America, an “exceptional feat of reporting” (The New York Times) which exposes the dramatic rise of the “working homeless” in cities across America.

Today there isn’t a single state, metropolitan area, or county in the United States where a full-time worker earning the local minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment. In this “gripping, high-stakes account of America’s housing emergency” (Publisher’s Weekly), Goldstone plunges readers into the lives of five Atlanta families struggling to remain housed in a gentrifying, increasingly unequal city where urban “revitalization” comes at the expense of its low-income residents. Following parents and children as they go to sleep in cars and in squalid extended-stay hotel rooms before heading out to their jobs and schools the next morning, There Is No Place for Us shows in heartbreaking detail that this new American homelessness won’t be solved until housing is treated as a fundamental human right.

What kind of board are you? Fiduciary, strategic, operational, or entrepreneurial. What kind of funder are you?

That second question decides which nonprofits you should be funding, what issues you can actually move, and what level of impact is within your reach. Fund outside your type and the relationship can look fine on paper while the fit isn't working, and you're left asking why outcomes aren't changing. You can fund a good organization for years without ever being the right partner for it.

Seven indicators will drive our conversation to identify your funder type and strategic readiness: Board Identity, Issues, Impact, Change, Innovation, Funder Type, and Operations. When you miss your funder type, or never name it, and every decision built on top of it gets shaky: who you fund, what change you're aiming for, how you define impact, how it runs day to day.

This is a strategic readiness working session that’s about more than the basics of good governance and grantmaking. This is designed for trustees, foundation officers, and funders ready to work through all seven indicators together, with real questions and real answers from the room. You'll leave with a better understanding of your board's identity and your funder type, and with a clear next step for finding partners who are actually aligned with who you are.

This session illuminates a resilient model of philanthropy that centers equity, partnership, and sustainability. Andrew Tudor of Zenith Wealth Partners will moderate a dialogue with Sabrina Slade of the John Rex Endowment and Erin Dale McClellan of Fertile Ground Food Cooperative. Together, they’ll explore how a catalytic $25,000 grant enabled Fertile Ground to access technical support for packaging a $7 million impact investment opportunity. The result will be a community-owned grocery store in a southeast Raleigh food desert, fueled by a locally-led capital strategy. You will learn how John Rex went beyond the grant to unlock co-investment, how Zenith co-designed a community-centered financial vehicle, and how Fertile Ground turned trust-based philanthropy into capital access and community wealth building. 

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, shaking communities and straining the systems people depend on every day. This session will share how two North Carolina funders – Truist Foundation and Dogwood Health Trust – are approaching equitable disaster relief, recovery, rebuilding and resilience building in communities. 

Truist Foundation will share how, through its Truist Cares for Western North Carolina initiative, they expanded their disaster recovery playbook alongside Truist with coordinated philanthropic support, financial resources, and volunteer support to advance long-term recovery and resilience building in Western North Carolina.

Dogwood will offer lessons learned from their relief response and about their recently published Disaster Response Playbook, which offers practical guidance and a readiness and preparedness checklist for peer funders.

Participants will leave with actionable ideas and resources for preparing their organizations for future disasters.

Across the South, philanthropy is increasingly being called to move beyond short-term program support and toward long-term, power-building strategies that strengthen democracy and deliver durable education justice wins. This session offers foundations a practical, campaign-level look at what it takes to fund change, not just services, through pooled funds, trust-based grantmaking, and deep partnership with grassroots organizers. 

Grounded in lessons from multi-state education justice campaigns across the South, including Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, this session will feature a deep dive into North Carolina’s “Too Young to Suspend” campaign, a growing, statewide effort to end exclusionary discipline for PreK–3 students. We will explore how local organizing across five counties has scaled into a statewide coalition, how philanthropy has functioned as a multiplier rather than a driver, and what it looks like to align grantmaking, technical assistance, research, and narrative change in a coordinated campaign strategy. 

Designed for Southern funders at different stages of their journey, this session will help you: 

• Understand how pooled funds can reduce risk, increase impact, and support frontline leadership. 
• Examine the North Carolina discipline data and campaign architecture behind “Too Young to Suspend”
• Learn how statewide, regional, and local foundations can collaborate to shift policy while strengthening civic infrastructure
• Identify concrete entry points for funders who want to support systemic change without overstepping community leadership 

This session will blend case study, facilitated conversation, and audience engagement, inviting you to reflect on how these lessons apply in your own Southern context.

Workplace well-being has never been more important and yet too often our attempts at promoting collective care and preventing burnout at the office actually miss the mark. In this session, you will gain insight on workplace stressors, burnout, and well-being initiatives through interactive exercises that will guide you in reflecting on your own stressors at work, consider workplace interventions, and brainstorm possible solutions for successfully practicing collective care at the office.

Leaders from the metro Atlanta philanthropic and nonprofit community will share their journey as they move from initial discussion of policy and advocacy action to launching a pooled fund to support coalitions focused on achieving policy and advocacy wins. We’ll learn how the funders came together to meet the moment and touch on the unique needs of the state. Leaders will share their experiences throughout the process of developing and operationalizing the fund, detail the learning required, and the challenges and successes from their perspective. In addition, leaders of two of the funded nonprofit coalitions will discuss how the funding has impacted their work leading up to the 2027 Georgia legislative session.

Explore how organizations are continuing to collect, protect, and leverage critical data at a time when public health data systems are disappearing nationally and across the Southeast. Panelists will share real-world strategies for navigating data gaps, addressing equity concerns, and sustaining evidence-based advocacy amid shifting policy and funding landscapes. Featuring experts from United for ALICE and KIDS COUNT, this session will demonstrate how nonprofits and advocates are using data to inform decision-making, influence policy, and drive systems change, offering funders practical insights into how data can remain a powerful tool for impact even in an increasingly constrained environment. 

By the end of the session, you will: 

• Gain new insight into using data to inform policy and advocacy efforts.
• Examine the implications of gaps or loss in key data sources.
• Develop strategies for identifying data gaps.

Newcomers to the Annual Meeting are invited to connect with our staff and Board at this informal gathering.

Current and alumni members of Philanthropy Southeast’s premier leadership development program are invited to connect during this special reception.

The first day of the Annual Meeting wraps up with dinner, conversation and entertainment from performers representing the rich musical traditions of Charlotte and North Carolina!

Begin the second day of the Annual Meeting with a yoga session open to people of all experience and skill levels.

The investment landscape has fundamentally shifted, and the governance structures many foundations built for a different era may not be equipped to navigate it. As economic volatility, domestic and international policy uncertainty, and changing correlations between asset classes collectively stress-test even the most carefully constructed investment frameworks, the gap between legacy governance and modern portfolio management is more consequential than ever. In this session, Matt Bank, Chief Investment Officer at GEM, will offer a candid assessment of where traditional frameworks may fall short and what sound investment management actually looks like today.

Explore the issues facing our aging population with a focus on grantmaking strategies that support dignified aging in place. This session will highlight innovative rural and urban "senior village” models, where volunteers are instrumental in the planning of support services such as transportation, social interaction activities, home visits, exercise opportunities, food access, critical home repairs and more.

Across the Southeast, foundations are backing affordable housing in strikingly different ways — through land donations, blended grant-and-investment financing, and investor-backed funds that preserve naturally occurring affordable housing. This session brings together three practitioners, each taking a distinct approach: Andy Mermans (Merancas Foundation), who donates land directly to developers; DeWitt House (The Harvest Foundation), who blends below-market loans with outright grants through public/private partnerships; and Mark Ethridge (Ascent Housing), who raises investor capital to acquire and preserve Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) — moderated by Allison Moss (Stephen L. Cornwell Foundation) and Liz Ward (Give Impact). Attendees will leave with practical knowledge about how to direct capital toward the housing solutions that matter most to them — whether that means grants (no return expected), program-related investments (below-market return), or mission-related investments (market-rate return).

Learn how the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama dared to reimagine its approach to economic mobility by centering dignity, education, and family stability. Through the Education and Employment (E2) Program, developed in partnership with local community partners and funded by the Stringfellow Health Fund, families are supported through a two-generational strategy that connects parents to education, workforce credentials, and livable-wage employment. You will learn how poverty was reframed from deficit to opportunity, explore the E2 framework in action, and understand how collaboration and flexible philanthropy can help scale this model to other communities across the Southeast. 

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how organizations work – but for many grantmakers and nonprofits, the question remains: Where do we start, and how do we use AI responsibly and effectively? 

Join the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s Georgia Mjartan for an engaging and interactive session exploring how AI can strengthen organizational capacity, streamline operations, and expand community impact. Georgia will share real-world examples of how organizations are using AI to improve workflows, save time, enhance decision-making, and focus more energy on mission-driven work. 

Participants will explore practical use cases across philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, examine common misconceptions about AI, and discover how organizations of all sizes can leverage emerging technologies without significant investments or technical expertise. The session will also address key considerations for successful implementation, including culture, change management, governance, and responsible use. 

This workshop goes beyond theory. Through hands-on exercises and peer learning, attendees will gain firsthand experience with AI tools and leave with actionable strategies they can immediately apply within their own organizations. 

Whether you're AI-curious, cautiously optimistic, or already experimenting with new technologies, this session will provide practical insights and a roadmap for harnessing AI as a force multiplier for your mission.

Community foundation leaders are navigating a rapidly shifting landscape marked by heightened visibility, increased expectations, and growing complexity. While the core work of community foundations remains grounded in stewardship and service, the pace, public nature, and scrutiny of that work have fundamentally changed. This session invites senior leaders into a candid, real-time conversation about what leadership looks like in this moment. Moving beyond theory, the discussion will explore how leaders are actively balancing donor relationships with community voice, deciding when and how to engage publicly, and responding to evolving policy, economic, and social dynamics – often without a clear playbook. Through a facilitated dialogue and peer perspectives, participants will reflect on the decisions they are making right now, the pressures shaping those decisions, and the opportunities to lead with greater clarity, courage, and responsiveness in their communities.

Foundation trustees play a critical role in shaping not only organizational strategy and oversight, but also the culture, trust, and values that influence mission success. While boards rarely manage day-to-day operations, their decisions, behaviors, and leadership practices profoundly affect staff, community relationships, and organizational effectiveness.

This interactive workshop explores how trustees can lead through purpose, strengthen board-staff partnerships, and cultivate governance practices that reflect organizational values. Participants will leave with practical tools, peer insights, and concrete ideas for strengthening governance within their own organizations.

After a grounding conversation focused on the different types of impact investing and case studies highlighting investments strategies from different types of foundations, this workshop will invite participants to collaborate with social impact investment experts to determine immediate next steps they can try in their organizations to expand the use of endowments beyond making grants.

As climate-driven disasters and public health emergencies increase in frequency and complexity, communities cannot afford to wait until disaster strikes to mobilize resources. Emergency preparedness requires a shift in philanthropic practice: from reactive, twice-a-year grantmaking cycles to flexible, agile, and trust-based funding that can move before, during, and after a crisis.

Preparedness is not a separate funding category – it is a lens that should shape how philanthropy invests across issue areas, from health and housing to food security, education, and economic mobility. 

This session will explore how philanthropy can invest during “blue sky” periods between disasters to help communities build the relationships, infrastructure, and operational capacity needed for inevitable “gray sky” emergencies. 

Participants will examine how funders can invest in preparedness capacity, resilient infrastructure, and coalition-building to strengthen response systems before emergencies occur. 

Facilitated by Direct Relief, the Foundation for the Carolinas, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation the session will feature three interactive roundtables. Each roundtable will invite participants to identify barriers, share practical approaches, and surface opportunities for funders to work differently in an era when chronic disruption is becoming a defining operating condition for communities. 

Participants will leave with practical approaches for integrating preparedness and resilience into existing grantmaking strategies, partnerships, and funding structures before the next crisis occurs. 

What questions should philanthropy be asking next? Over the past year, the 2025-26 Class of Hull Fellows has explored issues shaping the future of philanthropy in the South through dialogue, reflection, and collective learning. In this session, Fellows will share the insights, perspectives, and opportunities that emerged from their exploration – and offer their vision for how philanthropy can evolve to better serve communities across the region. Presentations will be split over two sessions: 10:30am on Thursday, and 9:45am on Friday.

As nonprofits navigate the loss of federal funding, sustained financial strain, and rising community need, foundations are being called to adapt how they support organizational resilience in real time. This session explores the range of ways grantmakers are responding to these pressures – from rethinking due diligence and evaluation practices to adjusting grantmaking approaches, investing in capacity building, and using convening power to strengthen ecosystems. Panelists will share how their foundations are balancing accountability with responsiveness, making tradeoffs in constrained environments, and shifting from static notions of stability toward approaches that better reflect context, risk, and long-term impact. Attendees will gain practical insights into how foundations are adapting their strategies to better support nonprofits during periods of financial uncertainty and heightened community need, including concrete examples across grantmaking, due diligence, and non-financial supports.

Our Networking Lunch will feature table talks focused on specific roles and topics – staff will be on hand to help you find the table that’s right for you. Open networking tables will also be available for those who prefer a more open-ended conversation.

Following updates on Philanthropy Southeast's finances and governance, President & CEO Dena Chadwick will be joined by outgoing Board Chair Darrin Goss, Sr., and incoming Chair Jennifer Barksdale for a conversation about our strategic refresh and work that will strengthen our field, elevate our region’s importance on the national stage, and continue building a community of change-makers unlike any other.

Amid a volatile political environment, philanthropy and its partners in the charitable sector are facing heightened levels of scrutiny and attacks on core values – including the First Amendment right of funders to direct their efforts toward the charitable causes and communities they choose without fear of political or legal consequences. The threat is real, but so is our ability to respond, defend our work, and ultimately secure a future that preserves this most fundamental right. Join experts Sandra Swirski and John Tyler as they offer their analysis of today’s political and legal landscape and discuss why this moment is critical for the future of our sector’s independence – and why we share a responsibility to defend it.

Neglecting Native communities is a missed opportunity – it limits philanthropy’s ability to achieve its own stated goals. There are clear entry points for investment in Native communities for any funder. Often these investments can comfortably fit current portfolios and priorities, no matter a funder’s issue or geographical focus. Still, less than 1 percent of philanthropic funding reaches Native communities, despite the immense potential for impact. While some funders have increased support for some communities of color, Native communities remain largely overlooked. However, there’s a growing interest by funders who are curious about how to engage in this work and where to focus. 

This session is for funders ready to learn, engage, and act. We'll cover:

• A primer for funders new to Native community engagement.
• Bright spots and entry points for immediate involvement.
• Bolder opportunities for deeper, long-term partnerships. 

Native communities are driving change across the country, often with minimal resources. Imagine what’s possible with real investment.

Immigrants are the fastest growing populations in the South. In places like Louisiana, they are the only demographic that has consistently grown in the last 30 years, often due to a disaster as responders and rebuilders. How does that reality impact a region historically known as binary and power struggles between two distinct communities? What does that do to the South? How do we build together an inclusive society that is true to the region’s history and values? 

By the end of this session, you will: 

• Understand the transformative role of immigrants in the South, including how demographic shifts – often accelerated by disasters and rebuilding efforts – are reshaping communities, economies, and regional identity. 
• Examine how immigration disrupts historic binaries and power dynamics in the South, and what this changing landscape means for social cohesion, equity, and belonging. 
• Identify how philanthropy can help build inclusive communities by supporting narratives, partnerships, and strategies that honor the South’s history and values while embracing what’s new and next.

Foundation leaders today face a growing and complex challenge: how to navigate an evolving workplace environment in which employees, leadership teams, and boards are all seeking meaningful ways to express values, advance mission, and respond to rapidly changing social and community issues. As employee engagement and advocacy become more visible across the philanthropic sector, foundations have an opportunity to strengthen communication, clarify governance roles, and cultivate organizational cultures where differing perspectives can coexist productively and respectfully. From internal petitions and public statements to staff-led advocacy and programmatic discussions, these dynamics often emerge at the intersection of mission, governance, organizational culture, and public trust. Foundations are uniquely positioned to model thoughtful, values-driven engagement while maintaining strong governance practices and institutional stability. 

This session will explore how foundations can foster constructive dialogue while protecting the organizational mission and tax-exempt status when individual perspectives, public expectations, and board priorities do not fully align. Through the lens of employment law, nonprofit governance, and organizational leadership, participants will examine: 

• The legal rights of employees to engage in protected and concerted activity
• The limits of protected speech in nonprofit workplaces, including risks unique to tax-exempt organizations
• The board’s fiduciary role and why governance clarity matters when employee advocacy creates public ambiguity about organizational positions
• Strategies for reducing legal, operational, and reputational risk while maintaining trust
• How to create principled guardrails that protect the organization without chilling legitimate dialogue

You will leave with practical, legally grounded strategies for empowering employee engagement in civic discourse while protecting non-profit status and navigating moments of tension in ways that reinforce both mission effectiveness and institutional integrity.

This interactive session will review the most important legal issues currently facing community foundations. Recent and pending federal and state legislation, court cases, and regulatory priorities of the IRS and other agencies will be discussed. Legal issues for specific subjects will include donor-advised funds, rollover of private foundations, scholarships, expenditure responsibility, mission and program related investments, fiscal sponsorships, drafting fund agreements, changing donor restrictions, gift acceptance policies, distinguishing types of funds (designated, agency, field of interest), and more. Discussion will be encouraged! Attendees should bring questions that are challenging in their daily work!

Last year, a coalition of 11 foundations convened by The Duke Endowment kicked off Launch Carolinas, a four-year leadership development program designed to build philanthropic and nonprofit leadership capacity and increase impact in communities with limited access to philanthropy resources in North and South Carolina.

Each year, a cohort of 12 nonprofit leaders is connected with funding partners to address social challenges, including housing, health, food insecurity, education.  The program fosters innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth in communities. Participants gain leadership training, networking opportunities, increased visibility and enhanced organizational capacity- setting the stage for long-term community impact. Participating nonprofit organizations also receive $185,000 in general operating support over the four-year program. 

Funders benefit as well, gaining a deeper understanding of local nonprofits, advancing their leadership and grantmaking practices and building new or deepening existing regional collaborations.  Ongoing participant feedback informs the program, and a multi-year evaluation is underway.

During this session, nonprofit leaders and philanthropic partners will discuss the development of Launch Carolinas, early insights from the inaugural cohort, and the value of investing in approaches that benefit both the people and organizations on either side of the grantmaking partnership.

Coming just over one week after the midterm elections, this session will include an overview of the results and what they mean for the composition of Congress, key taxwriting committees and the legislative priorities of the sector in the year ahead. We’ll also discuss opportunities for philanthropy to shape legislation and regulations in 2027 and strategies for effective advocacy, including efforts tied to your foundation’s mission.

“I had to use size 10 font to make it fit and now my Excel chart got bumped to the next page and I can’t fix the margins, I deleted the really good picture I took at the site visit by mistake, I left my favorite pen on my desk and it leaked all over my notes, and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad board report.” 

Maybe you’ve been there before, and we want to hear your tales! Why would we want to talk about the worst of the worst when it comes to getting your messages across to your trustees? Well, so we can flip that frown upside down, of course! This is a session for anyone that has to make a presentation to your board or committee. We’ll approach the topic with care and humor and work together to craft strategies for your next moment in the spotlight so you can be an effective advocate and supporter of your work and grantees!

This site visit to Uptown Charlotte, highlighting two complementary approaches to community impact, will explore how cross-sector partnerships are advancing equity, opportunity, and belonging through innovative education and youth development models.

At Discovery Place Science, a leading civic learning institution, you will examine how accessible, community-based education fosters engagement, reduces barriers, and strengthens social fabric.

At the Do Greater Foundation, the focus shifts to youth entrepreneurship as a catalyst for economic mobility and leadership development. Through program insights and participant stories, you will gain a deeper understanding of how youth-led innovation can reshape communities from within.

This experience offers a grounded yet forward-looking perspective on investing in people, place, and possibility.

Cost: $65

LISC Charlotte, in partnership with Knight Foundation and Foundation For The Carolinas, welcomes you to Charlotte to explore resident-led initiatives shaping the Historic West End community.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is one of the nation’s largest community development organizations, dedicated to helping residents transform underserved communities into healthy, sustainable places to live, work, and thrive. LISC Charlotte opened its doors in March 2019 with a mission to advance comprehensive community development in Charlotte’s Historic West End.

Through the support of Knight Foundation, the City of Charlotte, Foundation For The Carolinas, and many other public and private investors, LISC Charlotte has invested more than $173 million, leveraging over $543 million, across Charlotte in the areas of affordable housing, small business and commercial development, health and safety initiatives, and the capacity building of grassroots community organizations. LISC Charlotte serves as both a convener and connector, ensuring that community voices remain at the forefront of decision-making and neighborhood transformation efforts. 

Cost: $65

We know that art is essential to civic life and building resilient communities. Arts participation positively impacts physical and mental health outcomes, reduces isolation and boosts civic involvement, and builds confidence and belonging. 

If you believe in the power of the arts – or just want to learn more – this gathering is for you!

Join us for this forum to share how you are supporting the Southern arts ecosystem, or to discuss what you might need to lean into funding the arts in the South.

Co-hosted by The Educational Foundation of America, Lyndhurst Foundation, and South Arts

Our work, including the Annual Meeting, would not be possible without the members and other supporters who volunteer their time, energy and resources toward our mission and vision. Philanthropy Southeast committee members and Annual Meeting sponsors are invited to this special celebration, where our Board and staff will honor their contributions.

Former members of the Philanthropy Southeast Board of Trustees are invited to this informal reception in appreciation of their service and commitment.

Enjoy a curated evening that unfolds across Foundation for the Carolinas and the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, two dynamic venues at the heart of Charlotte's civic and cultural life.

This unique "movable feast" begins with cocktails in the Foundation’s Sonia and Isaac Luski Gallery, which features internationally renowned artwork from the collection of the longtime Charlotte philanthropists and civic leaders. Guests will then move to the historic Carolina Theatre and take their seats on the stage for dinner and conversation, a rare opportunity to experience the beloved landmark from an exclusive center-stage perspective.

Built in 1927 and designed to evoke the grandeur of a Mediterranean palace, the theatre’s recent restoration honors its historic character while incorporating state-of-the-art technology, creating a truly one-of-a-kind setting.

Following dinner, the evening continues with dessert in the theatre lobby and optional tours of both venues.

Cost: $125

Join an unforgettable evening of conversation, culture, and culinary excellence at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Set within one of Charlotte’s most iconic cultural institutions, this dinner offers guests the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue while surrounded by inspiring art, award-winning architecture, and the rich stories of the African diaspora. The Gantt Center serves as a vibrant community gathering place dedicated to celebrating the contributions of African and African American artists, scholars, and leaders.

Following a welcome reception, guests will be able to explore gallery spaces and connect with fellow attendees before being seated for a thoughtfully curated dining experience. Throughout the dinner, guests will enjoy engaging conversation, reflections from featured speakers, and opportunities to exchange ideas in a setting designed to foster connection and inspiration.

With its modern elegance, distinctive architecture, and central location in Charlotte’s Levine Center for the Arts, the Gantt Center provides a sophisticated backdrop for an evening that celebrates creativity, leadership, and community.

Cost: $125

Developed through a visionary public-private partnership led by Atrium Health and Wexford Science & Technology, The Pearl unites cutting-edge medical education, research and technology to drive collaboration and economic growth. Anchored by the Charlotte campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine – the city’s first four-year medical school – and IRCAD North America, a global leader in surgical training, The Pearl is positioned as a global destination for medical advancement.

The evening will begin with a reception, offering guests an opportunity to network and explore one of Charlotte's most transformative developments. Guests will then gather for a dinner, engaging discussion, exchange of ideas, and cultivation of new partnerships.

Inspired by The Pearl's mission to bring together diverse perspectives to advance innovation and impact, this dinner experience is designed to foster authentic conversations among leaders, changemakers, and community partners. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy exceptional cuisine while reflecting on the power of collaboration, creativity, and shared purpose.

Set within a district that honors Charlotte's rich history while embracing the future of innovation, The Pearl offers a unique environment where ideas flourish and meaningful connections are formed.

There is no fee to attend this Salon Dinner, but attendance is limited.

Dr. Shawn Ginwright's groundbreaking work on trauma, healing, and the empowerment of African American youth has earned him a reputation as an innovator, provocateur, and thought leader in the field of education.

His research has been instrumental in reshaping the discourse surrounding youth development. His introduction of the concept of "healing-centered engagement" in 2018 has revolutionized the field, providing an asset-based approach to addressing youth trauma and fostering resilience. 

Beyond his academic work, Dr. Ginwright is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, serving as Founder in Residence at Flourish Agenda, Inc., a research lab, and consulting firm dedicated to unlocking the power of healing and empowering youth of color, as well as their adult allies, to drive transformative change in their schools and communities. 

His 2022 book, The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves, argues for a fundamental shift in our values – a pivot in how we think, act, work, and connect. Despite what we’ve been told, the most critical mainspring of social change isn’t coalition building or problem analysis. It’s healing: deep, whole, and systemic, inside and out. 

Dr. Ginwright will sign copies of The Four Pivots immediately following this session!

In an increasingly disrupted and fast-paced world, crises can emerge unexpectedly, threatening not just reputations, but the critical work of philanthropic organizations. What does it take to proactively prepare for crises, recognize warning signs, and protect your organization's reputation amidst heightened scrutiny and unpredictability? Learn how to build a crisis communication plan that empowers your organization to navigate challenges while staying true to its mission. 

Join nonprofit leaders from across the Southeast as they discuss the growing impact of federal and state funding cuts on communities and the organizations that serve them. As vital programs like Medicaid and SNAP face mounting reductions, panelists will examine the strain on nonprofit systems – especially within immigrant communities – and discuss how organizations are adapting through innovation, collaboration, and tough strategic choices. Highlighting the work of the North Carolina Public Benefits Collective, this session connects nonprofit realities to philanthropic action, offering practical strategies for funders to strengthen nonprofit resilience, sustainability, and long-term impact beyond crisis response. 

In this session, you will: 

• Understand how federal and state funding cuts are creating service gaps across the Southeast, especially in immigrant communities.
• Learn what nonprofit resilience looks like in practice – and how organizations are working together to adapt through innovation and strategic change.
• Explore how funders can strengthen nonprofit stability through partnerships, policy analysis, community feedback and responsive grantmaking.
• Leave with practical strategies to better align philanthropy with the realities nonprofits face today.

Family and community trustees from the Jolley Foundation will come together for a dynamic conversation on how they are adapting and navigating complex decision-making. Centering both family and community perspectives, the panel will explore how power sharing is practiced in real time, highlighting the opportunities, tensions, and lessons learned when authority and accountability are shared across generations, roles, and lived experiences. Participants will gain insight into how collaborative governance between family and community trustees shapes more responsive decision-making and deepens alignment with community needs.

What questions should philanthropy be asking next? Over the past year, the 2025-26 Class of Hull Fellows has explored issues shaping the future of philanthropy in the South through dialogue, reflection, and collective learning. In this session, Fellows will share the insights, perspectives, and opportunities that emerged from their exploration – and offer their vision for how philanthropy can evolve to better serve communities across the region. Presentations will be split over two sessions: 10:30am on Thursday, and 9:45am on Friday.

Focused on issues facing private foundations, this update will cover the latest developments affecting philanthropy from the IRS, Congress, the White House and the courts. You will also have the opportunity to ask about legal questions that have arisen in your own work.

The year ahead could bring meaningful change for foundations and their investment portfolios. During this interactive panel discussion, we will explore the forces influencing the sector, including financial market dynamics, proposed policy changes, and the implications of the midterm elections. You’ll leave with actionable perspectives to support strategic decision making for your organization’s long-term success.

In today’s world, we are inundated with information – about the problems we face, potential solutions, emerging strategies, promising approaches to leadership, and more. At the same time, there is tremendous pressure to act with urgency, to disrupt, to reinvent systems from the ground up. It’s a “move fast and break things” formula that leaves little room for key ingredients to effective philanthropy: freedom, pace and vision.

Our closing session will offer a different approach. Philanthropic advisor and author David Dodson, in conversation with the Dogwood Health Trust’s Mark Constantine, will discuss how our social, moral, intellectual, reputational and financial (SMIRF) capital can be deployed in alignment with “Passing Gear” principles to develop trust, rebuild relationships and bring us into proximity with our communities and the issues we work to address. We will hear from Southeastern leaders employing thoughtful strategies to spark enduring change. You’ll also have space to discuss your own work with colleagues and begin to incorporate what you’ve learned this week into your practice.

The goal for this session isn’t a list of action items or a fully-formed strategy, but something more achievable and enduring: a coherent framework for reflection that helps you make profound choices and take deliberate action.

LGBTQ+ communities across the South have spent the past several years navigating an increasingly hostile policy environment. At a time when people are grappling with rising costs, health care access, and safety concerns, protections for LGBTQ+ people – especially transgender youth – have continued to weaken. Our LGBTQ+ family, friends, and neighbors are being marginalized, villainized, and, in too many cases, openly attacked. While the intensity of attacks is new, Southern LGBTQ+ leaders and organizations have long histories of, and wisdom on, building power, caring for their communities, and creating coalitions across movements. We know what the work takes, and what communities need to get it done. Philanthropy’s role in this moment has never been clearer, or more urgent. 

In this special post-conference session, you’ll hear directly from Southern LGBTQ+ leaders and from foundations investing in this work, even without dedicated LGBTQ+ portfolios. Together, we’ll explore how philanthropy can respond with courage, trust-based partnership, and sustained commitment. We will help light the way toward a future where all people can live fully and thrive as their true selves.

Includes lunch.

Cost: $100