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Yale Philanthropy Conference 2021: Reimagining Philanthropy

Thursday, Feb 11 2021 at 5:30 pm - Friday, Feb 12 2021 at 5:00 pm EST

The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified vulnerabilities across industries and brought global attention to society’s deep and systemic inequities. Leaders from the public, private, and social sectors are grappling with how best to address communities’ immediate needs, while simultaneously seizing the moment to restructure systems for a sustainable, equitable, and resilient way forward. In this time of unprecedented need for support and action, philanthropy has a responsibility to reimagine its role, shedding new light on the complex interplay of the social sector and addressing questions of democracy, influence, and justice.

At this critical moment, YPC 2021 will examine philanthropy’s power and purposes, diving deep into the sector’s history and exploring its boundaries, limitations, and opportunities, with a special focus on how philanthropy has both contributed to and worked to dismantle inequities. The conference will bring together donors, practitioners, fundraisers, scholars, and advisors to critically evaluate the prevalent principles of and trends in grant making and investing and re-envision how the field can continue to evolve. Some pertinent questions include: Who is receiving support and who is not? How are relationships and trust built and maintained within the sector? How do we build and evolve systems of accountability? How much should foundations distribute? How are funds being allocated? How is impact being measured and why?