11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Introduction to Public Interest Technology
There is a growing need for technology professionals in government, social service, and civil society organizations, and universities are not yet prepared to meet this need. In recent years, a number of funding organizations, including the Mastercard Impact Fund, Ford Foundation, Schmidt Futures, New America, and others, have collaborated to launch the Public Interest Technology University Network, now comprising 36 universities across the United States. The purpose of the group is to “grow a new generation of civic-minded technologists and digitally fluent policy leaders,” with the ultimate goal of addressing the inequalities that have come about as the result of technological change. Join Jenny Toomey from the Ford Foundation, Sam Gill from the Knight Foundation, and Tom Kalil from Schmidt Futures for an important conversation about the future of the nascent field of public interest technology and the role of the philanthropic sector in its emergence.

Sam Gill, Senior Vice President, Chief Program Officer, Knight Foundation; Tom Kalil, Chief Innovation Officer, Schmidt Futures; Nicole Lindsay, Chief Operating Officer, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth; and Jenny Toomey, International Program Director, Technology and Society, Ford Foundation
Moderator: Jennifer Lawrence, Senior Executive Director of Foundation Relations, Indiana University

1:30 - 3:00
Field-Building Philanthropy: Technology and Democracy
As a number of private foundations across the US have shifted their investments to focus on strengthening democracy, they are building new fields of research and practice which respond to and leverage rapid advances in technology. Through its Madison Initiative, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation sought to increase congressional effectiveness, and developed investment strategies in cybersecurity and digital misinformation. Alongside this work, an emerging network of philanthropies began to focus on the role of digital technology in democracy and civil engagement. The Charles Koch Foundation joined with partners such as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Democracy Fund to understand and address threats to free speech in the digital age through research and advocacy. The Knight Foundation saw a need to better understand how information is generated and disseminated in the digital age, and in 2019, committed $50 million to support new and ongoing research efforts nationwide on how society is informed in the digital age, and how to manage this new information landscape in service to a thriving democracy.

Panelists will discuss their roles in the development of philanthropic investments to support democratic practice in the digital age, with a focus on research and learning. They will also participate in an audience Q&A to learn more about how universities can work together alongside philanthropy to advance our understanding of critical and emerging social, political, and economic issues affecting democracy in the US.

Jesse Blumenthal, Director, Technology and Innovation, Charles Koch Foundation; and Kelly Born, Executive Director of the Cyber Policy Center, Stanford University; and John Sands, Director, Learning and Impact, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Session Designer: Cory Rutz, Director of Foundation Relations, Indiana University

3:30-5:00
Public Interest Technology University Network
The purpose of this session is to extend awareness about the field of public interest technology amongst an extended network of higher education professionals. Part of the time will focus on the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), a partnership that fosters collaboration between universities and colleges committed to building the nascent field of public interest technology and growing a new generation of civic-minded technologists. Through the development of curricula, research agendas, and experiential learning programs in the public interest technology space, these universities are trying innovative tactics to produce graduates with multiple fluencies at the intersection of technology and policy. From this session, we hope to garner an understanding from panelists of how the public interest technology field can be built in practice, and provide tools for attendees to identify public interest technology activities that already exist on their campuses and explain ways for non-PIT-UN members to support in developing the field of public interest technology.

Jonelle Bradshaw de Hernandez, Executive Director of Foundation Relations, University of Texas at Austin; Shobita Parthasarathy, Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan; and Andreen Soley, Project Manager for Public and Private Partnerships, Public Interest Technology, New America
Moderator: Sheetal Dhir, Vice President, Spitfire Strategies

5:00 – 5:30 (optional event)
CFR Social Mixer
Join your fellow seminar attendees in this networking event to continue the conversations from the day’s seminars. This is an opportunity to gather in a virtual space, meet face-to-face and discuss what’s happening in your shops and campuses, current and upcoming grants and projects, and even talk about best practices for managing your teams and workload while working from home.

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Strategies for Supporting Early-Career Faculty Researchers Pursuing Private Foundation Funding
How can Foundation Relations staff help new faculty develop their understanding and skills to efficiently explore the private foundation funding landscape? In what ways might our institutions position young and early-career faculty to target the sponsor opportunities most relevant to their research interests? During this interactive panel discussion, foundation officers from three major national private foundations will share valuable insights and advice to help our early-career faculty achieve funding success. Attendees will learn effective strategies to create and cultivate meaningful relationships between faculty and foundation representatives.

Sara Bender, Program Officer, Moore Inventor Fellows, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Catrina Bryant, Manager of Program Administration, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation; and Xiao-Wei Wang, Packard Fellows Program Manager, Conservation and Science, Program, David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Moderator: John Matthews, Associate Director of Foundation Relations, University of California, San Diego
Session Designer: Julie Elzanati, Director of Foundation Relations, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

1:30 - 3:00
Grantmaking and Grantseeking During a Pandemic
How has the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the process of grantmaking—how we seek, make, and collaborate around funding? How can academia, philanthropy, and other essential partners marshal the resources needed to fund solutions as nimble and innovative in the short-term as they are sustainable in the long-term—and along the way create institutional processes that favor the effective, the creative, and the equitable?

In this seminar, the panel will discuss their experiences with funding during a pandemic, how they made their funding decisions and what if any will be the long impacts in their grantmaking. Participants will learn the why and how behind Grantmakers decisions and learn better ways to engage with foundations during this and potentially future pandemics. 

Tyler Cowen, Founder, Fast Grants and Economist, George Mason University; Marc Malandro, Vice President of Operations for Science, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative; and Parastou Youssefi, Senior Program Officer, Philanthropic Partnerships, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Moderator: Elizabeth Weiss, Advisor, Science Philanthropy Alliance
Session Designer: Valerie Conn, Vice President, Science Philanthropy Alliance

3:00 – 3:30 (optional event)

CFR Social Mixer
Join your fellow seminar attendees in this networking event to continue the conversations from the day’s seminars. This is an opportunity to gather in a virtual space, meet face-to-face and discuss what’s happening in your shops and campuses, current and upcoming grants and projects, and even talk about best practices for managing your teams and workload while working from home.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The Movement for Criminal Justice Reform
It is widely known that the United States incarcerates a greater percentage of its population than any other country in the world.  Black and Latino communities have been especially impacted, having disproportionately higher rates of incarceration compared to other populations.  While the challenges are many, the opportunity to change this system has been a particular focus for two organizations working in this exciting space: Arnold Ventures and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.  In this session, representatives from the Criminal Justice Reform programs at each of these stellar organizations will provide us better insight into the problems that face the modern criminal justice system, and offer their unique approaches to funding meaningful and high-impact solutions, while also describing the role academia can play in the movement toward a just future.

Lindsey Lovel Heidrich, Criminal Justice Manager, Projects, Arnold Ventures, LLC; and Ana Zamora, Director, Criminal Justice Reform, Chan Zuckerburg Initiative
Moderator:  Jennifer Martin, Executive Director of Foundation Relations and Strategic Initiatives, University of California, San Diego

1:30 - 3:00
Big Bets in Philanthropy
Big-bet, collaborative philanthropy is transforming how academic institutions elevate their research to tackle global issues. They present a radical shift from traditional public and private funding opportunities, emphasizing cross-sector collaborations and immediate impact. They also change the nature of how universities interact with donors and how researchers pitch an idea.  Li Zhou from The Audacious Project and Cecilia Conrad from Lever for Change will be discussing the evolution of this philanthropic framework, how they partner with research institutions, and their efforts to quickly address the current public health crisis. This session will provide insight into how best to identify and support faculty and ideas that are “big bettable.”

Cecilia Conrad, CEO, Lever for Change and Managing Director at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and Li Zhou, The Audacious Project
Moderator: Ashley Garcia, Director, Foundation Relations, University of California, San Diego

3:30-5:00
Closing Key Session with Larry Kramer
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is the fifth largest private foundation in the United States. Larry Kramer has led the Hewlett Foundation since 2012, and since then has been an outspoken advocate for the need for funders to collaborate and to provide grantees with sustained, long-term support. During Larry’s tenure, the Hewlett Foundation has become a leader among funders in addressing climate change and strengthening democracy in the United States. Our closing keynote session will be a conversation between Larry Kramer and Fred Cate, Vice President for Research at Indiana University, addressing topics related to the Hewlett Foundation’s priorities: Education, Environment, Effective Philanthropy, and U.S. Democracy.

Keynote Speaker:  Larry Kramer, President, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Moderator:  Fred Cate, Vice President for Research, Indiana University

5:00 – 5:30 (optional event)
CFR Social Mixer
Join your fellow seminar attendees in this networking event to continue the conversations from the day’s seminars. This is an opportunity to gather in a virtual space, meet face-to-face and discuss what’s happening in your shops and campuses, current and upcoming grants and projects, and even talk about best practices for managing your teams and workload while working from home.

2:00 - 3:15 PM ET

Philanthropic Approaches to Ending Systemic Racism in Education

The summer of 2020 has ushered in a long-overdue awakening, calling attention to racist policies and practices that exist within the very fabric of our social institutions. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and others have led to an unveiling of systemic inequalities that permeate many vital institutions, including colleges and universities. Many are now calling for improvements in those institutions, and responses from leaders range from releasing institutional statements on diversity to creating new internal funding programs to support research on racial justice. Join us for a conversation with philanthropic leaders in education who share a common commitment to ending systemic racism.

Armando Bengochea, Senior Program Officer for Higher Learning, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bill Moses, Managing Director, Education Program, The Kresge Foundation; and Pam Ross, Vice President of Opportunity, Equity, and Inclusion, Central Indiana Community Foundation

3:45 - 5:00 PM

Ending Systemic Racism in Education: An Interactive Discussion

Following the previous panel session, join this interactive facilitated discussion with CFR officers about policies and practices at colleges and universities in response to these events.

Panelists: John Duca, Director of Development,  University of California San Diego; Barbara Hoerner, Executive Director of Foundation Relations, University Advancement, Rochester Institute of Technology; Keith Jenkins, Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Rochester Institute of Technology; and Anita Walton, Vice Chancellor, Division of University Advancement, Elizabeth City State University

Moderator: Birgit Burton, Executive Director of Foundation Relations, Georgia Institute of Technology

Recording Note: Due to the nature of this interactive discussion and sensitivity of this topic, this portion will not be recorded/made available.