Economic Security Funders Budget and Tax Briefing Watch Party

Each year, Economic Security Funders (formerly known as GIST) sponsors a Budget and Tax Briefing in Washington, D.C. to provide funders an opportunity to learn about and discuss pressing political developments, federal and state budget and tax issues, and emerging advocacy and communications strategies for protecting programs and policies that support struggling families, workers and communities.  Once again, Maryland Philanthropy Network is partnering with them and Funders for a Just Economy (FJE) to host a watch party of the Budget and Tax Briefing Keynote address.

Along with other watch parties around the country, we will view a live webcast of the keynote address on the federal budget and tax outlook from Bob Greenstein, President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Recognized as a national leader on fiscal policy issues, Mr. Greenstein will provide an overview on the key provisions in the federal budget, discuss current and upcoming budget debates and battles, and offer insights on the potential impact for low-income families, workers and communities.

During the live stream, all comments will be muted but there will be an opportunity for members to ask questions via text or email during the Q&A portion of the session. Following the plenary, participants will have the opportunity to discuss with peers the implications for programs serving children and families; and consider grant making strategies and opportunities for collaboration.

We will be joined by Benjamin Orr, Executive Director Maryland Center on Economic Policy who will provide a state and local perspective on the briefing and how the federal landscape impacts critical programs and services in Maryland . The purpose of the watch party is to help state and local funders:

• Gain a better understanding of this year’s pressing federal budget and tax issues and their impact on state budgets and economies;
• Discuss with peers the implications for programs serving children and families; and
• Consider grant making strategies and opportunities for collaboration with like-minded stakeholders.

This program continues Maryland Philanthropy Network’s Democracy and the Social Sector series of programs designed to stimulate conversations and action on democracy-strengthening activities at the local, state and federal level to promote effective philanthropy and build stronger communities.

This program is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members and invited guests only; lunch will be served. Remote participation is not available.

About Bob Greenstein

Bob Greenstein is the founder and President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  He is considered an expert on the federal budget and a range of domestic policy issues, including anti-poverty programs and various aspects of tax and health care policy.  He has written numerous reports, analyses, book chapters, op-ed pieces, and magazine articles on these issues. In 1996, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for making “the Center a model for a non-partisan research and policy organization.”  In 2008, he received both the Heinz Award for Public Policy for his work to “improve the economic outlook of many of America’s poorer citizens” and the 2008 John W. Gardner Leadership Award, given annually by Independent Sector, which said “Mr. Greenstein has played a defining role in how people think about critical budget and tax policies…. [and] help[ed] the nation address fiscal responsibility, reduce poverty, and expand opportunity.”  Two years later, he received the 2010 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize from the American Academy of Political and Social Science, which cited him as “a champion of evidence-based policy whose work at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is respected on both sides of the aisle.”  In 2011, the New Republic listed him as one of Washington’s 25 “Most Powerful, Least Famous People.”

Prior to founding the Center, Greenstein was Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Carter, where he directed the agency that operates the federal food assistance programs, such as the food stamp and school lunch programs, and helped design the landmark Food Stamp Act of 1977, generally regarded as the Carter Administration’s principal anti-poverty achievement.  He was appointed by President Clinton in 1994 to serve on the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform and headed the federal budget policy component of the transition team for President Obama.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and has received honorary doctorates from Tufts University, Occidental College, and Haverford College. You can follow him on Twitter @GreensteinCBPP.

About Benjamin Orr

Benjamin Orr is the Executive Director of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. From 2011 to 2013 he was Interim Director, Transition Coordinator, and Policy Analyst for the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute.  Mr. Orr also spent three years with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, where he worked on policy issues affecting the greater Washington DC region. Prior to his time at Brookings, Ben worked for the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research, the New York Census Research Data Center, and the John Jay College Center on Terrorism.  Mr. Orr holds a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College, City University of New York.