Maryland Philanthropy Network’s School-Centered Neighborhood Investment Initiative funded a research analysis of the 21st Century School Buildings Program efforts. All MPN members are invited to hear from the research team: Ariel H. Bierbaum, MCP, PhD; Erin O’Keefe, MPP; and Alisha Butler, MA; about the report’s findings and the overarching questions they raise about the 21CSBP. These questions bridge their findings with the current context and aim to prompt reflection and additional conversations about the 21CSBP in the face of the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and systemic racism in the United States.

Please join us for a meet and greet with MPN Member, Erin Robertson, the Chief Programs Officer for Nature Sacred. This program will include an overview of Nature Sacred, its vision for health in Maryland and evidence of the healing power of nature with Teresia Hazen, M.Ed., HTR, QMHP and award-winning Firesoul. Katie Lautar, Executive Director of Baltimore Green Space will share how they are working at the intersection of community care of green spaces, advocacy, and scientific research that promotes the health of communities and equitable access to sustainable green spaces. 

The Prenatal to Five Impact Collaborative is a peer group focused on learning together about the needs of pregnant women and families with children up to age 5 and how to best support them. This meeting will discuss advocacy and the roles philanthropy can play in systems change work. We’ll be hearing from Sara Watson who authored the Bainum Family Foundation Brief: “Creating Change Through Policy Advocacy”. We’ll also be hearing from Beth Morrow and Laura Weeldreyer about Maryland Family Network’s Early Childhood legislative priorities.

As members of our region’s corporate giving community, many of you rushed to the front lines providing your expertise, resources, and human capital to help neighbors heal. This corporate roundtable is an opportunity to learn and share with peers across the country who understand the challenges and successes of designing a giving strategy and implementing practices that have the greatest impact during a time of crisis. During this session, you will have the opportunity to connect with Regine Webster, Vice President of CDP, Alexander J. Diaz, head of Crisis Response and Humanitarian Aid at Google.org, and peers who are navigating what it takes to be trusted leaders among emerging generations of employees and stakeholders.

Maryland Philanthropy Network invites you to continue the conversation we started at our 2020 Annual Meeting | Reimagine Philanthropy through a series of events designed as opportunities for transformative change. This next conversation in our Reimagine Philanthropy series will explore the topic of Economic Justice and the Social Determinant of Health, Work, and Wellbeing. Through the lens of trust-based philanthropy, our speakers will share the stories of how they have grapple with the need for transformative philanthropic practices that include partnerships with communities to address root causes of disparate health and employment outcomes.