Connecting Grantmakers to Information and Each Other
The Funders Learning Network grew out of a convening of foundation and corporate grantmakers at City Parks Alliance’s 2017 Greater & Greener conference in Saint Paul, MN.
At that meeting, participants expressed a need for a dedicated platform where funders could connect to discuss the opportunities and challenges of investing in parks and public spaces to create vibrant and equitable communities.
The result of that dialogue is the Funders Learning Network, which offers periodic programming tailored for funders, including peer conversations and other networking opportunities, including at the Greater & Greener conference.
Past Events
Funders Learning Network events are curated and facilitated exclusively for grantmakers who invest in urban parks, recreation, and public spaces.
Past event topics included:
- Funding Advocacy and Power Building for Park and Greenspace Equity: A conversation with the People, Parks, and Power (P3) Initiative. P3 is the first national funding initiative in the U.S. to support power building by community-based organizations to reverse deep-seated park and green space inequities in Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities across the country.
- Conversation with Department of the Interior and Council on Environmental Quality Leaders: Funders heard from Department of the Interior (DOI) and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) leaders, discussing the administration’s equity-focused initiatives, urban park-related grant programs, and exploring opportunities for partnership with the philanthropic community.
- Silver Linings: Lessons Learned, New Opportunities for Public Spaces in a Post-Pandemic Time: A post-COVID follow-up conversation with hindsight and exchange among foundation peers.
- Investing for Equitable Outcomes: conversation on ways foundations are working to drive equitable impacts in communities through strategic, systems-based investments in the public realm.
- Creating a Just Public Realm: Explored how to drive equitable impacts in communities through strategic, systems-based investments in the public realm.
Foundation Membership
By becoming a Grantmaking Organization Member of City Parks Alliance, you and your team will receive access to all Funders Learning Network events, and you will have access to all Alliance member benefits, including:
- All member-exclusive programming
- Discounts to City Parks Alliance events, including the Greater & Greener conference
- Access to our Park Resource Library, as well as cutting-edge research and advocacy materials
