From Ideas to Action: Northern California Grantmakers Annual Conference

How should philanthropy address gentrification? The drought?  The shifting demographics of California?

On May 27, Northern California Grantmakers convened dozens of philanthropic funders from around the Bay Area to assess philanthropy and the future of the region.  Ellen LaPointe, the new President and CEO of NCG, lead a full day that included presentations from Dr. Manuel Pastor, Angela Glover Blackwell, three Bay Area mayors, and comedian W. Kamau Bell.  A rapid-fire series of PhilTalks covered topics as diverse as displacement, data-driven philanthropy, and immigration.

KQED served as the media partner for the day, as part of their ongoing Boomtown coverage of the Bay Area’s economy and its implications; to the delight of NPR nerds,  Joshua Johnson and Scott Shafer contributed their expertise.  The event closed on an incredibly high note, as a young poet named Tassiana Willis from Youth Speaks brought the crowd to its feet by urging them to put the day’s ideas into action.  Here’s a quick look at the conversation: