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Philanthropy Northwest is exploring a bond fund that would give members an easy new way to make investments in the communities they care about. Modeled after a successful effort in Minnesota, we’re excited to explore this opportunity with our members. I’ll be hosting a lunch meeting during the annual conference where members can learn more and share ideas.
“Kiran helped the Wing Luke Museum find our way through the mysteries of federal government,” said Beth Takekawa, executive director. “From her leadership post in the Obama Administration, she cared about a community-based museum. She brought critical knowledge, dedication to community, and a way of being quietly effective in helping us find a path to establishing our National Park Service affiliation.”
What does it mean to live one’s values? As the new Philanthropy Northwest CEO, my recent trip to Anchorage marked my first board meeting, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But when a board and organization lead with values, especially when those values include a strong commitment to our communities, I felt right at home. By immersing ourselves several times a year in different parts of Philanthropy Northwest’s region, our leadership team can reflect on how best to grow and share knowledge among our network of members and truly live out our value-based Strategy Framework, including in particular “honor[ing] our past, people and our cultures.”
As we look to the future, I'm struck by Philanthropy Northwest's values of equity, engagement, integrity, accountability, and learning—values that have been central in my career thus far. Most recently I served as chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, supporting thousands of federal employees committed to public service. Before that I served as executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, working to increase access to federal programs and services for these underserved populations. Earlier in my career, I litigated education-related civil rights cases for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division including desegregation cases.
More than 20 breakout sessions for the upcoming Philanthropy Northwest Conference in Vancouver, Washington have begun to take shape after a record response to our request for proposals. With presenters ranging from leaders at Social Justice Fund and Pride Foundation to the Murdock Trust, we're finalizing the details of conversations that are sure to add value to the work of philanthropists from across the region. New to this year's Annual Conference is an "unconference" element, sometimes referred to as "open space" sessions. Slated for the final day of the conference, October 5, these sessions will combine curated smaller-group conversations led by experts with opportunities to deepen conversations that emerge from the preceding days' breakout sessions. This is one year you won't want to leave early, so keep that in mind as you book your travel. In keeping with our theme, many sessions (though not all!) will be policy-focused on topics such as: health policy, tax reform, housing and homelessness, Indian Country, child welfare, civil/legal issues, and the rule of law in America.
Philanthropy Northwest convened a national gathering of 40 rural funders in late June in Roseburg, Oregon at the the Ford Family Foundation’s beautiful conference center. The goal of the gathering was to connect and explore the practice of grantmaking in rural communities and provide...
I’m delighted to welcome Kiran Ahuja as the new CEO of Philanthropy Northwest. Kiran joins the organization at just the right time: summer. While many of us think of summer as a time for vacation and relaxation, it’s also a time for growth. It’s a time for learning, for reflection, and for building on progress we’ve already made throughout the year. At Philanthropy Northwest, we’re ready to turn our strategy framework into action. We’re well aware of the shifting landscape of philanthropy and the pivotal role that a learning network like Philanthropy Northwest can play in fostering positive change. We’ve been seeking a leader who could honor the legacy of the organization, and at the same time, think bigger about our future. We sought a leader who shared our values and who could be a bridge builder—across our different geographies and member types, as well as bring together new partners and collaborators. From Kiran’s breadth of experience and her natural inclination to think across silos, to seeing her in action the last two weeks, it’s clear she can fulfill these lofty aspirations.