Phoenix, Arizona | April 15-18, 2024
2024 Convening
Convening Overview
While we embraced the spirit of ascent in Phoenix, we acknowledged the challenges of escalating conflict, violence and threats to civil liberties.
FCCP’s 2024 Annual Convening, Philanthropy in Rising, was another sold out event! We are beyond grateful for the support of local Arizona partners, our session organizers and speakers, attendees, sponsors, convening planning committee and advisory board.
The convening began with land acknowledgment and an uplifting performance by member of the Apsaalooke Nation, Nammy and MTV VMA award winner Supaman. Keynote Speaker Julián Castro, CEO of Latino Community Foundation grounded us with reflections of the current state of affairs and how we can collectively rise to the various challenges we face in realizing a just, equitable, and multi-racial democracy that is truly working by and for all. Executive Director LaShanda A. Jackson reminded us that despite the current challenges and obstacles, philanthropy must still rise.
Throughout our time together, we heard from more than 100 dynamic speakers who are on the frontlines of ensuring that the ideals of democracy are realized. We listened, learned and discussed how to propel our movement forward in communities across the country and how we can inspire a national culture of participation in the democratic process.
We honored our 2024 award recipients: Ludovic Blain of California Donor Table with the FCCP Legacy Award and Guillermo Quinteros of Access Strategies Fund with FCCP’s Network Leader Award.
Ensuring an equitable democracy is hard work. The leaders across philanthropy and field experts who joined us prove that it takes tenacity of spirit and commitment to the cause to bring forward the changes that are needed to build collective power in a time when many are struggling to have their voices heard.
Convening Planning Committee
LaShanda Jackson is a social justice activist, defender of democracy, and advocate for racial equity whose career in philanthropy and organizing spans nearly two decades. Raised by a southern family of civil rights activists and community leaders, her advocacy is personal. LaShanda’s fierce advocacy for transforming democracy and returning power back to the people has brought her to the role of Executive Director of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP). Before joining the FCCP, LaShanda (she/her) served as Vice President of Development for Common Cause where she led organizational fundraising strategy and operations. Before joining Common Cause in February 2017, LaShanda worked for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund as the Manager of Gift Accounting, where she oversaw financial management of an $80 million capital campaign.
Prior to that, LaShanda cultivated and provided stewardship for members and major donors as the Membership and Major Gifts Coordinator at the Public Justice Foundation. She began her nonprofit career in 2003 with the Library of Congress, primarily raising capital campaign funds for the Capitol Visitor Center and sponsorship funding for the National Book Festival. LaShanda also proudly served as an educator at Northwestern High School in Prince George’s County, MD and served as a Regional Field Director for the 2008 Obama for America campaign. LaShanda holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Maryland.
LaShanda serves on the United Philanthropy Forum Board of Directors and Common Cause Maryland Advisory Board.
Anita brings an incredible wealth of experience and passion to our team. With a career centered around civic engagement, equity, and voting rights, Anita just recently served as the Senior Program Director for the Media and Tech team at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She has also served as a consultant to the Leadership Conference and has led digital equity outreach efforts and has been a consultant to census and redistricting projects. Her extensive background includes directing the Illinois Count Me in 2020 program, a statewide Census collaborative that united foundations and a diverse coalition of non-profit organizations.
Having worked for over two decades in the U.S. Congress, Illinois state government, and the nonprofit sector, Anita’s expertise is a perfect match for our commitment to fostering inclusive civic participation. As a legislative director for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she showcased her dedication to public service. As of Spring 2021, Anita currently serves as the Commissioner on the IL State Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.
Tiffany Neilly is the heartbeat of our fabulous FCCP work family! Tiffany is a born-and-raised Californian, residing about 40 miles outside of Orange County and downtown Los Angeles in Rancho Cucamonga. You might recognize it from the movie “Next Friday” where Ice Cube moved to the suburbs to stay with Uncle Elroy! Professionally, her background encompasses program, property, and office management, as well as executive support and B2B sales. Tiffany served as a volunteer kindergarten Sunday school teacher for the past 10 years. This is where she honed the art of servanthood, developing a deep sense of purpose and a profound love for the community. Outside of work, she is a wife and mom to two athletic boys. Tiffany describes herself as a bit of a health and wellness enthusiast, embracing Pilates, boxing, and exploring strength and endurance training. According to her 16Personalities profile, she has the “Defender” personality, which means she’s 64% introverted, highly decisive, and prioritizes empathy, social harmony, and cooperation. While she may not excel in small talk unless she’s short on time, Tiffany is excited about getting to know FCCP on a more meaningful level. “I eagerly looking forward to meeting all of you and immersing myself in the FCCP culture.”
Jenna Patel is extremely excited to be a part of an organization that centers their work around building an equitable democracy and achieving intersectional racial justice. Prior to joining FCCP as Program Coordinator, Jenna served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Buffalo, NY where she was able to help The Community Action Organization’s (CAO) Housing Development Office build program capacity and develop a resident-engaged neighborhood-level improvement plan on Buffalo’s East Side.
Jenna graduated from Rutgers University in May 2020 as a Public Health major, as well as a Planning and Public Policy minor. Throughout her college career, Jenna held several roles that revealed the true magnitude and depth of inequities shaping systematically oppressed communities, including her roles as a Research Assistant for The Essex and Passaic Health and Wellness Coalition and Director for Rutgers Model Congress. Jenna’s ideal day involves taking a spontaneous trip to the thrift store, going on a mini food crawl, and doing any and all things thrill-inducing!
Jenna graduated from Rutgers University in May 2020 as a Public Health major, as well as a Planning and Public Policy minor. Throughout her college career, Jenna held several roles that revealed the true magnitude and depth of inequities shaping systematically oppressed communities, including her roles as a Research Assistant for The Essex and Passaic Health and Wellness Coalition and Director for Rutgers Model Congress. Jenna’s ideal day involves taking a spontaneous trip to the thrift store, going on a mini food crawl, and doing any and all things thrill-inducing!
Our Speakers
LaShanda Jackson
Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation
Esperanza K. Tervalon
Dancing Hearts Consulting, LLC
Alejandra Ruiz
Youth Engagement Fund
Estevan Muñoz-Howard
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
David Martinez III
Vitalyst Health Foundation
Rana Elmir
RISE Together Fund/Proteus Fund
Jacqueline DeLeon
Native Vote
Native American Rights Fund
Randy Perez
Voting Rights Lab
K.J. Bagchi
Center for Civil Rights and Technology
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Julia Beatty
Black-Led Movement Fund
Borealis Philanthropy
Seiji Carpenter
DBR
Hasna El-Nounou
MSA West
Denise Feriozzi
The Pipeline Fund
Krithika Harish
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
Marilena Hincapie
Cornell Law School
Fran Hutchins
Equality Federation
Laura I MacCleery
UnidosUS
Jasmine Rivera
Rising Voices
Lourdes Rivera
Pregnancy Justice
Omaid Zabih
Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund
Jennifer Chau
Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander for Equity
Brian Garcia
All Voting Is Local Action
Paulina Helm-Hernandez
Foundation for a Just Society
Matthew Marquez
Working Families Party
Maurice Mitchell
Working Families Party
Spencer Overton
GW Multiracial Democracy Project
Lupe Rodriguez
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
Meghan Rouse
Commonwealth Alliance Donor Table
Antonio Williams
T.O.N.E U.P
Dawn Knickerbocker
National Congress of American Indians
Esteban Camarena
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Gabriella Cázares-Kelly
Pima County Recorder
Jack Temple
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Jose Vasquez
Common Defense
Jovana Renteria
re:power
Katie Belanger
Local Solutions Support Center
Katrina Gamble
Sojourn Strategies
Kevin Hurtado
Voting Rights Lab
Korina Iribe
Arizona Democracy Alliance, Donor Table
Marcus Jackson
Advocacy Based on Lived Experience
Mekela Panditharatne
Brennan Center for Justice
Michael Frias
Catalist
Rukia Lumumba
M4BL & the People’s Advocacy Institute
Sandra Castro Solis
re:power
Chris Melody Fields Figueredo
Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
Elizabeth Schilling
Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
Viridiana Hernandez
Poder in Action
Melissa Rudnick
Piper Fund, an initiative of Proteus Fund
Emily Persaud-Zamora
Silver State Voices
Analilia Mejia
CPD
Clarissa Martinez De Castro
UnidosUS
Page Gleason
State Infrastructure Fund/NEO Philanthropy
Nick Chedli Carter
Resilient Democracy
Emma Noyes
Inatai Foundation
Brenda Anibarro
Inatai Foundation
A. Bayoán Rosselló-Cornier
Power Building & Justice
Hispanics in Philathropy
Moné Holder
Florida Rising
Risa Kaufman
The Overbrook Foundation
Sendolo Diaminah
Carolina Federation
Shelley Jackson
Instituto
Ubaldo Hernandez
Comunidades
Jolyana Begay Kroupa
Phoenix Indian Center
Yadira Sanchez
Poder Latinx
Anneshia Hardy
Alabama Values
Judith LeBlanc
Native Organizer’s Alliance
Cathy Duvall
Fair Representation in Redistricting
Tarso Ramos
Executive Director
Political Research Associates
Isa Noyola
MIjente
Omar Saif
One Arizona
Diala Shamas
Center for Constitutional Rights
Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy
Pennsylvania Alliance Foundation
Rye Young
Rye Young Consulting
Carmen Rojas
The Marguerite Casey Foundation
Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet
Hope CommUnity Center
Lan Sena
Center for Civic Action
Saundra Mitrovich
NCAI
Allison Neswood
Native American Rights Fund
Alejandra Gomez
Arizona Center for Empowerment
Ludovic Blain
California Donor Table
Natalie Ossenfort
Bolder Advocacy
Alliance for Justice
Jamila Martin
Movement Voter Project
Deborah Barron
NLA
Erika Washington
Make It Work Nevada
Catherine Jung
Youth Engagement Fund
Claudia Yoli Ferla
MOVE Texas
Abril Gallardo Cervera
Arizona Center for Empowerment
EunSook Lee
AAPI Civic Engagement Fund
Amir Badat
Defender Projects
NAACP LDF
Joshua Ulibarri
LRP
Wilnelia Rivera
Rivera Consulting Inc
Ivan Luevanos-Elms
Local Progress
Suneela Jain
Tides
Mynellies Negron
Poder Latinx
Dusti Gurule
COLOR
Athena Salman
Former AZ State Representative
Sarah Solon
HR&A Advisors
Kavita Khandekar Chopra
re:power
Kris Hayashi
National LGBTQ Taskforce
Marisa Franco
Mijente
Ahtza Chavez
Naeva
Linda Sarsour
MPower Change
Becca Israel
Voting Rights Lab
Melissa Spatz
Trusted Elections Fund
Julián Castro
Latino Community Foundation
Kristin Powell
Black Futures Lab
Zeeba Khalili
Marguerite Casey Foundation
Daniella Flores
Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
Neha Patel
State Innovation Exchange
Vincent Jones
Tides Advocacy
Kendra Cotton
New Georgia Project
Dionne Foster
Washington Progress Alliance
Michael Blake
Kairos Democracy Project
Matthew Barron
The Heinz Endowments
Elizabeth Guernsey
Open Society – U.S.
Open Society Foundations
Victoria Cepeida-Mojarro
Groundswell Action Fund
Ashe Helm-Hernández
Funders for LGBTQ Issues
Hanni Hanson
Compton Foundation
Misha Barnes
Ohio Progressive Collaborative
Carlos Valverde
Working Families Party
Alex Tom
Center for Empowered Politics
Our Sponsors
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