Orange County Grantmakers hosted its annual all-day summit Thursday, themed “Brave Leaders, Bold Moves.” It was a time for funders, nonprofit leaders and community members to share the same space as equals.
“We intentionally do not identify people on their name tags as a funder or a nonprofit,” Orange County Grantmakers executive director Taryn Palumbo said. “This is not about that. This is a level playing field. This is about everyone learning together.”
“Everyone” encompasses a growing number of attendees each year. More than 520 people registered for the summit, held at the Marriott Anaheim Suites in Garden Grove.
A “Learning Labs” post of notes for guests during the Orange County Grantmakers Summit at the Anaheim Marriott Suites on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
Baratunde Thurston, a writer, comedian and podcaster who hosts the PBS show “America Outdoors,” was the keynote speaker.
He infused comedy into his comments from the beginning, joking that his true reason for attending the summit was to double the Black population of Orange County.
“It is so good to be in a room with people brave enough to use so many banned words,” said Thurston, who helped re-launch “The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah. “Equity, justice, democracy.”
One takeaway from Thurston’s remarks was the use of the word “citizen” as a verb, which is in line with his podcast, “How to Citizen With Baratunde.”
Thurston said using “citizen” as a verb involves showing up to participate, understanding your power, committing to the collective and investing in relationships.
Keynote speaker Baratunde Thurston makes remarks during the Orange County Grantmakers Summit on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
“We hear stories of failure, of collapse, of despair, of despondency, and lack of agency and power,” he told the attendees. “The news is nothing but problems, and not a solution to be seen. You know more than most people, that is not the whole story. Don’t just tell me about the fire, tell me about the people trying to put it out. Tell me about the people building fire-proof structures. Tell me about the people building that right next to where it always burns.”
Nonprofit dollars continue to be stretched in the county, though there are helpers. Earlier this year, Samueli Foundation committed $15 million to new nonprofit initiatives. Last month, the foundation notified 138 nonprofits that they would receive $50,000 to $100,000 each, their proposals accepted through the Breakaway Fund, which upped its budget from $5 million to $11 million.
Robyne’s Nest executive director Natalie Moser takes notes during the Orange County Grantmakers Summit on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
Palumbo said her organization’s philanthropic funders should be in community with the nonprofits they partner with. She added that out of 55 funding members, only five were not in attendance Thursday.
“The divide is not something that our organization supports,” she said. “If you’re a member of OCG, it’s because you are committed to being in community with nonprofits, and this is the best way to do that. Everyone gets to hear the same contact, digest it and have space to talk about it.”
Summit-goers did two rounds of “learning labs,” in the morning and afternoon. They also heard comments from philanthropic leader, lawyer and author Dimple Abichandani, as well as Julián Castro, the chief executive of the Latino Community Foundation.
Guests listen to speakers during the Orange County Grantmakers Summit at the Anaheim Marriott Suites in Garden Grove on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
Jonathan Forbes, senior development director of Irvine-based nonprofit Human Options, is the co-chair of the Orange County Grantmakers Summit committee.
He said one thing that will stick with him from Thursday’s gathering was a learning lab led by Asha Starks, community organizing manager for Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development. She discussed grassroots mutual aid.
“It was so relatable,” Forbes said. “We all help other people. Do you consider yourself a philanthropist when you lend somebody $5? No, but you can claim it on your taxes when you give a nonprofit $5. She just challenged the whole concept of philanthropy, generosity, giving.”
John Guastaferro, the Hyundai/Genesis Foundation Executive Director, speaks during the Orange County Grantmakers Summit on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
Forbes said it was amazing that the summit, which once struggled to fill 150 seats, has now become a big event that local leaders look forward to each year.
“It’s really easy to be reactionary in this moment, and there’s plenty to react to, for good reason,” he said. “But I wanted this to be something that acknowledged where we are, but also inspired everybody to be bold. It’s easy for us to be cautious. One of the speakers said, ‘Fund courage, not charity,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s the whole point of today.’”
Three nonprofit leaders also earned awards at the summit.
Jordan Barrera, director of communications and development at Anaheim-based Higher Ground Youth & Family Services, was awarded the Emerging Leader Award. Ana Urzua, executive director of Cooperación Santa Ana, earned Outstanding Changemaker, while Girls Inc. of Orange County chief executive Lucy Santana took home the Legacy Award.
Khloe Rios-Wyatt, the CEO of Alianza Translatinx, speaks during Thursday’s Orange County Grantmakers Summit.
(James Carbone)
Palumbo said she considered the summit a pause from the heaviness of the day-to-day grind.
Bianca Carranco, the director of development and communications at Santa Ana-based nonprofit Project Youth OC, agreed.
Her organization seeks to help young people and their families through evidence-based, trauma-informed programs. Carranco said six members of her group attended the summit. In the mid-afternoon, she gave a 10-minute “lightning talk” in the main ballroom about building leadership from the inside out.
“I think it’s just a space of vulnerability and honesty, transparency,” Carranco said of the summit. “We’re going through a lot, whether you are a nonprofit or you are a funder. I think we’re facing similar obstacles, and it’s incredible to see everybody coming together and having these conversations to see how we can support one another.”