‘Leading With Courage’ at PEAK2025

In March, I had the opportunity to spend three days in New Orleans attending the PEAK2025 conference. PEAK Grantmaking is a nonprofit that supports philanthropy professionals, especially people in grants management roles, to advance equitable grantmaking practices and increase efficiency in the grantmaking process.

This year’s conference drew in more than 1,300 in-person attendees and several hundred virtual participants, representing a vibrant and widespread philanthropic community. The “Leading With Courage” theme felt timely and relevant, and I arrived eager to talk with other grantmakers and grant administrators about how they’re adapting and responding to the current moment to better support their grantees.

Look to the South

To kick off the conference, a panel of locally active funders and nonprofits grounded us in New Orleans, 20 years after Hurricane Katrina hit and five years since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

HousingNOLA’s Andreanecia M. Morris and Sankofa Community Development Corporation’s Rashida Ferdinand — two local leaders on the front lines of these crises — spoke powerfully about how foundations have often failed the country’s most marginalized populations and how learning from our past errors can help us respond to current challenges.

They suggested that we “look to the south” for both a foreshadowing of what might be coming at the national level as well as lessons for responding with moral courage. Amongst (and perhaps in spite of) the failures, there are also investments in inspiring leaders and vibrant, flourishing communities. These are places and people we can look to for leadership and as models for action.

What Does Courage Look Like?

As the conference continued, and in the weeks since I’ve returned home, I’ve found myself returning to the concept of moral courage. Satonya Fair, the Executive Director and CEO of PEAK Grantmaking, closed the final panel discussion with words that I’ve since taken back to my role at the Onion Foundation:

“We are asking you to lead hard things at a difficult time. And we are asking you because we know you can.”

So, what does leading with courage look like for me in my role as the Grants and Office Administrator at the Onion Foundation?

My role is largely procedural, yet like many grants managers, I know I have the power to influence how the foundation does its work. The systems we design have real, concrete impacts on our grantees — and not always in expected ways.

At the conference, I was reminded again and again that I have a vast network of colleagues asking themselves the same questions. I had rich conversations about data security and SOPs (I know, we’re such dorks!). And I attended sessions that dug into the details of how my grants management peers are making policy and procedural changes to support their grantee partners and their communities.

I heard clearly that many foundations are continuing the work they started during the pandemic (or much earlier!) to be equitable, reduce the burden placed on their grantees, and align their processes with their values:

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies described how they’re redesigning their reporting processes to be more grantee-centered

• Borealis Philanthropy, General Service Foundation, and New Disabled South explained how they’ve put the principles of trust-based philanthropy into practice

• ArtsKC - Metropolitan Regional Arts Council of Kansas City explored how to incorporate community feedback when designing grant programs

• The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, GivingData, and many of my peers offered practical tips for better data analysis, project management, and technology optimization

As we at the Onion Foundation continue to align our work with our values in meaningful ways, I know that improving our grant management practices is part of the answer. I have an important role to play and am committed to listening deeply to our grantees, finding and applying creative solutions, and speaking up when I see harmful impacts. I also know that, thanks to organizations like PEAK, I have a community of peers across the country that I can turn to for inspiration, advice, and courage.