A Just Future for People and Nature

Join us on June 3-4, 2021 from 12-4 pm ET for the Blue Sky Funders Forum Virtual Convening. Together, we will connect, co-create and collaborate to support thriving communities by advancing equitable opportunities for meaningful outdoor experiences and connections to nature.

The Blue Sky Funders Forum 2021 Convening is open to all staff and board members of grantmaking organizations and philanthropy-serving organizations, as well as Blue Sky advisors and invited guests.

Agenda:

The agenda for the two-day convening is designed to enable authentic conversations, connections, and co-creation through informal networking, small group work, and ideation. See our detailed agenda and featured speakers here.

Thursday, June 3, 2021:
11:30 am ET: Pre-Session Gathering: Informal Networking Time
12:00 pm ET: Welcome, Introductions, and Connections
12:45 pm ET: Pandemic in Perspective – What Have We Learnt? featuring:

• Luis Villa, Latino Outdoors
• LaTresse Snead, National Park Foundation
• Lynne Seeley, Leonard C. And Mildred F. Ferguson Foundation
• Shelley Ettleman, Ellicott Preschool
• Moderated by Anupama Joshi, Blue Sky Funders Forum

1:20 pm ET: Break
1:30 pm ET: Justice Requires Centering Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color in Our Giving, facilitated by Youth Outside featuring:

• Rena Payan, Youth Outside
• Julia Bernal, Pueblo Action Alliance
• Moderated by Efrain Delgado, Youth Outside

2:15 pm ET: Break
2:20 pm ET: Policy Opportunities to Strengthen Programs in the Field featuring:

• Angelica Rubio, New Mexico Representative
• Alfredo Gonzalez, Resources Legacy Fund
• Nancy Bales, Gray Family Foundation
• Moderated by Stephanie Maez, Outdoor Foundation

3:00 pm ET: Break
3:05 pm ET: Reflection and integration
3:35 pm ET: Preview of Day 2 and Prioritizing Strategy Areas to Co-Design
4:00 pm ET: Post-Session Gathering: Informal Connecting Time for participants to gather by geographical region

Confirmed regions: (more will be announced soon)\

• Oregon / Pacific Northwest
• California
• Maine

Friday, June 4, 2021:

11:30 am ET: Pre-Session Gathering: Informal Connecting Time for participants to gather by topical / thematic interest area

Confirmed topics / theme: (more will be announced soon)

• Climate and environmental justice education in K-12 education
• Indigenous youth
• Environmental literacy / youth programming

12:00 pm ET: Strategy Co-Design Sessions

We’ll use a strategy co-design process to build agreement on critical shifts we want to make in each of these areas, generate and prioritize ideas to make those shifts happen, and begin to design specific actions we want to take as a network, with the support of Blue Sky Funders Forum. This will be a ‘roll up your sleeves’ work session to determine what we can individually and collectively do to realize our vision that every person – regardless of race, identity, or community – has the right and opportunity to make meaningful connections in the outdoors and improve quality of life, health, and social wellbeing.

4:00 pm ET: Post-Session Gathering: Informal Connecting Time

Outcomes:

Connecting

• Stronger connections and trust among funders and practitioners.
• Opportunities to connect informally across interests areas and geographies.

Aligning

• Alignment on priorities, collaborative actions and commitments to connect people with nature.

Learning

• Shared understanding of how funders and nonprofits have pivoted during the pandemic, and what have we learned from it.
• Deepen learning for action on centering racial equity and justice, and policy opportunities.

Making

• Develop ideas for collaborative learning and action to respond to the emerging needs of the movement.

Design Team for the 2021 Convening:

Stephanie Maez – Outdoor Foundation
Lynne Seeley – Leonard C. & Mildred F. Ferguson Foundation
Lisa McClure – National Park Foundation
Judy Braus – North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
Juan Martinez – Fresh Tracks / The Aspen Institute
Heather Equinoss and Melissa Darnell – CoCreative Consulting
Anupama Joshi and Berkeley Bryant – Blue Sky Funders Forum

Virtual
June 3, 2021 – June 4, 2021
Blue Sky Funders Forum
Funder
Register Here