Supporting & Strengthening Communities
May 19-20, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
What a wonderful gathering of colleagues! Read a full recap of the event here.
We look forward to seeing you all next year in San Diego!
Featured Guest Speakers
Araba Sapara-Grant
Senior Manager of Community Activation, Weave: The Social Fabric Project, Aspen Institute
Januarie York
Cultivator of Joy, The Learning Tree
Conference Venues
Kimpton Hotel Monaco, in downtown Pittsburgh: 620 William Penn Place
The Pittsburgh Foundation: 912 Fort Duquesne Blvd.
Both locations are approximately a 30-minute drive from Pittsburgh Airport.
Conference Schedule and Agenda Highlights
The full, detailed agenda can be found here.
Monday May 18: 5:30-7pm at Hotel Monaco
- Welcome reception (Rialto Suite, Rooftop)
- Dinner on your own
Tuesday May 19: 8:30am – 5:00pm at Hotel Monaco, Sofia Ballroom
- Breakfast buffet from 7:30-8:30am
- Conference Kick Off & Welcome to Pittsburgh!
- Anchoring Communities: Community Foundations Strategies & Support Amid Federal Policy Shifts
- Immigration Focus:
- Alfonso Wenker, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
- Jess Schmidt, Vermont Community Foundation
- Federal Funding Gaps: Moderated by Frank Fernandez, CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
- Justina Acevedo-Cross, Hawaii Community Foundation
- Jason Blau, Marin Community Foundation
- Marissa Cohen, St. Louis Community Foundation
- Pamela Gray Payton, San Diego Foundation
- Immigration Focus:
- CFON Housing Cohort: Learning & Innovations
- Moderated by AJ Herrmann, Director, Policy & Program Innovation, Accelerator for America
- Matt Shomo, Chicago Community Trust
- Kaela Hammond, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
- Ben Amsden, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
- Equity & Authentic Community and Neighborhood Building
- Weave: The Social Fabric Project: Araba Sapara-Grant, Senior Manager of Community Activation; joined by Tyrell Ross and Sandi Hansen, Lincoln Community Foundation
- The Learning Tree: DeAmon Harges, Founder and Januarie York, Cultivator of Joy; joined by Leigh Riley Evans, Indianapolis Foundation
- Offsite event and dinner at Cafe Momentum – 6:30-8:30pm
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Wednesday May 20: 8:30am – 3:30pm at The Pittsburgh Foundation (912 Fort Duquesne Blvd.)
- Breakfast buffet from 8:00-8:30am
- Civic Health & Bridging Divides
- Strategies for Bridging Divides: Amy McIsaac, Managing Director, PACE
- Community Foundation Role & Opportunities: Mary Thomas, CEO and Sarah Aguirre Origer, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Innovation, CFLeads
- Roundtable Discussion Breakouts
- Climate & Environment: Cait Botschner, CF Climate Collaborative
- Early Childhood: Christina D’Allesandro, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
- Donor Engagement: Malia Peters, Hawaii Community Foundation
- Operations & Administration: Sarah Alexander, Connecticut Community Foundation
- Economic Mobility in Pittsburgh, A Panel Discussion
- Moderated by Joshua Devine, CEcD, Economic Mobility Officer, The Pittsburgh Foundation
- Tammy Thompson, President & CEO, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh
- Jennie Zeman, Education/Workforce Development Supervisor, Allegheny County Housing Authority
- Sarah Dieleman Perry, Vice President of Economic Mobility, Neighborhood Allies
- Call to Action and Closing Remarks
- Box Lunches at 1:00
- Optional Site Visit at Catapult (depart 1:30, concludes by 3:30)
Registration
Registration is free for CFON members and we encourage you to come as a group – you may bring up to 3 representatives from your foundation (staff, board members, key partners).
- Click here to register. Space is limited. The deadline for registration is May 1, 2026.
- Reserve your hotel room at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco by April 20th for our group rate of $239 + tax