About the Briefing
A solid understanding of budget and tax policy in the current political and economic climate is crucial for anyone working in philanthropy.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes deep cuts to vital programs like healthcare, housing, food assistance, and education while giving huge tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. This legislation will make it harder to fund the services people need most and shifts significant administrative and eligibility burdens onto states, forcing them to either cut spending, use up emergency funds, or raise taxes.
EOF, in conjunction with the Tax Funders Equity Network, will host the 2026 Budget and Tax Briefing on March 26-27, 2026, in Arlington, VA.
This two-day funder briefing begins with an Ideas Showcase (March 26) on visionary and actionable approaches to revenue generation and public benefit access, followed by an analysis of the federal and state budget and tax landscape and strategizing for what comes next (March 27). Together we will explore:
- The stakes: What’s happening at the federal and state levels and how it impacts workers, families, and our communities.
- The response: Strategies underway to shape the budget and tax fights ahead.
- The solutions: Policy and program changes needed to create stronger and more equitable revenue systems and public benefits access at every level of government now, and the visionary strategies to build a better set of policies and programs for workers, families, and our communities, in the years to come.
- The opportunity: The critical role and responsibility of funders in meeting the challenges of the moment and supporting bold solutions to build a more inclusive and equitable future.
Since 2004, EOF has hosted an Annual Budget and Tax Briefing in the Washington, DC metro area. It is the only event of its kind focused on philanthropy and budget and tax policy.
Venue
Convene is located at 1201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209.
The meeting will be held at Convene, in the D.C. metro’s tallest building, in Arlington, VA.
Convene at 1201 Wilson Boulevard is located between North Lynn Street and North Moore Street on Wilson Boulevard.
Schedule at a Glance
Speakers
Michael Cassidy
Michael Cassidy is the Director of Policy Reform and Advocacy at The Annie E. Casey Foundation and an EOF Steering Committee member.
Brooke Lierman
Brooke Lierman is the 34th Comptroller of the state of Maryland.
Sharon Parrott
Sharon Parrott is President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Registration
Who is Eligible to Attend:
The following do not qualify:
- Fundraising or development staff. Eligible participants must oversee or manage an organization’s giving programs.
- Staff from institutions whose primary function is not philanthropic, including those that regrant funds.
- Staff from grantmaking institutions that only make grants to their members or affiliates.
Questions about your registration eligibility? Contact [email protected].
Fees:
- Full program (Day Ticket for March 26, March 26 Dinner Program, Day Ticket for March 27): $350
- Day Ticket: $150
- Dinner Program Only: $100
Regular: (registration closes March 13)
- Full program (Day Ticket for March 26, March 26 Dinner Program, Day Ticket for March 27): $450
- Day Ticket: $200
- Dinner Program Only: $100
If the registration fee presents a financial barrier to your participation, please contact us at [email protected] to discuss our limited discount and scholarship opportunities.
Become a Sponsor
Support EOF and this signature event by becoming a sponsor! Sponsorship levels start at $1,500 and provide the unique opportunity to support the engagement of national, regional, and local philanthropy in budget and tax policy.
Sponsors receive free meeting registrations and recognition on the conference program, signage, marketing, and EOF website.
Support EOF and this hallmark event by becoming a sponsor.
Thank You To Our Sponsors
We are deeply grateful for the support of our 2026 Budget and Tax Briefing sponsors.
Host a Watch Party
Since 2014, local watch parties have been organized to expand our reach to funders unable to travel to DC by web-streaming our federal budget and tax outlook plenary session. Typically, watch parties are organized as two-hour programs, during which participants come together to view the budget and tax outlook presentation (live or as a recording on a later date) and then engage in a discussion with local experts on how the current landscape impacts critical programs and services in their state or area of interest (e.g. workforce development or child care and early learning).
Interested in learning more about local watch parties? Contact Cema Siegel at [email protected].
Watch Party Goals
The purpose of the watch parties is to help state and local funders:
- Gain a better understanding of this year’s pressing federal budget and tax issues;
- Discuss with peers the implications for programs serving struggling workers, families, and communities; and
- Consider grantmaking strategies and opportunities for collaboration with like-minded stakeholders.
Why Federal Budget and Tax Policy Matters to State and Local Funders
States get about one-third of their revenue from the federal government — funds that help pay for health care, schools, housing, roads, child care, job training, and a range of other programs. Unlike the federal government, most states and localities must balance their budgets every year and are directly affected by fluctuations in federal funding, presenting state policymakers with important choices regarding how to adjust their own spending in response.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a sweeping piece of legislation that will reshape the landscape of public funding and tax equity in the United States. It makes deep cuts to healthcare, housing, food assistance, and education while giving billions in tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. This law is highly regressive, increases the complexity of tax systems, grows the deficit and diminishes our ability to raise the revenue needed to provide services and good systems for the people who need it most. It also shifts significant administrative and eligibility burdens onto states, forcing lawmakers to make critical choices about cutting spending, tapping reserves, or increasing property and other state taxes.
Watch Party Logistics
- There is no fee to participate.
- Watch parties can be organized for the federal budget and tax outlook session and/or the state budet and tax outlook session live or as a recording at a later time or date.
- EOF will provide a Zoom link to share with registrants.
- As a watch party host, you set up (and co-brand) registration for your watch party.
- Hosts can provide supplemental programming (in-person or virtual), where participants view the federal budget and tax outlook presentation (live or a recording) and then engage in a discussion with local experts on how the current landscape impacts critical programs and services in their state or around a particular issue area (e.g. workforce development or child care and early learning). We recommend scheduling your supplemental program within 4 weeks of the live stream to ensure the content is timely and up-to-date. Watch party hosts can watch the live stream/recording during their supplemental program or share the link as pre-viewing for their program. Hosts also have the option of sharing the state budget and tax outlook Zoom link or recording as pre-viewing for their program.
- For hosts who don’t have the bandwidth to provide supplemental programming, it is also possible to just share the Zoom link(s) with your registrants.
- Watch party hosts will be recognized on the EOF website and meeting materials.
Budget and Tax Briefing for Grantmakers
[Date, Time]
[Host, Location Address]
Sample Agenda
| 5 minutes | Welcome and Introductions |
| 45 minutes | Federal Budget and Tax Outlook Government services, structures, and systems are an essential foundation for a healthy economy where opportunity and prosperity are broadly and equitably shared. Noted tax and budget policy expert Sharon Parrott will provide an overview on the key provisions in the federal budget, discuss current and upcoming budget debates, and offer insights on the potential impact on struggling families, workers and communities.
|
| 60 minutes | Funder Discussion Local experts will share their perspective on [state’s] fiscal landscape and how the federal landscape will affect funding for critical programs and services serving children and families in [state]. We will then have an open discussion about what this means for our work as funders and for the work of our grantees. Local speakers may include staff from the State Priorities Partnership group in your state or other non-profit human services coalitions. Sample questions your follow-up conversation might explore:
[Add speaker names here]. |
| 5 minutes | Closing Remarks and Adjourn |
Related Resources:
- The Big Shift: An Analysis of the Local Cost of Federal Cuts: This report from the National Association of Counties examines how recent federal spending cuts and policy changes are shifting costs onto county governments.
- Tracking the Fallout From State Tax Cuts: This new resource from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities features stories, case studies analyses of the latest tax developments related to state tax cuts.
- PEW Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis: This interactive resource from The Pew Charitable Trusts, allows you to sort and analyze data on key fiscal, economic, and demographic trends in the 50 states and understand their impact on states’ fiscal health.
- Urban Institute State Fiscal Briefs: National recessions and federal tax and spending changes can affect budgets in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And big policy questions, such as whether to increase teacher salaries or expand health care access, can pop up in many states at the same time. But each state faces unique economic, political, cultural, and historical pressures that affect how fiscal issues emerge and how problems are resolved. That’s why the State and Local Finance Initiative put together these 51 briefs, detailing the dynamics that influence major policy issues in each state.
2026 Watch Party hosts TBA. See our 2025 hosts below.
Thank You!
Many thanks to the EOF Steering Committee and our Planning Committee for their time and leadership in shaping this event!
Planning Committee
- Kathy Stohr, Pritzker Children’s Initiative
- Kit Judge, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Marcia Egbert, The George Gund Foundation
- Melanie Styles, Abell Foundation
EOF Steering Committee
- Anna Shireen Wadia, Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund
- Eesha Bhave, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
- Lauren King, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Marcia Egbert, The George Gund Foundation
- Michael Cassidy, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Nisha Patel, The Kresge Foundation