Engaging Funders in Budget and Tax Policy for 15 years!

The federal budget is one of the most important policy instruments of our government. It is a moral document that reflects our values and priorities through decisions on how to tax residents and businesses and spend these collective resources. These decisions impact what families have to spend on basic needs and invest in their future, define the size of the federal government and its role in the national economy, and affect the lives of all Americans.

EOF (formerly known as GIST) hosts an annual Budget and Tax Briefing to provide funders and philanthropic advisors with a unique opportunity to learn about and discuss pressing political developments, federal and state budget and tax issues, and emerging advocacy and communications strategies for protecting programs and policies that support struggling families, workers and communities.

2019 Budget and Policy Briefing

2019 Budget and Policy Briefing

February 21-22, 2019 | Washington, DC

EOF and Funders for a Just Economy (FJE) joined together to hold a combined 2019 Budget and Policy Briefing as a way to streamline programming, highlight intersections, eliminate duplication, reduce travel burdens on membership, and economize on meeting expenditures. This two day meeting updated philanthropy about our current understanding of the major forces that will impact worker justice, social protections, and equitable economic policy in the coming years, shed light on offensive and defensive needs on federal, state and local levels, and identified how funders can best support these initiatives.

Agenda

Speaker Bios

Participant List

Keynote Address: Federal Policy, Budget and Revenue Outlook – What’s in store during the 116th Congress? Noted tax and budget policy expert Bob Greenstein provided 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.

PPT
A recording of this session and meeting resource list is available in the members only area of this web site. Login to access and visit the meeting resources section. Not a member? Join EOF (it’s free!).

Many thanks to our terrific planning committee for their time and leadership in shaping this event!

Caitlin Hamood, Stoneman Family Foundations
Robert Shull, Public Welfare Foundation
Anna Wadia, Ford Foundation
Terri Wright, Meyer Foundation

Host a Local 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 anchor federal budget and tax outlook plenary session. Typically, watch parties are organized as two-hour programs, where participants come together to view the federal 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 federal landscape impacts critical programs and services in their state.

Why Host a Watch Party
Watch Party Logistics
2019 Watch Party Hosts
Sample Agenda
Resources

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 and the impact on their state budgets and economies;
Discuss with peers the implications for programs serving children and families; 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. President Trump’s 2018 budget includes massive cuts to state and local programs and services, shifting costs to the states and leaving policymakers with difficult choices about how to respond. With most states struggling to balance their budgets and many facing revenue shortfalls, states may be forced to scale back or eliminate critical programs and services. Programs that support kids and families and help them afford the basics—like food assistance, Medicaid, housing, and education investments—are all at risk.

Local Watch Party Logistics

There is no fee to participate.
Watch parties will participate via a URL link. The only technology needed is an internet connection.
Watch parties can view the federal budget and tax outlook presentation via live webstream tentatively scheduled for February 21, 2019 from 11:00-12:15pm EST or as a recording at a later date.
Participants viewing the live webstream will be on mute, but will have the opportunity to post questions via text or email during the Q&A portion of the session.
Hosts will have the opportunity to test their technology to make sure the provided URL link works and there are no problems with audio or visual connections.
We ask that hosts share watch party details (date, time, venue, sponsors, speakers, and number of participants) so that we can track participation.
Watch party hosts will be recognized on the EOF website and meeting materials.

Interested in hosting a local watch party?

Contact Cema Siegel at csiegel@eofnetwork.org.

Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (Baltimore, MD) – Contact: Elisabeth Hyleck,ehyleck@abagrantmakers.org
Florida Policy Institute and Second Harvest (Orlando, FL) – Contact: Sonia Lindell, Lindell@fpi.institute and Holly Bullard, Bullard@fpi.institute
Gateway Center for Giving (St. Louis, MO) – Contact: Clare Brewka,clare.brewka@centerforgiving.org
Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island (Providence, RI) – Contact: Nancy Wolanski, Nancy.Wolanski@uwri.org
Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, PA) – Contact: Jennifer Nielsen JNielsen@gwpa.org
New York Funders Alliance (Buffalo, NY) – Contact: Emily Alber Chase, emily@nyfunders.org
North Carolina Justice Center (Raleigh, NC) – Contact: Alexandra F. Sirota, alexandra@ncjustice.org
Philanthropy Northwest (Seattle, WA) – Contact: Elyse Gordon, Egordon@philanthropynw.org
Philanthropy Ohio, in partnership with The Gund Foundation (Cleveland, OH) – Contact: John Gest, JGest@philanthropyohio.org
W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation (Chicago, IL) – Contact: Sara Slaughter, sara@wcstonefnd.org and Brandon Thorne, Brandon@wcstonefnd.org

Virtual Budget and Tax Briefing for Grantmakers
[Date, Time]
[Host, Location Address]

Sample Agenda

5-10 minutes	Welcome and Introduction
60 minutes	Federal Policy, Budget and Revenue Outlook – What’s in store during the 115th Congress? Noted tax and budget policy expert Bob Greenstein will provide an overview of the key provisions in the federal budget; discuss current and upcoming budget debates and battles; and offer insights on the potential impact for struggling families, workers and communities. Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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: How does the federal tax and budget landscape impact our state/locality? How do federal decisions impact the resources our state and local leaders can access for critical safety net human services, health and/or education services? If proposed federal changes go through, how would this impact the areas our foundations focus on and our grantmaking seeks to advance? What is the policy and advocacy infrastructure in our state/locality to help inform federal and state decision makers? How is it connected to federal and state tax and budget debates? What are its strengths and areas that need attention? How can we, as grantmakers, work collaboratively to ensure that decisions made about public funding impacting struggling populations and communities are informed by the best practices of our grantees? [Add speaker names here].
5-10 minutes	Closing Remarks/Adjourn

Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis, The Pew Charitable Trusts, November 18, 2019.
Addressing the Family-Sized Hole Federal Tax Reform Left for States, by Richard C. Auxier, Elaine Maag, Tax Policy Center, November 15, 2018.
Federal Aid to State and Local Governments, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 19, 2018.
Federal Tax Reform and the States, National Conference of State Legislatures, April 1, 2018.
Fiscal Survey of the States, National Association of State Budget Officers, Spring 2018.
How Much Do States Rely on Federal Funding?By Mike Maciag, Governing, May 22, 2017.

Why Host a Watch Party

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 and the impact on their state budgets and economies;
Discuss with peers the implications for programs serving children and families; and
Consider grantmaking strategies and opportunities for collaboration with like minded stakeholders.

Watch Party Logistics

Local Watch Party Logistics

There is no fee to participate.
Watch parties will participate via a URL link. The only technology needed is an internet connection.
Watch parties can view the federal budget and tax outlook presentation via live webstream tentatively scheduled for February 21, 2019 from 11:00-12:15pm EST or as a recording at a later date.
Participants viewing the live webstream will be on mute, but will have the opportunity to post questions via text or email during the Q&A portion of the session.
Hosts will have the opportunity to test their technology to make sure the provided URL link works and there are no problems with audio or visual connections.
We ask that hosts share watch party details (date, time, venue, sponsors, speakers, and number of participants) so that we can track participation.
Watch party hosts will be recognized on the EOF website and meeting materials.

2019 Watch Party Hosts

Interested in hosting a local watch party?

Contact Cema Siegel at csiegel@eofnetwork.org.

Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (Baltimore, MD) – Contact: Elisabeth Hyleck,ehyleck@abagrantmakers.org
Florida Policy Institute and Second Harvest (Orlando, FL) – Contact: Sonia Lindell, Lindell@fpi.institute and Holly Bullard, Bullard@fpi.institute
Gateway Center for Giving (St. Louis, MO) – Contact: Clare Brewka,clare.brewka@centerforgiving.org
Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island (Providence, RI) – Contact: Nancy Wolanski, Nancy.Wolanski@uwri.org
Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, PA) – Contact: Jennifer Nielsen JNielsen@gwpa.org
New York Funders Alliance (Buffalo, NY) – Contact: Emily Alber Chase, emily@nyfunders.org
North Carolina Justice Center (Raleigh, NC) – Contact: Alexandra F. Sirota, alexandra@ncjustice.org
Philanthropy Northwest (Seattle, WA) – Contact: Elyse Gordon, Egordon@philanthropynw.org
Philanthropy Ohio, in partnership with The Gund Foundation (Cleveland, OH) – Contact: John Gest, JGest@philanthropyohio.org
W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation (Chicago, IL) – Contact: Sara Slaughter, sara@wcstonefnd.org and Brandon Thorne, Brandon@wcstonefnd.org

Sample Agenda

Virtual Budget and Tax Briefing for Grantmakers
[Date, Time]
[Host, Location Address]

Sample Agenda

5-10 minutes	Welcome and Introduction
60 minutes	Federal Policy, Budget and Revenue Outlook – What’s in store during the 115th Congress? Noted tax and budget policy expert Bob Greenstein will provide an overview of the key provisions in the federal budget; discuss current and upcoming budget debates and battles; and offer insights on the potential impact for struggling families, workers and communities. Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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: How does the federal tax and budget landscape impact our state/locality? How do federal decisions impact the resources our state and local leaders can access for critical safety net human services, health and/or education services? If proposed federal changes go through, how would this impact the areas our foundations focus on and our grantmaking seeks to advance? What is the policy and advocacy infrastructure in our state/locality to help inform federal and state decision makers? How is it connected to federal and state tax and budget debates? What are its strengths and areas that need attention? How can we, as grantmakers, work collaboratively to ensure that decisions made about public funding impacting struggling populations and communities are informed by the best practices of our grantees? [Add speaker names here].
5-10 minutes	Closing Remarks/Adjourn

Resources

Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis, The Pew Charitable Trusts, November 18, 2019.
Addressing the Family-Sized Hole Federal Tax Reform Left for States, by Richard C. Auxier, Elaine Maag, Tax Policy Center, November 15, 2018.
Federal Aid to State and Local Governments, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 19, 2018.
Federal Tax Reform and the States, National Conference of State Legislatures, April 1, 2018.
Fiscal Survey of the States, National Association of State Budget Officers, Spring 2018.
How Much Do States Rely on Federal Funding?By Mike Maciag, Governing, May 22, 2017.

2018 Budget and Tax Briefing

15th Annual Budget and Tax Briefing: Navigating the Challenges Ahead Together

March 22-23, 2018 | Washington, DC

Agenda

Speaker Bios

Participant List

Related Resources

Keynote Address: Federal Policy, Budget and Revenue Outlook – What’s in store during the 115th Congress? Noted tax and budget policy expert Bob Greenstein provided 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.

PPT
A recording is available to EOF members in the members only area of this web site. Not a member? Join EOF (it’s free!).

Many thanks to our Watch Party Hosts:

Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (Baltimore, MD) – Contact: Elisabeth Hyleck,ehyleck@abagrantmakers.org
Gateway Center for Giving (St. Louis, MO) – Contact: Clare Brewka,clare.brewka@centerforgiving.org
Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island (Providence, RI) – Contact: Nancy Wolanski, Nancy.Wolanski@uwri.org
Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, PA) – Contact: Jennifer Nielsen JNielsen@gwpa.org
New York Funders Alliance (Buffalo, NY) – Contact: Emily Alber Chase, emily@nyfunders.org
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) – Contact: Theresa Jackson, theresa@philanthropynetwork.org
Philanthropy Ohio, in partnership with The Gund Foundation (Cleveland, OH) – Contact: John Gest, JGest@philanthropyohio.org
W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation, in partnership with the Steans Family Foundation (Chicago, IL) – Contact: Sara Slaughter, sara@wcstonefnd.org and Brandon Thorne, Brandon@wcstonefnd.org