Annual Budget and Tax Briefing

Engaging funders in budget and tax policy for more than two decades!

Public budgets are one of the most important policy instruments of our government. They are 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 government and its role in the national economy, and affect the lives of all Americans.

EOF hosts an annual Budget and Tax Briefing to provide funders and philanthropic advisors with a unique opportunity to learn about and discuss why federal and state budget and tax work matters to national, state and local philanthropy.

This year’s Budget Briefing was a no contact, high engagement virtual series of events that included four funder learning webinars on Wednesdays in April.

PART ONE: Federal Policy, Budget, and Revenue Outlook

April 6, 2022, 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Government services, structures and systems are an essential foundation for a healthy economy where opportunity and prosperity are broadly and equitably shared. Join us to learn more about key provisions in the federal budget, upcoming budget debates, and strategies that connect racial and economic equity and an inclusive democracy.

Robb Gray, Director of Policy-Advocacy, W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Moderator)
Taifa Smith Butler, President, Demos
Sharon Parrott, President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

View the recap and recording.

PART TWO: State Policy, Budget, and Revenue Outlook: A Focus on the South

April 13, 2022, 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Southern communities have been navigating some of the most challenging political and economic climates for decades. Too often, the South is a laboratory for regressive policies that are exported to other places. But the South is also a springboard for visionary thinking, the birthplace of national movements with a rich history of innovative organizing. Home to more than one-third of the country’s population, including many of the fastest growing cities and regions, what happens in the South will have a profound impact on the entire country and our collective future. Join us to learn more about key battles and opportunities in the South and lessons learned and insights from campaigns in Alabama and Florida.

Ethan Frey, Program Officer, Civic Engagement & Government, Ford Foundation (Moderator)
Zelalem Adefris, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, Catalyst Miami
Robyn Hyden, Executive Director, Alabama Arise
John Simpkins, President, MDC

View the recap and recording.

PART THREE: 10 Years of the EITC Pooled Fund: Looking Back, Looking Forward

April 20, 2022, 1:00-2:00pm ET

Launched in 2012, the EITC Pooled Fund has awarded more than $6 million to 39 networks, helping to advance economic opportunity for low-income workers and their families across the country through the creation and expansion of tax credits. This session will explore what the Fund has learned over the last decade and engage funders in a conversation on the work that lies ahead.

Ami Nagle, Co-director, Economic Opportunity Funders (Moderator)
Erin Currier, Senior Program Officer, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Rachel Isacoff, Manager, Economic Policy and Energy Justice, U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation
Devin Simpson, Associate Director, The Hatcher Group
Samantha Waxman, Senior Policy Analyst, State Fiscal Analysis, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

View the recap and video.

PART FOUR: Meet the 2022 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Winner-- Northwest Workers’ Justice Project

April 27, 2022, 1:00-1:30pm ET

Northwest Workers’ Justice Project (NWJP) has been named the recipient of EOF’s 2022 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award. For decades NWJP has championed Oregon’s low-wage, immigrant, and contingent community through litigation, policy advocacy, and support for worker organizing, outreach, and education. Join us for a one-on-one conversation with NWJP Director, Corinna Spencer-Scheurich, to learn more about their work to achieve justice for low-wage workers as they advocate on their own behalf and how they bring their deep grassroots and local experience to the national stage.

Stephanie Davison, Program Officer, Human Services, The Kresge Foundation and EOF Steering Committee member (Moderator)
Corinna Spencer-Scheurich, Director, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project

View the video and learn more.

watch party

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 federal budget and tax outlook plenary session. Typically, watch parties are organized as two-hour programs, where 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.

Interested in learning more about local watch parties? Contact Cema Siegel at csiegel@eofnetwork.org.

Why Host a Watch Party
Watch Party Logistics
2022 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 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. Revenue growth and unprecedented federal aid will shape many upcoming legislative sessions as states determine funding priorities for the coming year. Policymakers will face critical choices on whether to prioritize tax cuts or investments that will support a robust recovery and reduce long-standing racial and economic inequities that the pandemic exposed and worsened.

Local Watch Party Logistics

There is no fee to participate.
The only technology needed is an internet connection.
Watch parties can view the Federal Budget and Tax Outlook session live (note: there will be a 20 second delay for the livestream) or as a recording at a later date. We recommend scheduling your program within 4 weeks of the livestream to ensure the content is timely and up-to-date, as the federal policy, budget, and revenue landscape changes so quickly.
EOF will provide you with the YouTube Livestream/Recording Link (the link will be the same for the livestream and recording).
As a watch party host, you set up your own registration and share the link with registrants. Typically, watch parties are organized as two-hour programs (in-person or virtual), where participants view the budget and tax outlook presentation 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.
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.

Many thanks to our 2022 Watch Party Hosts!

Interested in hosting a local watch party? Contact Cema Siegel at csiegel@eofnetwork.org.

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

Sample Agenda

5-10 minutes	Welcome and Introductions
60 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. Join us to learn more about key provisions in the federal budget, upcoming budget debates, and strategies that connect racial and economic equity and an inclusive democracy. Sharon Parrott, President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Taifa Smith Butler, President, Demos
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

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.
NCSL State Fiscal Briefs: NCSL Fiscal Briefs are snapshots of timely state budget and tax issues. Check back monthly for the latest brief compiled by NCSL’s Fiscal Affairs Team.
State Rundown 1/20: Governors Eyeing Tax Cuts in Yearly Addresses, ITEP, January 20, 2022.
ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Fund Allocations, National Conference of State Legislatures, December 12, 2021.
How States Can Best Use Federal Fiscal Recovery Funds: Lessons From State Choices So Far, By Ed Lazere, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 29, 2021.
Anti-Racist State Budgets: The Social Safety Net, Six, October 8, 2021.
How much money does your state receive from the federal government? By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall Street, USA Today, March 20, 2019.
Federal Aid to State and Local Governments, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 19, 2018.

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 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

Watch Party Logistics

Local Watch Party Logistics

There is no fee to participate.
The only technology needed is an internet connection.
Watch parties can view the Federal Budget and Tax Outlook session live (note: there will be a 20 second delay for the livestream) or as a recording at a later date. We recommend scheduling your program within 4 weeks of the livestream to ensure the content is timely and up-to-date, as the federal policy, budget, and revenue landscape changes so quickly.
EOF will provide you with the YouTube Livestream/Recording Link (the link will be the same for the livestream and recording).
As a watch party host, you set up your own registration and share the link with registrants. Typically, watch parties are organized as two-hour programs (in-person or virtual), where participants view the budget and tax outlook presentation 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.
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.

2022 Watch Party Hosts

Many thanks to our 2022 Watch Party Hosts!

Interested in hosting a local watch party? Contact Cema Siegel at csiegel@eofnetwork.org.

Sample Agenda

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

Sample Agenda

5-10 minutes	Welcome and Introductions
60 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. Join us to learn more about key provisions in the federal budget, upcoming budget debates, and strategies that connect racial and economic equity and an inclusive democracy. Sharon Parrott, President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Taifa Smith Butler, President, Demos
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

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.
NCSL State Fiscal Briefs: NCSL Fiscal Briefs are snapshots of timely state budget and tax issues. Check back monthly for the latest brief compiled by NCSL’s Fiscal Affairs Team.
State Rundown 1/20: Governors Eyeing Tax Cuts in Yearly Addresses, ITEP, January 20, 2022.
ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Fund Allocations, National Conference of State Legislatures, December 12, 2021.
How States Can Best Use Federal Fiscal Recovery Funds: Lessons From State Choices So Far, By Ed Lazere, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 29, 2021.
Anti-Racist State Budgets: The Social Safety Net, Six, October 8, 2021.
How much money does your state receive from the federal government? By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall Street, USA Today, March 20, 2019.
Federal Aid to State and Local Governments, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 19, 2018.

Budget and Tax Briefing Archive

Access an archive of select Budget and Tax Briefings here.