TAG2026 Conference Agenda

• Depart from Marriott 1:00 PM
• Arrival at Obama Center 2:00 PM
• Private Campus Tour with docent 2:00 PM
• Museum Self-Guided Access 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
• Transport back to Marriott 5:00 PM

Sponsored by Personified Tech

• AI for Philanthropy Leaders – Sponsored by Social Ledger
• Community Foundations: Shared Tools, Solutions & Strategies – Sponsored by Chariot
• Cybersecurity Strategies for Grantmakers – Sponsored by Novus Insight
• Emerging Leaders: Rewriting Your Leadership Inner Narrative
• Hack-a-Thon – Sponsored by Plinth
• User Group: Foundant
• User Group: Salesforce

Pre-Conference Sessions: $50 (covers refreshements during the session)

For nearly a decade, TAG’s State of Philanthropy Tech survey has tracked how grantmakers are investing in technology and preparing for what comes next. In this opening plenary, hear the first public insights from the 2026 report as leaders discuss five major trends shaping philanthropy—from technology investment and AI to digital risk, workforce capacity, and organizational strategy.

Discover what the data reveals about where the sector is today, how peer organizations are responding, and the leadership decisions that will shape the future. Nikki Barrett, CEO of Grantbook and State of Philanthropy Tech survey sponsor, will be joined on stage by:

• Donell Hammond, Chief Information Technology Officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Lisa Jericho, VP of Innovation and Technology, The Chicago Community Trust
• Jason Johnson, Director, IT Philanthropy Systems, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
• Suni Sidhu, Senior Solutions Architect | Data and Systems, Bainum Family Foundation, (TAG Vice-Chair)

• Bookstore
• Coffee Lounge – Sponsored by Submittable
• Headshot Station – Sponsored by Visionet Systems
• Sponsor Showcase: AkoyaGo
• Sponsor Showcase: Esri
• Sponsor Showcase: Fluxx
• Sponsor Showcase: Foundant

• Beyond the Security Program: Personal Digital and Physical Safety Habits for Foundation Staff
• Building Nonprofit Data & Learning Infrastructure: Lessons from Coffee & Quality
• Building Your Foundation’s AI Learning Plan
• Configuring AI Securely: Encouraging Experimentation while Limiting Shadow AI
• Fine, We’ll Make an AI Policy: A Community-Informed Approach to Making Decisions About AI
• Go Where the Give Is: Finding Your Influence Inside the Organization
• The Connected Foundation: Breaking the Enterprise Silo for Good
• What Does “Good Data” Actually Look Like for Nonprofits? A Collaborative Conversation

• Beyond the Login: A Human-Centered Blueprint for Work-Where-You-Are Grantmaking
• Designing Learning Systems Rooted in Community Experience
• Developing Human AI Literacy
• From Research to Real Talk: The Power of Vodcasting
• Generative AI for Philanthropic Workflows: Learnings from MIT Solve
• Tech & Risk Strategies that Win DAF Donors
• Values in Operation: How Lever for Change Powers Participatory Review at Scale

• Before It Hits the Fan: The Case for a Red Binder
• Defending the Defenders: Building Digital Resilience for Grantees
• Same Mission. New Tools. How to Lead Your Team Through What Comes Next
• Scaling Human Empathy With AI: What Empower Work Learned Building a Counselor Assistant
• Six Billion People Saw This Grant Programme
• Started from the Spreadsheet, Now We’re Here: Building AI-Supported Workflows Around the GMS
• When 8 Million Farmer Questions Become Your Best Impact Data

• Dine Around: Cindy’s Rooftop
• Dine Around: Gibson’s bar & Steakhouse
• Dine Around: RPM Italian

Dine Arounds: $175 (spaces limited / first come, first served)

• Lightning Talk: Light Through Leaves: Before We Lead in Technology
• Lightning Talk: The Weekend that Built a Framework

• Amplifying Impact through Cross-Sector Collaboration
• Building a Funder-Grantee AI Governance Framework: Co-Designing the Missing Middle
• Data Cleanup to Data Confidence
• Designing Grants Systems That Support Learning, Not Just Reporting
• From Data to Decisions: Building Better Reports in Salesforce for Grantmakers
• Play the Dilemma: A Live Ethics-Tech-Policy Simulator for Foundation Tech Leaders
• Scaling Up Without Tuning Out: AI and the Future of Funder Listening
• We’ve Been Hacked! An Interactive Incident Response Tabletop for Grantmakers

• Bookstore
• Coffee Lounge – Sponsored by Submittable
• Headshot Station – Sponsored by Visionet Systems
• Sponsor Showcase: Digital Science
• Sponsor Showcase: ImagineCRM
• Sponsor Showcase: Kindsight

• From “Don’t” to “How”: Rewriting Our AI Policy Around Principles, Not Prohibitions
• Operationalizing Knowledge Management (KM) for Optimal Impact
• Passkeys Instead of Constant Vigilance: A Modern Approach to Phishing
• The Data Visualization Checklist: How to Transform Your Charts from Boring to Brilliant
• The Illusion of Safety: Moving from Compliance Thinking to Real Resilience

You won’t want to miss this! In this keynote, internationally recognized cybersecurity researcher, author, and ethical hacker Alissa Knight will examine the evolving cyber threats facing philanthropy and nonprofits—from ransomware and third-party risk to AI and data security—and share practical strategies for building resilient organizations, protecting sensitive information, and strengthening digital trust.

Followed by a special main stage moment celebrating the history or TAG and it’s members.

• Bookstore
• Coffee Lounge – Sponsored by Submittable
• Headshot Station – Sponsored by Visionet Systems
• Sponsor Showcase: RSM
• Sponsor Showcase: Submittable
• Sponsor Showcase: Temelio

• Beyond the (Tech) Stack: What it Takes to Build an Organizational AI Platform
• From AI Fluency to Everyday Practice: A Practical Planning Session
• From Fragmentation to Flow: Seeing the PDC in Action
• Growing IT Management Capacity at Nonprofits: Best Practices and Models for Funders
• It’s Supposed to Be This Hard: Implementing Mission-Critical Systems
• The Four Bridges: From Reactive Tech Support to Strategic Leadership in Philanthropy Tech
• The Great AI Debate

• AI for Whom? Centering People in Philanthropy’s Digital Transformation
• Data You Can Actually Trust: A Practical Guide for Grantmakers
• Failure Club: Stepping Up Before You Feel Ready
• If We Started Today: Designing an AI‑Native Grantmaker
• The AI Journey at 3 Foundations: Joyce, Kauffman, and Lumina Executives Share Their AI Story
• The Bot Stops Here: Cognitively Engaging Staff During Agent-assisted Grantmaking Due Diligence

In this mainstage conversation, sector leaders will explore what it means to make accessibility a design standard, leadership practice, and shared responsibility across grantmaking systems, data platforms, AI-enabled tools, and digital services, featuring:

• Thomas Dreixler, Infrastructure Engineer, MacArthur Foundation
• Noor Al-Ahmadi, Director of Memberships & Operations, Disability & Philanthropy Forum
• Nicole Brown Booker, Program Director, Borealis Philanthropy

Followed by:

• Lightning Talk: From Records to Relationships: The Next Operating System for Philanthropy
• Lightning Talk: “Can’t We Just Dump It In and Click Start?”: Bridging the Gap Between AI Magic and 20 Years of Human Data
• Lightning Talk: I Said Hell No: A Writer’s Conversion from AI Skeptic to AI Collaborator

• From Reporting to Shared Learning: How Cohorts Change the Job of Data
• How Does AI Actually Work? – Prompt, Token, Response, Demystified
• Make Your Dollar Holler: Thinking of New Ways to Spend a Buck
• Multiplying Impact: How to Strengthen Grantee Capacity Through Cohort-Based Investments
• The Trillion Dollar Question: To AI or Not to AI?

In this mainstage plenary, Jim Fruchterman will draw from his book Better Deal for Data to challenge philanthropy to rethink what it owes the people and communities whose data it collects, shares, and uses to power decision-making and AI. Jim’s remarks will be followed by a panel conversation on data stewardship and best practices featuring:

• Jim Fruchterman, CEO, Tech Matters
• Chigozie Okorie, Director, Business Technology, Annie E. Casey Foundation
• John Palfrey, President, MacArthur Foundation

Followed by a special announcement regarding TAG2027!