Events
Webinar Series
Funding Policy Advocacy in 2025: Reflections, Takeaways, and Next Steps—Bolder Advocacy Series
January 15, 2025 @ 11:00 am – 11:45 am PST
Join us for a webinar series exploring how funders can effectively support a wide array of advocacy strategies within a food and agriculture context. Organized in partnership with Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy Program, these 4-sessions will provide funders with practical information and skill building opportunities in supporting election season advocacy and policymaker engagement, and how to structure policy related grants.
We encourage attendance at all four webinars to maximize learning, though recordings will be made available for those unable to attend live. SAFSF will host a concluding reflection session to synthesize insights, discuss integrating learnings into 2025 funding strategies, and address ongoing challenges.
This webinar series is available as a benefit for SAFSF members. Not a member? Join our community by contacting our Senior Membership Associate, Holly Enowski at [email protected] to receive an application or for an information call.
Goals
This virtual programming series will enable SAFSF members to:
- Understand why engaging in policy advocacy is essential for foundations and investors to achieve their missions;
- Build support across the foundation for policy advocacy engagement;
- Understand characteristics of grantmaking that support effective policy advocacy;
- Understand how to comply with lobbying restrictions and build relationships with policymakers;
- Build relationships and learn from peers engaged in policy advocacy funding.
Outcomes
After attending this virtual programming series, SAFSF members should feel confident in:
- Recognizing the broad scope of activities and strategies that can be considered policy advocacy;
- Initiating or continuing conversations with foundation board members about prioritizing policy advocacy; and
- How to support grantees engaged in policy advocacy.
Part 4
SAFSF members are invited to join an informal discussion to connect with peers engaged in funding policy advocacy. Funders will have the opportunity to ask Bolder Advocacy senior counsel follow-up questions about content covered in this series including funding election-related advocacy, engaging with policymakers, and strategies to structure policy-related grants. With the 119th Congress fresh underway and the inauguration of a new administration just days away, funders will also have the chance to reflect on opportunities to incorporate learnings into 2025 funding strategies. Discussion questions will include:
- How are you supporting coalitions and frontline communities in engaging in advocacy in 2025 and beyond?
- How is your organization monitoring potential politically motivated threats to your grantees and how are you prepared to respond?
- How is your organization planning to engage with policymakers, including career staff at federal agencies, this year?
- How is your organization thinking about administrative advocacy this year?
- What’s a new strategy or tactic you’re planning to explore in 2025?
- What additional content or programming related to funding policy work would be helpful for SAFSF to organize?
Speakers:
Sarah Efthymiou serves as Senior Counsel for the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice. In her role, she provides technical assistance, resources, and training to help nonprofit advocates understand their rights and abilities to advocate, lobby, engage in election related activities, and fund advocacy.
Prior to joining Alliance for Justice in 2023, Sarah served as a Directing Attorney at Public Law Center in Orange County, where she provided legal assistance and outside general counsel services to nonprofit organizations and social enterprises.
Sarah holds a B.A. from University of Redlands and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of California and currently resides in SoCal.
Tim Mooney is senior counsel with the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice. He provides one-on-one technical assistance for nonprofit advocates, teaches nonprofit and election law workshops and writes on these issues for Bolder Advocacy publications. This is his second tour with Alliance for Justice, having previously served as senior counsel from 2001-2006.
Tim began his legal career as co-founder and counsel for Columbia Riverkeeper, working to protect and restore the largest watershed in the Pacific Northwest. Following his first five years with Alliance for Justice, Tim was senior counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He spent the next decade as general counsel and director of operations for Tranquil Space yoga studios and later consulted on legal, tech and business operations for entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Tim serves on the board of directors of Pigs & Pugs Project, a charity that supports pig sanctuaries and pug rescue organizations.
Tim earned his B.S. in Environmental Studies from Syracuse University/SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and his J.D. from Pace University School of Law
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