Council on Foundations 2012 Annual Conference

Register today to join your grantmaker colleagues in LA for the Council on Foundations 2012 Annual Conference. GFEM will present sessions on games for good and mobile technology, convene our annual members’ meeting and co-host the COF Film & Video Festival.

Register for this year's conference here. Whether you are a COF member or not, GFEM members may register for the conference at discounted COF member rates using promo code: 00005826.

GFEM SESSIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Saturday, April 28 @ 2 - 5 pm (Gold Ballroom 4, 1st Floor)
GFEM Member Meeting

Our annual members’ meeting comes at a time of great change and opportunity for media and philanthropy. This year’s meeting will offer an update GFEM's new strategic framework, and then focus on trends and evolution in public and independent media, including expansion and diversification of public radio, innovations in journalism and challenges facing public television. Presenters will include Bill Davis, President, Southern California Public Radio and Michelle Levander, Director of the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism and founder of the Boyle Heights Beat, along with Mary Lou Fulton, Program Officer at the California Endowment. Boyle Heights Beat is a hyper-local, multi-lingual, dual print and online news service created by youth and adult journalists covering the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Southern California Public Radio operates KPCC public radio, which has become the largest public radio service in Southern California in little more than a decade of operations.

Saturday, April 28 @ 8:30 - 10:30 pm (Platinum Ballroom F, 2nd Floor)
Henry Hampton Awards in recognition of The Interrupters and filmmaker Steve James
An evening of celebration highlighting innovation in film, storytelling and technology for good.

The 2012 Henry Hampton Award goes to The Interrupters, a MacArthur Foundation-supported film by Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz made with Kartemquin Films. The Interrupters is a powerful film from the creators of Hoop Dreams, which presents a raw and unflinching portrait of CeaseFire and its courageous struggle to eradicate violence in the gritty streets of Chicago.
Academy Award nominated director John Singleton will present the award to director Steve James, followed by a discussion with CeaseFire founder Gary Slutkin and Interrupter Ameena Matthews. In addition, we’ll hear about a collaborative effort to expand the CeaseFire approach through the creation of a mobile phone-based initiative, called PeaceTXT.

Tickets are $25 for non-GFEM members and $15 for GFEM members. Contact Evelyn Gibson (703-879-0691) for tickets or more information.



Sunday, April 29 @ 9 am – A Funder Roundtable (Gold Ballroom 4, 1st Floor)
Interrupting the Epidemic of Urban Violence
Join funders for an in-depth discussion about the anti-violence group CeaseFire, which is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson and McCormick Foundations, and highlighted in the Henry Hampton Award winning film, The Interrupters, with support from the MacArthur Foundation. The roundtable discussion is a chance for funders to delve into the core strategy and success of the CeaseFire project and hear how the model is being used throughout the country. Funders will also learn about the collaborative tech innovation, PeaceTXT, created by Ushahidi and Medic Mobile, coordinated by the social innovation PopTech Accelerator and supported by the Rita Allen Foundation.
Breakfast available from 8:30 a.m.



Sunday, April 29 @ 2:30-4 pm (Platinum Ballroom C, 2nd Floor)
Games for Social Innovation and Impact: A How-To and Exploratorium
Games provide a unique engagement opportunity. Learn how to boost your effectiveness as a funder using fresh approaches and innovative strategies from the world of games, and get an inside look at how games are being deployed in novel ways for maximum social impact.
Presenters: Michelle Byrd, Co-President, Games for Change; Tracy Fullerton, Associate Professor, USC Interactive Media Division; Jessica Goldfin, Special Assistant to the President, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and Dan White, CEO, Filament Games


Monday, April 30 @ 10 - 11:30 am (Gold Ballroom 3, 1st Floor)
The Future is Mobile: Leveraging the Power in Everyone's Hand
From Egypt to East Los Angeles, changemakers are generating enormous impact with mobile phone strategies. How can foundations support grantees in using mobile applications to meet their mission? Join practitioners and funder colleagues for hands-on learning and group discussion.
Presenters: John Bracken, Director/Journalism and Media Innovation, John S. & James L. Knight Foundation; and Manuel Santamaria, Grantmaking Director, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Moderator: Laura Efurd, Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, ZeroDivide


Monday, April 30 @ 1 - 2:30 pm (Platinum Ballroom I/J, 2nd Floor)
Hands on Innovation: Game Theory and Mechanics for Social Impact
Join top practitioners in game development for a deep dive into the world of games for social good. Gain knowledge of game theory and practice and learn how games are being used to address urgent issues—from human rights and immigration to sustainable agriculture and community development.
Presenters: Tracy Fullerton, Associate Professor, USC Interactive Media Division; Kristy Norindr, Research Manager, University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts; Susana Ruiz, Cofounder, Take Action Games and PhD Candidate, USC Media Arts + Practice; Benjamin Stokes, Researcher/PhD Student, USC Annenberg School for Communication



Monday, April 30 @ 6:30 - 9:30 pm (Platinum Ballroom F, 2nd Floor)
A Special Dinner Celebrating the Lifetime Achievement for Filmmaker Stanley Nelson
A night of living history in the City of Angels, featuring Stanley Nelson and discussion with Anna Deavere Smith.  
 
Celebrate Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and MacArthur Fellow Stanley Nelson and enjoy dinner and an intimate conversation on film, history and Mr. Nelson’s widely-lauded documentary Freedom Riders.
Introduced by Ralph Smith of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this evening features lively dialogue and media highlights recognizing Mr. Nelson’s unique genius in bringing the essential stories of the 20th century to the screen and into our collective conscience. Following dinner Anna Deavere Smith will moderate the discussion with veteran civil rights leader and Freedom Rider Reverend James Lawson and Saket Soni of the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice.

Tickets are $40 for GFEM members and $50 for nonmembers. Contact Evelyn Gibson (703-879-0691) for tickets or more information.



Games pavilion in Resource Central, co-presented by GFEM, Games for Change, Knight Foundation, and USC’s Games Lab
A new theme that will run throughout the conference is the use of games for social good and to advance learning. Special sessions and interactive activities will invite participants to experience how games can enhance the work of philanthropy. The games programming was developed by a team that includes Michelle Byrd, Games for Change; Tracy Fullerton, University of Southern California Interactive Media Division; Kristy Norindr, University of Southern California Game Innovation Lab; Mayur Patel, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Vince Stehle, Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM).

For game demo times and more information see http://www.cof.org/events/conferences/2012Annual/gamming.cfm

 

Non-GFEM Events of Interest

Sunday, April 29, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. - Gold Ballroom 2, 1st Floor

Post-Modern Communication for 21st Century Foundations

How do foundations address power, technology and audience differently in the 21st century? If foundation practices (including communications) within philanthropy don't innovate, take more chances, become more creative and engage more audiences - near and far - we will become relics of history.

Monday April 30, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. - Platinum Ballroom, Salon C, 2nd Floor

Philanthropy and the Digital Public Dialogue: Challenges and New Opportunities

Whether commissioning and disseminating research, communicating on their issues of concern, or funding media and technology projects, foundations play a diverse and important role in our public dialogue. Recent advances in digital technology, rapid changes in how citizens access and engage with news and information, and the continued reshaping of the traditional media are dramatically altering the environment in which foundations operate. Join the newly launched Center for Digital Information in a roundtable conversation about the challenges and opportunities for philanthropy in an increasingly digitized public debate. #CDICOF