Join us for PEAK2026 in St. Louis, March 25-27, 2026 to celebrate our 30th anniversary and the very heart of philanthropy: the love of humanity. Our convening theme, Rooted in Purpose, Growing Together, will elevate how PEAK members are, in these times of challenge and uncertainty, spearheading innovations in data, technology, grantmaking and grants management, and working in true partnership to better care for the communities they serve.
We want you to share your boldest ideas to make PEAK2026 an inspirational, action-oriented, and human-centered event. We’re eager to lift up insights from across the PEAK community that explore how members are working to achieve equity and justice for all by streamlining processes and effectively utilizing knowledge management strategies to capture stories of impact. Proposals should embody the convening theme, PEAK’s Principles, and PEAK’s values, and provide grants professionals with an opportunity to connect with their peers and, as a community, develop the knowledge, and skills needed to advance more effective, equitable grantmaking practices. Session proposals must feature thoughtful design that ensures a truly accessible, engaging, and memorable experience for all.
Share your vision and expertise to help make PEAK2026 a transformative event for our community—an experience no one will want to miss in 2026! The deadline for application submissions was Tuesday, November 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT and has passed.
Session Tracks
We have five distinct tracks to help shape the content of this year’s convening. Working within the theme of Rooted in Purpose, Growing Together, session proposals must align with one of five session tracks, each of which reinforces what PEAK stands for: Principles, Equity, Advocacy, and Knowledge.
Driving Equity and Inclusion: As we seek to activate each member to go beyond being good in their role, these sessions will explore how to build trust with community partners and embed equity, inclusion, and racial justice into practices. Here are a few examples of session ideas:
- Embedding equity, inclusion, and racial justice into grantmaking practices
- Utilizing demographic data to support insight, impact, and equity
- Reducing bias in grantmaking policies and practices
Grants Professional Toolkit: Build and hone the essential competencies, knowledge, and technical skills to excel in strategic grantmaking and grants management. Here are a few examples of session ideas:
- IRS regulations, laws impacting grantmaking domestically and internationally
- Reframing risk and recalibrating vetting and assessment processes
- Reducing burden for nonprofit partners and streamlining grant processes
Reimagining Funding Strategies: Learn how grants professionals are evolving their strategies and processes to maximize community impact beyond conventional 501(c)(3) support and be adaptable through uncertain times. Here are a few examples of session ideas:
- Funding policy advocacy, 501(c)(4)s, and grassroots organizations
- Fiscal sponsorship and intermediary grantmaking strategies
- Giving circles and other participatory grantmaking strategies
Harnessing Data and Technology: Understand how to employ technology to operationalize equitable grantmaking practices and improve knowledge sharing, especially when data may no longer be readily available. Here are a few examples of session ideas:
- Storytelling with data and data visualization
- Knowledge management and utilizing data throughout the grant life cycle
- Unlocking artificial intelligence in grantmaking
Strengthening Organizational Culture and Strategic Leadership: Learn how to cultivate supportive organizational cultures and grants professional competencies as people managers, change agents, and collaborators, while prioritizing wellness. Here are a few examples of session ideas:
- Values-aligned leadership
- Career pathways within grants management and beyond
- Supporting wellness, and more equitable, human-centered organizations
Session Formats
Ask Me Anything (75 minutes)
These interactive Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions offer a unique forum where attendees drive the conversation with their questions for a panel of sector leaders with a wide variety of subject matter expertise.
Spark Talk (30 minutes)
These concise sessions feature up to two speakers who present a specific idea, recommendation, or case study using minimal and impactful visuals to spark new ideas and discussion.
Solutions Sprint (75 minutes)
These dynamic sessions combine the high-energy format of speed networking with targeted problem-solving. By proposing a solutions sprint, you will propose a specific, common challenge faced by grants professionals and facilitate a conversation where participants share their knowledge and expertise in dealing with that dilemma. Attendees will enjoy opportunities to network, crowdsource new ideas, and strategize on critical areas of their work, and will leave with practical solutions that represent diverse perspectives.
Workshop (75 minutes)
These interactive, in-person sessions—presented as a hands-on workshop, case study presentation, or facilitated panel discussion—should offer practical tools and approaches for grants professionals to develop essential competencies and skills while allowing for open dialogue and questions from the audience.
Virtual Session (75 minutes)
In addition to our in-person convening, we will host a series of web-exclusive sessions April 22-23, 2026 that will support the diverse learning styles of PEAK2026 attendees. Whether it’s a hands-on workshop, a deep dive into a case study, or an engaging panel discussion, each session will offer grants professionals actionable tools and approaches to build essential competencies and skills from the comfort of their own learning environment.
Application Process
1) Develop the proposal
Download the Proposal Submission Form Guide which outlines the questions in the submission form.
Check our the information session recording and the office hours recording.
Review the FAQ section below and our guidelines for writing a competitive proposal.
2) Submit Your Proposal
Submit your materials through the online submission portal.
The deadline for application submissions was Tuesday, November 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT and has passed. As 2026 marks PEAK’s 30th anniversary, our committee will also be inviting proposals from strategic partners.
3) Notifications
Notifications for all who submit session proposals will be sent in December 2025 via Cvent. If selected, PEAK Grantmaking staff and committee members will reach out to further develop the session with your team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost for speakers to attend the convening?
Presenters are expected to cover their own costs for attending the convening, including convening registration and associated travel expenses. As a nonprofit, PEAK has a limited scholarship fund to help highly engaged community members with these expenses. Applications for this opportunity will open with PEAK2026 registration. We strongly encourage session proposal authors to cover the costs of their nonprofit partners.
How are sessions selected?
The PEAK2026 Planning Committee, comprised of PEAK staff and volunteers, conducts a rigorous review of all proposals, prioritizing content most aligned with the convening theme, session tracks, our accessibility goals, and PEAK’s values and Principles.
Who should submit a proposal?
We encourage proposals from PEAK-aligned grants professionals, including staff and board members from funding institutions, nonprofits, consultants, organizational partners, and vendors who share our mission to elevate the grants profession and implement equity-centered practices in philanthropy.
Who will be in the audience at PEAK2026?
We expect approximately 1,200 attendees in St. Louis, reflecting the depth of our community of over 9,000 grants professionals serving in a variety of critical roles (e.g., grants management, IT, programs, operations) and representing a diverse range of funding institutions (e.g., private, public, corporate, government, intermediary). You can view our Organization Members here.
How many speakers can be part of each session?
All sessions can have up to four speakers, except for spark talks, which are limited to a maximum of two. This rule applies to both in-person and virtual sessions.
Should I submit an application without all speakers being confirmed?
We encourage you to provide any confirmed speaker names in the application. In general, sessions with all speakers provided historically have been scored highest by the committee. If you need assistance from PEAK staff in securing additional speakers, please note this in your proposal.
How are the breakout session rooms set up?
Each room will have a laptop, projector, podium, panel table, and both handheld and stationed microphones. All rooms (except those hosting solutions sprints) will be set up in theater-style to maximize room capacities and ensure all sessions are accessible to attendees. We will not have space for additional breakout areas and ask that you plan for all your session activities to take place in one room.
How many people will be at my breakout session?
Room capacity will vary depending on your session type and popularity but will most likely range between 100 to 300 participants. PEAK tracks which sessions attendees have added to their calendars in the Cvent app. The sessions with the most interest will be assigned to the grand ballroom.
How many sessions do you anticipate having at PEAK2026?
There will be approximately 50–55 sessions at PEAK2026. If your session is not selected for the in-person or virtual convenings, please know that we are exploring other platforms to share compelling content at PEAK events throughout the year. If we decide to feature your idea on another platform, we will be in touch in the weeks following PEAK2026 to discuss options with you.
Can I submit more than one proposal?
To ensure a diverse and fresh program, PEAK will only accept one proposal per individual. We will accept applications from multiple people within the same organization. However, to ensure a balanced program that represents many voices throughout our community, we are striving to feature speakers only once. We kindly ask that you confirm with the speakers you wish to work with that they have not already committed to another PEAK2026 session proposal. Your help in this effort ensures we can showcase the broadest range of perspectives to our attendees.
Can I choose the time when my session will be held?
No. If your proposal is approved, presenters must be available to present in-person during all concurrent session time blocks over the three days of the convening and should arrange their travel plans accordingly.
Will the convening have hybrid sessions with virtual and in-person audiences?
No. All breakout sessions offered in St. Louis will be for in-person audiences only. We will offer a virtual convening April 22-23, 2026 featuring breakouts specifically designed for virtual audiences.
Sponsors
If you are interested in supporting the PEAK2026 breakout sessions or any of the many components that make up PEAK2026, we have a menu of opportunities available. Please reach out to info@peakgrantmaking.org for more information.
Additional Questions
For questions related to session development and troubleshooting Cvent, please contact PEAK Senior Knowledge and Learning Manager Vanessa Elkan at vanessa@peakgrantmaking.org.