Strategic Shifts in Our Peer Networks

In the spirit of emergent learning, PEAK formed peer groups as a pilot project in 2021 after we received feedback from our members that they would like to connect in new ways beyond the geography-based model of our chapters. As part of the pilot, we explored personal-identity-based caucuses, professional-identity-based affinity groups, and communities of practice for Organization Members interested in discussing specific topics connected to equitable, effective grantmaking practice change.  

After this two-year pilot program ended in June 2023, the PEAK team leaned into our learn, share, evolve principle and took time to reflect on the impact of our peer groups, listen to and learn from member and volunteer leaders’ feedback, and consider how to best serve the needs of our members as our organization continues to evolve.  

We are excited to share these strategic shifts to reimagine our peer groups and we sincerely thank the volunteer leaders who codeveloped our pilot program and acted as cochairs and steering committee members for these groups. We also thank the members who participated in the pilot, candidly offered feedback on the experience, and helped forge a path forward for deeper connections within the PEAK community.   

What’s staying the same 

We will continue to support the following peer groups:   

• Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Caucus 
• Black Caucus 
• Latinx Caucus 
• Intermediaries Affinity Group 
• Small Foundations Affinity Group 

We will also continue to support the Grants Management Directors’ Circle (GMDC), a community of senior-level grants management leaders at high-asset foundations, and its counterpart, the Grants Management Peer Experience, a group for grants management teams at GMDC organizations, will also be brought to PEAK as an official peer group. Participation is exclusive to PEAK Organization Members with assets greater than $2 billion and an annual grants budget of at least $100 million. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rafael Torres.  

We will also continue to support our 14 chapters, which convene members within specific geographic regions. Moving forward, we will provide members and volunteer leaders with a consistent, equitable, and well-integrated approach to programming and support across all our peer networks, which include our chapters and peer groups.  

What’s changing 

We will launch the LGBTQ+ Caucus. Kelsey Andersen, Arcus Foundation, and Elizabeth Powley, MacArthur Foundation, have volunteered to cochair this exploratory group, which will meet for the first time at PEAK2024. We will pilot the group this year to better understand members’ needs.   

We will sunset the following groups:  

• Action and Accountability for Allies Caucus
• DEI Learning Community of Practice
• Tech and Data Futurists Community of Practice
• Equitable Grantmaking Practices Community
• Oral and Alternative Reporting Working Group  

We received feedback from our members and volunteers that many of the topics covered by these groups were important to the full PEAK community and, in some instances, the work felt duplicative of other PEAK offerings, and the conversations taking place were similar to those happening in other peer groups. To streamline efforts and best utilize the time, energy, and expertise of staff and volunteers, PEAK will lead this work, in collaboration with our members, outside of the peer group space. Moving forward, we will activate communities of practice as time-bound, topic-specific groups, facilitated by the PEAK team, where members can learn together, implement practices, share, and evolve. 

New engagement opportunities 

We will be testing new ways to gather members that are meaningful to you, and to PEAK. This will include two new formats: forums and town halls.  

Forums will be spaces created within CONNECT by members who share common interests. When a forum discussion reaches critical mass, PEAK may work with members to host meetings to support and advance the conversation. These spaces will not require a cochair structure like chapters, caucuses, and affinity groups and will instead utilize event hosts. We’ll be shifting the Corporate Grantmakers Affinity Group to be a forum moving forward. We also currently have forums on research, international grantmaking, and consulting. Folks can sign up for forums by contacting us at info@peakgrantmaking.org. Forums may transition to affinity groups or caucuses based on the availability of volunteer leadership, growth in member interest, and alignment with PEAK’s strategic goals. 

Town halls will be periodically led and hosted by PEAK staff for groups that we want to engage or support in connecting. Groups served by forums may also have town halls. For example, last year we hosted a Consultant Member town hall when we were planning to shift dues, which offered an opportunity for members to give the PEAK team input and connect with peers.   

What we learned 

As we chart a new path forward for our peer networks, we appreciate the learnings that have come from our pilot program. Explore insights about our peer groups and by peer group volunteer leaders here:  

• Celebrating PEAK’s AAPI Community 
• Centering Grantees With Reporting Alternatives 
• Champion a Culture of Allyship 
• Emergent Learning in Practice: The cocreation of PEAK’s peer groups 
• Finding Inspiration Within Our Sector and AANHPI Community 
• Finding Your People: How PEAK’s peer groups create spaces of belonging 
• Learning While Leading: Lessons from inside PEAK’s peer networks 
• Making All Feel Welcome 
• A PEAK Peer Community 10 Years in the Making: The story behind the Grants Management Directors’ Circle
• Reflecting on the Past to Lead the Future
• Through the Latinx Caucus, Grants Professionals Find Common Bonds Amid Diverse Experiences

If you have any questions on these changes or you would like to learn more, please contact Peer Group Specialist Rafael Torres at rafael@peakgrantmaking.org.