About this issue
In this issue, we share the stories of how PEAK members are growing their skills, asserting their leadership, and rising up as leaders of change to push, pull, and sometimes drag philanthropy forward to make it more efficient, more effective, and more equitable.
This edition of PEAK’s member magazine is now open to the community. Not yet a member? Click here to learn about the benefits of joining PEAK, including access to member-exclusive publications, resources, our discussion forum, and more.
What's Inside
Letter from the Editors
As PEAK celebrates its 25th year, we reflect on what brought us here: you.
In this issue, we celebrate the journeys of accidental technologists and process pioneers who led critical, formative work to make grantmaking more efficient, more effective, and ultimately, more equitable.
To help tell PEAK Grantmaking’s story, we’ve asked members of our community to share their own career experiences; to explore how they are moving within the field to grow their skills and assert their leadership; and to delve into all the ways that they have risen up as leaders of change to push, pull, and sometimes drag the field forward.
Their stories and insights testify to the importance of building networks and connections to provide support as mentors and peers. We hear over and over about the importance of advocating for yourself at work, carving out your own path, and with it, a path forward for philanthropy. Our community—one we often hear is one of the most inclusive and welcoming in philanthropy—has nurtured a circle of emergent learning where anyone who is concerned about improving practices can find help in the form of a co-conspirator, a friendly ear, a policy sample, or a resource.
Today, the PEAK community is bigger and more diverse than ever, engaging an ever-widening array of philanthropic professionals. Each new member makes our opportunities to learn richer, our enthusiasm for peer sharing deeper, and the way forward clearer.
As we reflect on all the progress we’ve made to date, we look with anticipation to the journey ahead and to where another quarter century of growth and partnership can lead us.
Betsy Reid and Melissa Sines
Coeditors, PEAK Grantmaking Journal
FROM OUR CEO
PEAK President and CEO Satonya Fair reflects on the power that each of our career journeys has to activate ourselves and others to transform philanthropy.
Guest Editor Reflections
Guest editors TeQuion Brookins and Lourdes Inga reflect on their own career journeys and how grants management professionals can drive social change.
Anonymous
How do you lead or influence practice changes in your organization? What barriers have you encountered in trying to lead practice change?
An Unexpected Journey
PEAK Chief Operating Officer Dolores Estrada tells her story of how she combined her inspiration from 1960s protestors with her love of process to pursue an unexpected career in philanthropy.
The Innate Power of Grantmakers
A roundtable of grantmaking professionals—Dan Gaff, Quinn MacNichol, Pam Foster, Rebecca Van Sickle, and Tiffany Price—explore how their roles have evolved over time so that they are uniquely positioned to lead change within and outside of their organizations.
The Importance of Actively Pursuing New Challenges
When the nonprofit Patrick Taylor worked for was closing, he took a job at a foundation. He ended up building an enriching career.
Anonymous
Is there heightened interest in racial justice as a result of the pandemic? Do you see new career opportunities or barriers?
A Conversation on Transformational Leadership
EPIP Executive Director Storme Gray talks to Satonya Fair about her own career journey in philanthropy and how the combination of mentorship and empathetic leadership are central to cultivating new talent that will drive change.
Bringing a New Value System to Philanthropy
Jacque Demko has dedicated her career to addressing inequities and lack of inclusion for all Native peoples and shares how she brings the values of Native giving to her work.
Seeing the Value of My Perspective
Eusebio Díaz almost left the grants management profession—but the advice of a mentor convinced him to stay and draw on his unique lived experiences to drive change.
by the numbers
Advocating for Pay Equity in Grants Management
PEAK’s latest survey data reveal that, despite the ways in which grants management has evolved as a role, there are stark inequities in how these professionals are compensated.
The Serendipity of Life
Kyle Reis tells his story of how chance encounters and engaged mentors put him on a career trajectory that landed him at Ford Foundation and positioned him to shape PEAK during its formative years.
Full-Moon Leadership: Reflecting the Brilliance of Community
Iris Garcia shares how she led from her seat to create grantmaking practices that promote social justice and put more power in the hands of the communities she serves.
Finding a Career Where Thinking, Feeling, and Leading Aren’t Mutually Exclusive
For Ashley Heath-Deitz, the grants management profession spoke to her love of process and allowed her to lead with her heart. Here, she discusses how her learning experiences put her on a path to lead as CEO of the Florida Philanthropic Network.
insights from the field
Looking Down the Road Ahead
Dive deeper into the key themes of this edition of the Journal by looking at thought leadership throughout our larger community.
PEAK Community
What’s new and notable from PEAK Grantmaking – from exclusive member benefits, to member news, events highlights, and what’s ahead.
Charting New Paths for Grants Management
Consider the many ways in which PEAK members and volunteers have blazed new trails over the past 25 years.
Celebrating Our First 25 Years, Looking Ahead to Our Next Chapter
Celebrating PEAK’s first 25 years and looking ahead to our next chapter.
PEAK Community
Read on for our semiannual roundup of news from PEAK’s vibrant network of grantmaking professionals, featuring member news, board election updates, chapter event highlights, and a welcome to new-members.
Program News
A roundup of what’s new and notable around PEAK, and ways you can tap into a growing array of member-exclusive resources to support your work.
