At PEAK Grantmaking’s 2021 Annual Meeting, President and CEO Satonya Fair and former Executive Director Michelle Greanias connected to reflect on the pivotal moments in PEAK’s history and share aspirations for the organization’s next chapter.
Satonya: So, this is absolutely fantastic, Michelle, to be spending some time with you. Thank you so much. You’ve been very supportive in the foreground and background as we prepare for PEAK’s celebration of our 25th anniversary. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Michelle: Thanks for including me!
Satonya Fair: We’re it. We’re the two leaders. This is an amazing moment for the two of us, I think. But that’s also the beauty of a 25th anniversary. Sometimes, the founders and the initial leaders get to be here. And so, I do think it’s a joy and an honor for us to be able to have this time together. In preparing for all of this we shared with you our sneak peek of our framework and our refreshed vision and mission. And I just wanted to start with: What’s resonating with you as you look at what we’re carving out as PEAK’s next chapter?
Michelle Greanias: When we conceived the Principles for Peak Grantmaking, we knew it was going to be a big bet, a long haul, and a real change effort to get philanthropy to embed equity in its practices. And I remember going out and having conversations with funders, doing presentations on it, and at least one person telling me, “Well, that was really interesting, but it’s not really relevant for me because I don’t fund in that area.” And I think that, unfortunately, it’s coming from a place of sorrow and a place of horror that I don’t think we’re having those questions anymore in philanthropy. I think everybody understands the importance of addressing disparities, addressing inequities, and really looking and examining ourselves and how it shows up in practice. So what’s resonating most with me is that continuation and even deepened focus in how equity shows up in grantmaking and how grantmaking professionals, grants management professionals need to lead that.
Satonya: That’s beautiful. And looking back, when did you know that PEAK (or GMN) was on to something big?
Michelle: I have two big moments. One was when I was working in my little silo and I got this letter: “Dear Grants Manager,” addressed to my foundation. And somebody handed it to me and they said, “Hey, Michelle, I think this is for you.” Because that wasn’t my title then—it wasn’t even an identified profession then. There was a pre-meeting before a Council on Foundations meeting where they were going to bring people together to talk about grantmaking practices. And I was like, “Oh my gosh, there’s other people that do this!” And I went to that meeting, and there were people who could help me, advise me, and support me. I knew that I didn’t have just a job—I had a career and I had a community. The second moment was when I was honored enough to have been given the job of executive director of PEAK Grantmaking. The very first day I spent at the Council on Foundations at a session they were doing on Project Streamline. The Project Streamline: Drowning in Paperwork report had just been dropped the week before. That was the very first time I was really learning about it. And Richard Toth, who was one of the originators of that whole project, was delivering it. Sitting in an audience outside of our grants management community—they were CEOs, they were program officers—and hearing them engage in practices for the first time, hearing them understand the relevance to the entire staff at a grantmaking organization, really reacting to the impact of bad practices on grantees, showed me that we had the potential to not just help ourselves in our profession, but change philanthropy.
Satonya: Those are two huge aha moments for sure. And the field of grants management has evolved so much. As the first staff member of this organization, when you think about PEAK’s next chapter, what are your aspirations for this community? Where do we go from here? What’s your hope for us?
Michelle: So PEAK Grantmaking—and when I say that, it’s the people, right? The people of PEAK Grantmaking are changing grantmaking, are making grantmaking more equitable, making it more streamlined, making it more effective. The people of PEAK Grantmaking are building individual careers. They’re building the understanding of what this profession is and this job and really and the people of PEAK Grantmaking are change agents in equity and how equity shows up in grantmaking. So for the future, just more, more, more. Build on this momentum, build on what’s come before, and let’s just keep going. There’s a lot more work to do, but there’s a lot of committed people to do it.
Satonya: And we’re so glad that you’re still part of this network, and we appreciate so much you being a part of the celebration. Thank you so much for us getting to this moment. So, from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the board, the staff, and our community, thank you, Michelle. And it has just been great spending this time with you.
Michelle: Thank you for leading us into the future. There’s no one I’d want more to follow as we go forward.