Courageous Unleanring: GEO’s 2023 Learning Conference

Presented in partnership with Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, the 2023 Learning Conference is designed to expose participants to cutting-edge practices in equity-informed, community-driven grantmaking while giving them the knowledge and tools to apply learning in all aspects of their work. The conference will offer a range of perspectives and new ideas to go beyond the basics and support grantmakers in engaging in more intentional learning practices both inside and outside of their organizations.

GEO’s 2023 Learning Conference will center the theme of courageous unlearning.

Philanthropy continues to be in a time of racial reckoning. A time of reflection and examination of the roots of our grantmaking practices and our capital, and a time of unlearning what our field has traditionally accepted as business as usual. This is a time to be courageous in naming our role in upholding the status quo and in creating barriers to the change we seek. Philanthropy can and must do better – and learning and reflection are critical tools to that journey. During the 2023 Learning Conference, GEO aims to offer a range of perspectives and ideas about learning and evaluation, and welcomes presenters from a variety of roles and perspectives to support an expansive view of what the tools of learning can achieve.

The conference program will feature a mix of session formats, structured networking, and time for community building, including:

• Breakout Session: 60-minute presentations or panel discussions designed by members of the GEO community that expose participants to new ideas centered on courageous unlearning.
• Framework Presentation: A new short-form presentation to share specific resources, frameworks, templates and tools that help implement learning and evaluation practices.
• Emergent Space: A new session format that offers participants a full-immersion experience through a blend of interactive conversations, community-building activities and peer-to-peer connection.