2026 National Conference

• 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Registration Open 
• 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | First-time Attendee Gathering & Peer Coaching Meetups 
• 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Early Arriver Social 
• 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. | Community Events – Offsite 

Our conference will take place at the Westin Boston Seaport District, located at 425 Summer St. Boston, MA 02210. The Westin Boston Seaport District is located 3.3 miles from the Boston Logan International Airport. 

We have two room block options for your accommodation during the conference: 

• Westin Boston Seaport District, our event hotel, offers rooms at $349 per night, plus taxes. Click here to reserve through our group booking page or contact hotel reservations at 888-236-2427 and reference group code “GEO 2026 Attendee.” All conference sessions will take place at the Westin. 

• Aloft Boston Seaport District is located one block from the Westin Seaport. Rooms are available at the Aloft for $329 per night, plus taxes. Click here to reserve through our group booking page or contact hotel reservations at 888-236-2427 and mention group code “GEO National Conference Room Block.” 

Accessible rooms can be booked at either hotel by phone or via the booking link (first select preferred dates and room type. Then, under Guest Information, check the box for accessible room and specify your needs).  

We ask conference participants NOT to make travel accommodations until you have received your registration verification from GEO. This may take up to 3 business days after registering. 

Please contact registration@geofunders.org if you have questions or need support. 

Looking for more ways to support GEO? Sponsoring the GEO conference is one way to invest in real change for the philanthropic sector. As a conference supporter, you are helping 1,000+ grantmakers on their journeys to transform philanthropic practice and culture in service of thriving nonprofits and communities.

Read the 2026 Supporter Packet.

If you have a question or would like to learn more, contact Development Manager, Lauren Gentry at gentry@geofunders.org.

Below are answers to some common questions about attending the GEO 2026 National Conference. View our conference policies here. 

GEO conferences are open to current GEO members; all staff and trustees of grantmaking institutions; staff of philanthropy-supporting infrastructure groups, such as regional associations of grantmakers and affinity groups; and staff of academic institutions and programs focused primarily on the study of philanthropy and the practice of giving. 

GEO conferences also have 50 tickets available to GEO-member and non-member consultants who support grantmaking institutions and nonprofits. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority available to GEO member consultants during the priority registration time. Remaining consultant tickets will be sold as available to nonmembers when early registration opens. Consultant organizations are limited to a maximum of 2 registration tickets per organization. 

For more information about eligibility to attend GEO conference, check out our conference policies. 

We will host an optional early arrivers social hour on Sunday, May 31 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. ET. Our conference begins on Monday, June 1 at 9:00 am ET. Our closing plenary session is on Wednesday, June 3 from 11:45 am – 1:30 pm ET.  

The GEO 2026 National Conference will lift up examples of courageous leadership and insights into effective grantmaking in practice that help us appreciate the progress being made, promote shifts in philanthropic strategies that respond to current conditions, and center the experiences and leadership of nonprofits and communities. The program will feature sessions on the following content tracks: 

• Capacity Building 
• Change Management 
• Collaboration 
• Community-Driven Philanthropy 
• Courageous Leadership 
• Flexible, Reliable Funding Practices 
• Learning and Evaluation 
• Organizational Culture 

A more detailed program will be available in March 2026. Please continue to check the GEO National Conference webpage for updates on the conference program.  

Our conference will take place at the Westin Boston Seaport District, located at 425 Summer St. Boston, MA 02210. The Westin Boston Seaport District is located 3.3 miles from the Boston Logan International Airport. 

We have two room block options for your accommodation during the conference: 

• Westin Boston Seaport District, our event hotel, offers rooms at $349 per night, plus taxes. Click here to reserve through our group booking page or contact hotel reservations at 888-236-2427 and reference group code “GEO 2026 Attendee”. All conference sessions will take place at the Westin. 

• Aloft Boston Seaport District is located one block from the Westin Seaport. Rooms are available at the Aloft for $329 per night, plus taxes. Click here to reserve through our group booking page or contact hotel reservations at 888-236-2427 and mention group code “GEO National Conference Room Block”. 

We ask conference participants to NOT book travel and accommodations until your registration is confirmed. 

At this time GEO will not be offering the opportunity to virtually attend the GEO 2026 National Conference. All conference programming will only be available to attendees in person in Boston. 

We encourage you to check out GEO’s events page for other GEO virtual programming opportunities. 

GEO is committed to providing accessible, inclusive events. During the registration process, you will be asked about accommodations including but not limited to dietary restrictions, large print materials, language interpretation and more. After filling out the accommodation section of registration, GEO staff will reach out to you directly so we can ensure your full participation. If you have additional questions, please contact the GEO conference team at registration@geofunders.org.

Cancellations for conference registrations received by Friday, May 1 are eligible to receive a partial refund (registration price minus a $100 non-refundable service fee, in addition to any Stripe processing fees, which are also non-refundable). Cancellations for registrations received after May 1 will not be eligible for a refund. 

Participants may also choose to transfer their registration to a colleague or peer. Transferred registration may incur additional fees if they are transferred across registration type. Transfers must be requested by Friday, May 1, 2026 in writing by emailing registration@geofunders.org. Refunds will not be offered for transferred registrations or no shows. 

The $50 registration fee for the Peer Coaching program add-on is not eligible for refund.  

More information regarding GEO’s cancellation and refund policy is available in the conference policies. 

We do not offer group registration rates for the conference. All participants are expected to register according to their ticket type rate.  

Additionally, at this time, we do not have registration scholarships available. 

Please contact the GEO conference team at registration@geofunders.org with additional questions regarding registration rates. 

GEO considers the wellbeing of all those on-site at our 2026 National Conference a top priority. The COVID-19 pandemic and other airborne illnesses target the most vulnerable among us, leading to heightened vulnerability for members of our community with disabilities and/or chronic illness. We encourage conference participants, speakers, vendors and GEO staff to take a rapid COVID-19/Flu A & B test prior to travel and prior to attending any conference programs. We will have a limited number of tests and masks available at no cost on site. We strongly encourage those who are able to stay up-to-date on their COVID and flu vaccinations. 

GEO reserves the right to update our policies at any time. Please continue to refer back to the conference website to remain up to date. 

We appreciate all the efforts of conference participants to ensure that others remain safe and healthy. Please monitor your daily health prior to entering the conference facilities and stay home or isolate yourself, and seek medical attention, in such situations. Contact GEO staff to let them know you will be unable to attend the conference or, if the conference has started, that you are not able to continue attending in-person. 

In line with our efforts to mitigate the spread of airborne illnesses at our in-person conference, we are offering an exception to our cancellation policy only for those who test positive for COVID-19 or the flu, are experiencing symptoms of airborne illnesses, or have a close contact in the days leading up to the conference. Participants will be asked to submit a signed attestation indicating their COVID- and/or symptom-status in order to be eligible to receive a refund. Participants have the option of not seeking reimbursement (minus a $100 non-refundable administrative fee) and instead donating the cost to GEO to reduce the administrative burden on GEO’s team. To be eligible for refund, you must contact registration@geofunders.org before 8:00 am ET on Monday, June 1, 2026. All Stripe fees are non-refundable. 

Yes, sponsorship opportunities are available! Sponsoring the GEO conference is one way to invest in real change for the philanthropic sector. As a conference supporter, you are helping 1,000+ grantmakers on their journeys to transform philanthropic practice and culture in service of thriving nonprofits and communities. Check out the 2026 Supporter Packet to learn more. Contact Lauren Gentry at gentry@geofunders.org with any questions.

Demand for GEO conferences typically exceeds the number of available seats. In the event that the conference reaches capacity, GEO will open a wait list and interested individuals may add their names. There is no charge to join the wait list, and you will not be charged for the conference until you are notified that a seat is available for you to register; however, payment will be due by Friday, May 15, 2026. 

GEO will review the wait list on a weekly basis and notify individuals from the wait list as space becomes available, with priority going to GEO members. All individuals on the wait list will be alerted of their status no later than Monday, May 11. 

Please do not book travel or accommodation until your seat at the event is confirmed. 

The request for proposals for the 2026 National Conference is closed. Decisions regarding submissions were shared in December 2025. To be notified about future conference RFPs, please complete this form.

Final breakout sessions for GEO’s 2026 National Conference have already been selected and there are no current opportunities to join the conference program.  

In planning our conference program, GEO works with a volunteer program committee of GEO members who begin meeting about 12 months ahead of the conference to start shaping the program. About nine to 12 months before each conference, GEO and the program committee issues a request for session proposals, which are reviewed by GEO and the program committee.  

If you are interested in being notified when any of our conference RFPs open for future GEO conferences, please complete this form. 

If you have questions that weren’t answered here or in our conference policies, reach out to our conference team at registration@geofunders.org and we will get back to you as soon as we are able.