As we begin 2026, the stakes for our communities are high: assaults on immigrant communities, economic pressure, food and healthcare insecurities, attacks on democracy and threats to racial justice across every sector are leaving us in a state of grief, fear and anger. Still, neighbors, nonprofits, organizers and grantmakers are meeting these vulnerabilities with resistance, community care and resources. It is with this intention that we move forward.
At GEO, we seek not to be reactive, but to move forward with intention and full awareness of how this moment is shaped by our shared context — both current and historical — and that our experiences, needs and hopes are fundamentally connected.
This is a year for steady, anchored and embodied leadership — leadership that stays grounded in equity and informed by context. Leadership that resists impulsive shifts and instead focuses on sustained, authentic partnerships with nonprofits and communities.
Across our programming, we aim to create space to think clearly, learn from peers and act without losing sight of the long term. In that spirit, we’re holding several priorities as we head into 2026.
Steady, grounded leadership.
Throughout 2026, we are continuing to support leaders in staying steady and strategic in the face of long-standing challenges and deepening risks. Through role-based convenings for senior leaders, CEOs and trustees, ongoing peer communities, and intensive cohorts like the Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellowship, GEO offers places to test ideas, examine assumptions and strengthen leadership practice in community. These spaces are designed not to prescribe answers, but to help you find clarity and take action while navigating complexity and change.
Mobilizing significant resources.
GEO offers support in mobilizing significant resources that communities can rely on. Nearly two-thirds of nonprofits say the current context poses moderate to significant risk to their ability to continue operating, according to a 2025 Center for Effective Philanthropy survey. As nonprofits face shrinking federal funding and escalating attacks, the need for greater flexible and multiyear funding is urgent. This theme will be embedded across GEO’s learning spaces — from an ongoing Community-Driven Philanthropy peer community to our Community-Driven Philanthropy Remote Learning Series in March and April and our 2026 National Conference in Boston this June, where grantmakers will come together to explore effective grantmaking practices in partnership with the communities at the forefront of equity-driven social change.
Capacity building for today’s realities.
In 2026, we are also sharpening our focus on capacity building that reflects today’s realities. GEO’s 2025 National Study of Philanthropic Practice finds that capacity-building support is slipping at a time when it’s more critical for nonprofits than ever: only 77% of grantmakers provide it, down from 86% in 2017. Capacity building today includes legal and risk-related support for nonprofits navigating threats tied to DEI, immigration, and trans rights; investments in compensation and wellbeing that reflect inflation and burnout; and support for organizing across movements and building broad coalitions. We’ll explore these trends further in our February webinar, Equity Proves Effective, and through our Capacity Building Champions peer community.
Coming into community.
As always, the core of our work is community. Being in community among other funders with shared values creates a critical generative space to create, learn, and provide mutual support. Throughout the year, GEO members will have opportunities to engage through ongoing peer communities, new cohort-based programs like Measuring Love (more info soon!), and in-person workshops like “Exploring Your Culture to Effectively Reach Your Mission.” In addition to our national conference, we are looking forward to regional events that create more opportunities for connection and relationship-building.
Across this work, GEO is your professional home base. We meet grantmakers where you are and offer multiple entry points to support you in navigating today’s challenges. We support each other in advancing racial equity through analysis, self-reflection, and learning mindsets that enable philanthropy to be in partnership and deploy all of its assets so communities can thrive. If you’d like to talk through your priorities for the year, learn more about what’s ahead, or explore how GEO can best support your work, we’re always glad to connect. Please reach out!