Now in its seventh year, the International Grantmaking Symposium (IGS) has become the preeminent forum for our fellow practitioners, corporate foundation colleagues, advisors, and attorneys to come together and learn about the latest rules and regulations governing cross-border giving. Each year, the IGS hosts a mix of sessions and panels to provide a valuable learning experience for professionals that are new to the field and seasoned industry leaders. View the schedule below:

Keynote - The State of Civil Society

Mandeep Tiwana | CIVICUS

Mandeep Tiwana, the Chief Programmes Officer of CIVICUS will speak about the enabling environment for charities and the findings of the CIVICUS 2022 State of Civil Society Report. Mr. Tiwana will discuss the challenges and opportunities for civil society that CIVICUS has observed in their annual global review.

Cross-border giving regulations:
Updates and Considerations

Mandeep Tiwana | CIVICUS
Jessie Krafft | CAF America

Following the keynote presentation from CIVICUS, this session will provide an up-to-date overview of the global and local factors that have had the biggest impact on civil society in the last year. CIVICUS will provide more detail on these local and global shifts, and Jessie Krafft from CAF America will focus on how these shifts affect cross-border philanthropy from a practical standpoint.

Supporting Vulnerable Populations in Crisis Zones:
Sanctions Compliance and risk mitigation

Paul Carroll | Charities & Security Network
Kelsey McCarthy, CAP® | CAF America

In regions under broad-based US sanctions, civil society organizations and charitable organizations often lack access to international financial resources and subsequently face significant economic hardship. Financial transactions are often delayed or blocked by banks concerned about liability, donors are scared away from sanctioned regions due to high risk, and people in need suffer as a result. This session will provide insight on how grantmakers can navigate US sanctions and OFAC policies to ensure the continued flow of grants to grantees operating in such regions. CAF America will also provide practical advice and case studies on navigating philanthropy in sanctioned countries.

The Context for Disaster and Crisis Philanthropy:
Global Challenges to be considered in Philanthropic Planning

Dr. Joern Birkmann | University of Stuttgart
Catherine-Lune Grayson | International Committee of the Red Cross
Sowmya Krishnamoorthy | Pan American Development Foundation
Julie-Arrighi | ARC
Brooks Reed, CAP® | CAF America

A group of distinguished panelists will provide important context on how to conduct effective disaster and crisis philanthropy across borders. Panelists, including representatives from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Red Cross Movement, and other global institutions, will discuss global challenges we are facing in climate change, humanitarian response to climate crisis in fragile and conflict settings, and the impacts of natural disasters. They will share insights into how their respective organizations work to mitigate and respond to such crises.

Establishing Eligibility:
Equivalency Determination and Expenditure Responsibility

John Bennett | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

This session explores in great detail the two tools for making international grants in a legally compliant manner: Equivalency determination (ED) and expenditure responsibility (ER). Providing a step-by-step breakdown of each process, this session will elaborate on when each tool should be used and will provide practical tips for navigating these IRS regulations.

Compliance and risk mitigation in grantmaking:
Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-bribery, Anti-terrorism

Glenn Mills | CAF America

This session will provide a high-level overview of compliance requirements for financial crime regulations related to cross-border financial transactions and will touch on various regulations related to anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, and anti-terrorist financing. Listeners will be able to walk away from this session with a better understanding of what compliance issues they should look out for when considering cross-border giving.

The Importance of Charity Resilience and The Case for Donor Support

Anisha Chaudhuri | Charities Aid Foundation
Jo Davies | WILD Young Parents

The CAF Resilience Program was built on the principle that local, grassroots charities are essential to supporting civil society, but they often do not have resources to invest in their long-term resilience or their ability to endure through crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The CAF Resilience program pilot tested what resilience could mean for small charities across the United Kingdom, how resilience funding can be structured and the impact it can have. In this session, CAF will share key learnings from their three-year pilot program, and we will also be joined by the CEO of one of the small charities that benefited from CAF’s investment in their capacity and resilience. The lessons from this pilot program hold important considerations for building an effective disaster relief program, which rely on the ability of local organizations to survive and thrive in the midst of a crisis.

Climate Justice in International Philanthropy:
Incorporating Diversity and Inclusion Practices into your Disaster Philanthropy Impact Framework

Janet Camarena | Candid.
Dwi Ariyana | Disability Rights Fund
Felicia Davis | HBCU Green Fund

The impacts of climate change and related natural disasters rest disproportionately on the shoulders of vulnerable populations around the world. Speakers from Candid, the HBCU Greenfund, and the Disability Rights Fund will discuss the increasing challenges these populations are facing amidst increasing climate-related disasters, and will explore what donors can do to more equitably support populations in regions that often do not receive aid. Our panelists for the session will cover topics focusing on the principles of Climate Justice and will explore how to better incorporate principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Crisis and Disaster Philanthropy

Post-Crisis Models for Funding Economic Development as a Charitable Activity

Jessie Krafft | CAF America

In the wake of a crisis - due to conflict, natural disaster, or global pandemics – support for economic development is almost always an immediate necessity to begin rebuilding communities and to support the most vulnerable populations from the ground up. Supporting economic development programs CAN be charitable, but it also can involve supporting for-profit businesses, small entrepreneurs, and other actors that are normally not considered to be charitable beneficiaries. This session will hone in on the IRS regulations and the precedents that define charitable economic development activities and how to ensure that the programs you’re funding are considered charitable.

Building Effective International Emergency Response Grant Programs

Ivana Ro | Meta
Loren Previti, CAP® | CAF America

This session will explore strategies for designing an effective disaster and crisis grantmaking program. We will discuss the development of a disaster philanthropy strategy and important considerations for ensuring your partners on the ground are prepared and ready to support their communities during a time of crisis. The session will unpack different mechanisms that donors are using to support their disaster and crisis response work, and it will focus on Meta’s Global Crisis & Disaster Response programs as a case study on how one corporation is managing their strategy and relief efforts.