IGS 2025
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Registration for the 2025 International Grantmaking Symposium has closed.
Move Forward Together:
Cross-border grantmaking for impactful partnerships
THIS YEAR’S IGS
The 2025 IGS will focus on how the tools available to U.S. foundations for funding non-exempt organizations can be deployed to support a wide range of innovative partnerships for impact, anywhere in the world. Our programming will explore applied approaches to funding nonstandard grantees, supporting public and private sector programs as well as charities in unique and difficult situations.
Attendees will leave the IGS better equipped to implement the rules and regulations of cross-border grantmaking to support innovative and novel models of partnership funding, unlocking more giving and giving more people around the world access to U.S. philanthropic capital.
Pre-Sessions: International Grantmaking Fundamentals
Join us for an in-person session on the morning of April 9 to learn or brush up on basic international grantmaking concepts, and spend some time getting to know your fellow Symposium participants. In this session we will cover:
- What is Expenditure Responsibility? And when to use it.
- What is Equivalency Determination? And what are its limits?
- Choosing between Expenditure Responsibility & Equivalency Determination
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Fundamentals Pre-Session
Join us for a review of our international grantmaking fundamentals workshops, and pre-Symposium networking with your fellow attendees.
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch & Networking
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Opening Session
Moving Forward Together: International Philanthropy in a Changing Policy Landscape
Moderator: Audrey Jacobs, JD | Board Member | CAF America
Kristen Molyneaux | President & Co-Founder | Lever for Change
Mark Sidel | Doyle-Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Paul Carroll | Executive Director | Charity & Security Network
Bringing together many of our external experts that attendees will hear from throughout the Symposium, this discussion will review the impacts of the policy shifts experienced by our sector in 2025, and cover ongoing trends, strategies, and risks for those who support international giving and global generosity looking ahead.
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Networking Break & Coffee
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Afternoon Panel
Donor Collaboratives Across Borders: Lessons Learned and Best Practice
Moderator: Maggi Alexander | Senior Partner and Director | The Philanthropic Initiative's Center for Global Philanthropy
Pierre Noel | Executive Director | Haiti Development Institute
Andrea Hanai | Philanthropy Advisor | IDIS
This panel explores the different ways in which donors can work together to amplify the impact of their individual philanthropy, and implement innovative and impactful projects around the world. Drawing from real-world examples, panelists will discuss their challenges and lessons learned that can be applied to future opportunities.
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
International Grantmaking Master Classes
Join experts from around the industry to learn more about specific issues in international grantmaking. What to expect from our master classes:
- Each speaker will give a short presentation outlining key points and setting the scene for our discussion. The majority of the master classes will be focused on Q&A from attendees.
- Come ready to discuss specific questions! Participants are encouraged to bring examples and questions for the speakers, to add depth to the sessions and bring the lessons to life.
Master Class: OFAC Guidelines & Giving to Sanctioned Jurisdictions
Paul Carroll | Managing Director | Charity & Security Network
Join Paul to learn about the ways in which grantmakers can work within OFAC guidelines for partnering with organizations in high-risk jurisdictions subject to U.S. sanctions. Special attention will be paid to the evolving situation in the Middle East, including guidance for working with charitable partners in Syria, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories.
Master Class: Grantmaking to China
Mark Sidel | Doyle-Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs | University of Wisconsin-Madison
This session will focus on grantmaking to China, with special attention paid to the evolving regulatory framework governed by the 2017 Overseas NGO law and the changing landscape for giving to organizations in Hong Kong.
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Welcome Networking Reception
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Celebration of International Philanthropy
Sarah Howard | Managing Director | Global Philanthropy Forum
Jessie Krafft | President and CEO | CAF America
Guillermo Correa | Founder and Executive Director | RACI
The Celebration of International Philanthropy brings together donors, partners, and friends to celebrate and showcase cross-border giving. This year, the Celebration’s program will dig into trends and developments within the changing philanthropic environment, led by Sarah Howard, Managing Director at the Global Philanthropy Forum, and Guillermo Correa, Founder and Executive Director of RACI.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast & Networking
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Morning Plenary
State of the Sector: Updates & Trends in International Grantmaking
Jessie Krafft | President and CEO | CAF America
Andras Kosaras | Counsel | Arnold & Porter
Join Jessie Krafft, President & CEO of CAF America, and Andras Kosaras, Counsel at Arnold & Porter for a briefing on contemporary trends in our sector. Topics covered will include an update on the evolving U.S. regulatory environment, and insight into developing policies in key countries around the world.
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Networking Break
Skill-Building Workshops
10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Workshop
High-Risk Humanitarian Action
Explore the ways in which grants can be made to support organizations and activities in highly-sanctioned or otherwise high-risk areas suffering from humanitarian crises.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch & Networking
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Workshop
Partnering with Public Institutions
Learn how to structure relationships with grantees considered equivalent as a ‘foreign government instrument’ or by Executive Order.
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Networking Break
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Workshop
Partnering with the Private Sector
David Berman | Senior Manager, Global Program Delivery & Impact | Johnson & Johnson
Explore how to create agreements between a U.S. foundation and a for-profit company engaged in charitable activities.
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Closing
April 9–10, 2025 | Miami, Florida
We're thrilled to announce that CAF America's Ninth International Grantmaking Symposium (IGS) will now take place in Spring 2025 at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel in Miami, Florida. IGS 2025 invites U.S. funders and philanthropists to explore the theme Move Forward Together: Cross-Border Grantmaking for Impactful Partnerships. This year’s event will focus on innovative strategies for deploying philanthropic tools to support partnerships that drive global impact, even in the most complex scenarios.
Stay tuned this fall for more details on the agenda and speakers. We can't wait to share more with you!