You are invited to join the Civic and Community Engagement Collaborative
Upcoming Sessions
Please note: Schedule may be subject to minor changes as speaker availability is confirmed.
April 9, 2026 (12-1pm CST)
Better Together: Activating Cross-Sector Partnerships Within Your Community
Powered by Houston Endowment, April’s webinar will explore the catalytic role of well-designed and effectively implemented public-private partnerships within communities across Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The session will highlight lessons learned, practical strategies, and innovative approaches to evaluating impact, shared by executive leaders from the following foundations:
- Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) is a Dallas-based public charity that helps donors invest in North Texas communities through charitable funds, grantmaking, and initiatives that support local nonprofits and regional priorities.
- Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation based in Denver that provides grants and scholarships to strengthen communities and expand opportunity across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
- Kinder Foundation is a Houston-based private foundation that supports transformative projects in urban parks, education, and quality of life to strengthen the Greater Houston region.
- PY Foundation: A private family foundation based in Artesia, New Mexico, focused on place-based investments in education, health, arts, and community development to strengthen Artesia, Eddy County, and surrounding rural communities.
Click here to register
May 27, 2026 (1:30pm to 2:30pm CST)
Rural Philanthropy
Featured speakers and organizations TBA
Registration link coming soon
About the Civic and Community Engagement Collaborative at Philanthropy Southwest
Harness the Power of Philanthropy for Transformative Change
Philanthropy Southwest is excited to announce the launch of the next phase of the Civic and Community Engagement Collaborative in partnership with Houston Endowment. This collaborative is 100% virtual, offering monthly 1-hour webinars designed to equip participants with the tools, resources, and connections necessary to engage meaningfully with their communities and foster collaboration across sectors to address pressing social challenges. We hope you will join us for this important work to empower foundations and grantmakers to take on leadership roles in building stronger, more resilient communities. Please contact Brittany Huber, Senior Director of Learning, at bhuber@philanthropysouthwest.org if you have any questions.
What To Expect
Philanthropy plays a vital role in driving positive change by uniting the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The Civic & Community Engagement Collaborative (CCE) is designed to empower philanthropic organizations in the southwestern U.S. to become catalysts for transformative impact. Each webinar in the Collaborative series will feature southwest funders in dialogue with nationally recognized organizations, sharing successes, strategies, and lessons learned from their partnerships to strengthen civic engagement and bring communities together across the region.
Participation Benefits
- Education and Awareness: Learn from national and regional experts in civic and community engagement.
- Tools and Resources: Learn how to leverage the new Civic and Community Engagement Toolkit to advance your funding efforts around civic participation, social cohesion, placemaking and systems-level advocacy. Check out the full tool kit here.
- Collective Action: Work alongside PSW members and partners to advance meaningful support and investments in civic and community engagement.
Participation Information
- Cost: $0 for PSW members; $45 per session for non-members
- Modality: 100% virtual; 1 hour webinars offered once a month
Past Sessions
The Role of Free and Local Press (February 2026)
Watch the Recording
Conversations that Build Common Ground (November 2026)
The Civic & Community Engagement Toolkit
Now available to PSW members
PSW members, with leadership from CoSpero Consulting and partnership from Houston Endowment, met monthly to delve into the topic of CCE among funders in our region, culminating in a new resource available to PSW members. This toolkit offers a comprehensive set of assessments, tools, and resources designed to help philanthropic organizations strengthen their civic and community engagement efforts.
Organized around four key pillars, the toolkit is tailored to meet the unique needs of diverse philanthropic entities. Whether your focus is increasing civic involvement, fostering unity, creating thriving communities, or addressing systemic issues, this toolkit will be an invaluable resource on your journey.
Explore the key pillars:
- Civic Participation: Efforts to involve more people in shaping public policies, social issues, or governance structures for the betterment of society
- Social Cohesion: Initiatives promoting communication, decision-making, leadership, and information sharing to build trust and unity.
- Place-Making: Designing a positive environment for community well-being and prosperity, especially benefiting marginalized groups.
- Systems Level Advocacy: Targeted efforts to address root causes of social issues through structural changes within institutions, policies, or practices
Check out the full tool kit here.