The Chicago Area chapter typically provides four events per year in downtown Chicago that include networking and professional development. Our chapter meetings follow a set agenda:

10:00 – Board Meeting

11:00 – Registration and Networking

11:30 – Lunch

12:15 – Program

1:45 – Committee Meetings

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2019 Events

We make every effort to plan our events around holidays and special events. Fridays are the best day for most attendees. Our quarterly events are held at Macy’s, 111 N. State Street in the Culinary Studio on the 7th floor, adjacent to the Walnut Room, while our 2019 all-day conference will be at the Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Center, 400 S. State Street. Click here to read our cancellation policy.

January 14, 2019 Chicago Chapter Board Retreat

February 15, 2019 Chapter Event: National Conference Round Up

Location: Macy’s on State Street

May 17, 2019 Chicago Regional Conference

Location: Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Center

August 16, 2019 Chapter Event

Location: Macy’s on State Street

October 2019 Chapter Event (date pending confirmation)

Location: TBD

2018 Events

We make every effort to plan our events around holidays and special events. Fridays are the best day for most attendees. Our events are held at Macy’s on State Street in the Culinary Studio on the 7th floor, adjacent to the Walnut Room. Click here to read our cancellation policy.

January 15 Chicago Chapter Board Retreat

March 9 National Conference Round Up

March 9 International Grant Professionals Day

May 18

Changing the Conversation:

Race and Equity in Grantmaking

A Donor Panel

Race and equity issues are increasingly prominent in our local, regional, and national conversations. This donor panel discussion will explore how local foundations are developing and expanding initiatives to reflect issues of race and equity in the Chicago area. Panel participants include Arianna Cisneros, Program Officer at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Heather Smith, Senior Program Officer at The Field Foundation of Illinois, and Janine Hill, President of Soar Strategies. The panel will be moderated by Kimberly Casey, Director of Member Services at Forefront. Click here for more information.

Register at this link.

August 17

Networking for Introverts

Elizabeth Kilbourne from Career Strategies will lead participants through a fun and successful approach to networking that draws on the individual strengths of introverts. After this interactive workshop, you will walk away with useful strategies, tools, and insights to help you network with ease, including: