Foundation Forward: A Leadership Accelerator

EMERGING LEADERS IN PHILANTHROPY IS NOW FOUNDATION FORWARD.

Founded at Communities Foundation of Texas and now carried forward by Philanthropy Southwest, Foundation Forward (formerly Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy) is designed to expand upon its founding vision: investing in and building up current and future philanthropic leaders.

As foundation professionals step into greater leadership responsibility amid generational shifts, evolving expectations, and increasing demands across the sector, they need more than technical expertise. They need the perspective, skills, resilience, and relationships to lead themselves, their teams, and their organizations through change.

Foundation Forward is a curated, transformational nine-month leadership development experience designed to help foundation professionals grow as leaders, strengthen their teams, and navigate uncertainty with clarity and confidence. Through expert-led learning, immersive experiences, executive coaching, and a trusted peer network, participants gain practical tools they can apply immediately and relationships that extend well beyond the program.

For more information about Foundation Forward or to express early interest in the 2027 cohort, please contact PSW Senior Director of Learning Brittany Huber at bhuber@philanthropysouthwest.org.

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Key Experiences

• 21/64 Advisor Certification
• Grounded Leadership Retreat at Laity Lodge, the H.E. Butt Family Foundation’s retreat center in the Texas Hill Country
• Registration for PSW’s 79th Annual Conference
• Facilitated workshops that dive into philanthropy’s most timely issues and emerging opportunities
• Leadership assessments to deepen self-awareness and identify opportunities for growth
• Three 1:1 executive coaching sessions
• A trusted, cross-regional peer network that fosters meaningful relationships and expands professional connections
• Practical leadership and team management frameworks and tools that can be immediately applied

2027 Foundation Forward 

REGISTRATION

Registration will open soon for the 2027 cohort of Foundation Forward. With a limited number of spots available, we will encourage early registration.

Registration will remain open through January 15, 2027 or until the cohort is full. To indicate early interest in joining the 2027 Foundation Forward cohort, please email bhuber@philanthropysouthwest.org. 

ELIGIBILITY

Priority participation is offered to staff and trustees of PSW member organizations. Individuals from non-member foundations and grantmaking organizations are also encouraged to register with participation considered based on eligibility and space within the cohort. 

To be eligible, participants must serve as staff or trustees of organizations actively engaged in grantmaking within PSW’s eight-state service region: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

COST

• $8,500 for PSW members
• $10,000 for non-member foundations and grantmaking organizations

The program fee includes all meals and lodging for the in-person learning sessions in Dallas, at Laity Lodge, and the TBA 21/64 Certification Training location as well as round-trip group transportation between the San Antonio airport and Laity Lodge for the Grounded Retreat. Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses to and from all in-person sessions, as well as lodging expenses associated with the 79th Annual Conference at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, TX. 

PROGRAM FORMAT & SCHEDULE

Foundation Forward combines four in-person experiences with interactive virtual workshops, leadership assessments, and individualized executive coaching. Beginning in February 2027, the cohort will spend nine months building leadership skills, exploring timely issues in philanthropy, and developing meaningful relationships with peers across the Southwest. The cohort will conclude their learning journey at the 79th Annual Conference in October in Fort Worth, Texas, where participants will be formally recognized for completing the Foundation Forward leadership development program and celebrated for their commitment to personal growth, leadership excellence, and advancing philanthropy.

In-Person Experiences

1. Opening Session: February 17–19, 2027 | Dallas, Texas
2. 21/64 Certified Advisor Training: May 17–19, 2027 | Location to be announced
3. Grounded Leadership Retreat: Fall 2027 | Laity Lodge, Leakey, Texas (dates to be announced)
4. 79th Annual Conference: October 18–21, 2027 | Fort Worth, Texas

Virtual Learning & Executive Coaching

• Interactive, facilitated workshops will take place on Zoom throughout the program. Each session will run 60–90 minutes, with dates to be announced.

• Each participant will receive three individualized executive coaching sessions scheduled throughout the nine-month program.

LEARNING HIGHLIGHTS

• Executive Presence and Power Types
• Imposter Phenomenon 
• Building Trust and Navigating Betrayal
• Harmonic Groups
• Conflict Resolution
• Building High-Performing Teams
• Managing Expectations
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Change Management
• Systems Theory
• Effective Communication in Trust-Based Philanthropy
• Sustainable Leadership

INCLUDED CERTIFICATIONS & ASSESSMENTS

• 21/64 Certified Advisor: Earn your 21/64 Certified Advisor credential, developing facilitation skills to navigate complex conversations surrounding values, legacy, values-based decision-making, and intergenerational dynamics and nex-gen engagement. 
• Community Foundation of Texas' GiveWisely™: Identify personal values, philanthropic identity, giving motivations, and intentional decision-making to develop a more focused and meaningful approach to your own philanthropy.
• The Leadership Circle Profile^®: Assess your leadership effectiveness through a research-based 360° assessment of creative competencies, reactive tendencies, underlying beliefs, and behavioral patterns to identify personal strengths and opportunities for growth. 
• Enneagram: Apply an understanding of the nine Enneagram personality types—each characterized by distinct motivations, fears, desires, and patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving—to deepen self-awareness and better understand those you lead and work alongside.

2026 Participant Takeaways

1. "This has been one of the best investments I've made in my personal leadership growth. Alongside a deeper set of leadership understanding, I gained a network of peers I'll stay connected with and support throughout our leadership journeys."
2. "I’ve been able to bring clear and specific ways of thinking, processing, learning and growth opportunities back to my team after each session." 
3. "The program reinforced my belief that our responsibility in philanthropy extends beyond individual funding decisions. It also gave me space to reflect on how I lead: the assumptions I bring, how I listen, and how I build trust. I came away with a stronger appreciation for how much the quality of our work depends on the care we bring to those everyday interactions."
4. "The program significantly influenced the way I approach decision-making, leadership, and collaboration by reinforcing the idea that trust is at the core of everything we do. With every interaction and every decision, we are either building, maintaining, or eroding trust. Recognizing this has made me more intentional in how I communicate, lead, and engage with others."
5. "Perhaps most importantly, the relationships I built with my cohort expanded my perspective in ways I did not anticipate. Learning alongside individuals with different experiences, leadership styles, and viewpoints taught me the value of collaboration and curiosity. By building trust with one another, we created a space where we could speak in draft, share ideas openly, and learn from both successes and challenges. Those relationships have not only enhanced my leadership approach but have also provided me with a network of lifelong collaborators whose insights will continue to influence my growth."
6. "Philanthropy can sometimes feel like a solitary profession, characterized by continual analysis, measurement, evaluation, and a strong commitment to stewardship. Through the shared experiences and insights of my peers, I gained a deeper appreciation for the fact that the most meaningful impact of nonprofit work often occurs beneath the surface, beyond what can be easily quantified or measured."
7. "I found practical tools and structure to remind myself to first, trust myself and second, how to build strong practices around my team and organization to ensure doubt doesn't stall our impact."
8. "I’ve participated in leadership programs before, but most focused on the principles of leadership rather than asking you to look inward at your own values, strengths, and where they come from. That deeper self-reflection surprised me most. I also became better at managing up and outward: slowing down moments that are being treated as crises, creating enough space to develop a thoughtful plan, and balancing what leaders need with what my team can realistically execute."
9. I can now understand the importance of identifying my role in a given situation. Knowing when to lead, when to support, when to listen, and when to challenge allows me to make more effective decisions while preserving and strengthening trust within a team."

Congratulations to the 2026 Foundation Forward Cohort!