Foundation Forward: A Leadership Accelerator

EMERGING LEADERS IN PHILANTHROPY IS NOW FOUNDATION FORWARD.

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. Founded at Communities Foundation of Texas as Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy and later expanded through a partnership with Philanthropy Southwest in 2025, PSW’s Foundation Forward continues its founding vision: investing in and building up current and future philanthropic leaders. 

 

Foundation Forward is an intentionally designed 9-month leadership program for staff and trustees of foundations and grantmaking organizations who are ready to transform themselves, their teams, and their organizations for the future of philanthropy. The program combines four immersive 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 its learning experience at the 79th Annual Conference in October in Fort Worth, Texas, where participants will be formally recognized for completing Foundation Forward and celebrated for their commitment to transformational personal growth, leadership excellence, and advancing philanthropy. 

2027 Registration is Now Open!

Registration for the 2027 Foundation Forward cohort is now open!

Interested in joining us? Simply send an email today to express your interest to bhuber@philanthropysouthwest.org. The PSW team will follow up with a participant form to confirm eligibility and share next steps for registration. Please note:

• Space is limited to ensure a meaningful, relationship-centered learning experience for all participants.
• Registration will remain open until January 15, 2027, or until the cohort is full.
• Priority registration is offered to PSW members and we welcome eligible non-members as space allows. Please read below to learn more about who this program is designed for.

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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 equip participants with skills and knowledge to engage the sector's most timely issues and emerging opportunities facing foundation leaders today
• 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

ELIGIBILITY

This program is best suited for individuals who hold leadership roles and/or contribute to organizational leadership through responsibilities related to staff or team management, program development and oversight, organizational strategy, decision-making, governance, or board leadership. Beyond professional responsibilities, ideal participants bring a growth mindset, a spirit of curiosity, and a genuine desire to grow as both individuals and leaders. They value deep, trusted relationships and embrace opportunities for self-reflection to strengthen the ways they lead and inspire those around them.

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.

SCHEDULE

In-Person Experiences 

1. Opening Session: February 22–23, 2027 | The Meadows Foundation (Dallas, TX)
2. 21/64 Certified Advisor Training: May 17–19, 2027 | Denver, CO
3. Grounded Leadership Retreat: Fall 2027 | Laity Lodge, Leakey, Texas (dates to be announced)
4. 79th Annual Conference: October 19–21, 2027 | Fort Worth, Texas

Virtual Learning & Executive Coaching

• Interactive, facilitated workshops will take place on Zoom throughout the program. Each session will run 2 hours with dates to be announced.

• Each participant will receive 3 individualized executive coaching sessions scheduled throughout the nine-month program.

WHAT YOU'LL EXPLORE

1. Authentic Leadership: Who You Are is How You Lead
2. Effective Leadership: Working Insights from Your Leadership Circle Profile®
3. Responsive Leadership: Handling Stress, Setbacks, and Disappointment for Harmonic Groups with the Enneagram
4. Values-Driven Leadership: Become a 21/64 Certified Advisor
5. Relational Leadership: Building Trust, Managing Conflict, and Navigating Betrayal
6. Intentional Leadership: Setting Clear Expectations, Giving/Receiving Feedback, and Building High-Performing Teams
7. Resilient Leadership: Managing Uncertainty, Employee Resistance, and Organizational Change Management
8. Strategic Leadership: Applying Systems Theory to Organizational Solutions
9. Reflective Leadership: Sustaining Yourself While Leading Others

COST

• $9,000 for PSW members
• $12,000 for non-member foundations and grantmaking organizations

What's Included?

• 4 in-person sessions, multiple virtual workshops, and 3 individual 1:1 executive coaching sessions led by expert facilitators
• Meals (Opening Session in Dallas, 21/64 Certification Training (location TBA), Grounded Retreat at Laity Lodge, and the Annual Conference)
• Lodging (Opening Session in Dallas (1 night), 21/64 Certification Training (2 nights; location TBA), Grounded Retreat at Laity Lodge (2 nights))
• Round-trip group transportation between the San Antonio airport and Laity Lodge for the Grounded Retreat

• All certifications and leadership assessments including:

  • 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. 

  • Communities 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.

What's Not Included?

• Participant travel expenses to/from in-person sessions (to/from Dallas (Opening Session), to/from TBA location (21/64 Certification Training), to/from San Antonio (Grounded Leadership Retreat) and to/from Fort Worth, TX (79th Annual Conference)
• Lodging expenses for the 79th Annual Conference (3 nights at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, TX) *PSW secures a discounted hotel room rate for Annual Conference attendees each year.

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!