We invite you to the Thousand Currents Academy: Funding Climate Solutions, July 11th – 14th, 2023

Thousand Currents is pleased to invite you to the thematic iteration of our flagship Academy: Funding Climate Solutions – from July 11th – 14th in Austin, Texas. Our first in-person program since 2020!

As the philanthropic sector increases resources for climate change, it is important for us to consider what we fund and how we fund. We have created this specialized Academy to create a learning space for donors like you to engage with some of the most pressing issues and questions as you consider how to best support climate solutions.

The Academy will address topics such as:

• How is the climate crisis a global systems change opportunity?
• How does grassroots power building keep carbon in the ground?
• How do we apply equity and justice practices to climate giving?
• What assumptions and practices do we need to re-examine to enable creative and effective solutions?

As a leader who is committed to moving more resources to climate solutions, we are excited to offer you a spot in this invitation-only Academy.

What is the Thousand Currents Academy?

In 2014, we launched our flagship donor education program, the Thousand Currents Academy. The Academy is a week-long experiential training for social change agents who want to mobilize resources and support grassroots solutions. You can learn more about the goals and unique value of the Thousand Currents Academy here.

The Thousand Currents Academy has been offered now in multiple iterations and geographies, from philanthropic practitioners in the United Kingdom to a two-year program for Executive and Board Trustee leadership in the United States.

Overall, the Academies have influenced participants to:

• Revise grantmaking practices, such as their grantmaking criteria and reporting requirements.
• Elevate grassroots and movement leadership and practices.
• Move more money toward progressive social and racial justice movements.
• Re-frame their grantmaking or investing practices within a global framework.
• Bring transformational educational opportunities like the Academy to their colleagues or networks.

What can I expect from the Thousand Currents Academy: Funding Climate Solutions?

• A confidential space to connect with peers in the sector to build community, share practices, and support each other to mobilize resources towards climate justice.
• A space to reconceptualize the climate crisis as a complex and interconnected systems-change issue.
• An opportunity to learn directly from experienced global south grassroots and movement leaders with decades of practice on how grassroots solutions are climate system solutions.
• A space to reframe assumptions related to grassroots climate justice solutions, such as impact, scale, and capacity.
• A deep dive into grassroots and movement-led climate solutions in the food and energy sectors
• Lessons from Thousand Currents’ practice of funding grassroots-let climate justice movements and solutions from a systems change perspective.
• Tools to make a concrete action plan to shift and expand giving towards, and advocacy for, climate justice solutions.
• A diversity of modalities including large group presentations, small group discussion, interactive collaborative projects, independent writing and reading, and more.

What is the commitment?

The Academy will be an in-person residential program from July 11th – 14th, 2023. This program will take place at a tranquil and exquisite wellness retreat center in Austin, Texas. We prioritize your safety and will put full intention into making this a COVID-safe gathering.

The 2023 Thousand Currents Academy: Funding Climate Solutions costs $7,000. This includes your lodging, meals, and dynamic facilitation throughout the program. Participants will be expected to bear travel expenses to and from the venue. If funds are a prohibitive factor, please do not hesitate to email us at: crystal@thousandcurrents.org.

To confirm your participation, please complete this form.

For any questions contact our Manager of Donor Education, Crystal Des-Ogugua at: crystal@thousandcurrents.org