BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ChamberMaster//Event Calendar 2.0//EN METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:P1H REFRESH-INTERVAL:P1H CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:Central Daylight Time END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:Central Standard Time END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260520T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260520T133000 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-ALLDAYEVENT:FALSE SUMMARY:Help or Harm: AI in Grantmaking - Rural & Beyond DESCRIPTION:Is AI leveling the field or raising the bar?\nMany Midwest funders are noticing a surge in grant applications and wondering whether AI is helping or harming the philanthropic process. At the same time\, rural nonprofits and often nonprofits in other geographies consistently cite limited capacity as one of their biggest barriers to engaging in the grantmaking process.\nThis session shares emerging research and real-world observations on how AI is being used throughout the nonprofit sector and how funders are experiencing the resulting shifts in volume\, clarity\, storytelling\, and capacity across rural nonprofits. Together\, we'll explore both sides of the equation: AI as a potential equalizer for small\, often volunteer-driven rural organizations\, and AI as a force that may overwhelm funder systems or obscure genuine organizational needs. \nThe conversation will focus on what's actionable now: responsible AI use\, equity considerations\, and how funders can adapt their processes to maintain trust\, discernment\, and alignment with community priorities. Participants will leave with practical strategies and a clearer sense of where AI can support their work and where human discernment matters most. \nGrounded in the realities of rural philanthropy\, this session will include information transferable to any geographic setting.\nKEY TAKEAWAYS✅Examine the emerging impacts of AI adoption in rural grant seeking and rural grantmaking.\n✅Share early findings from research on how funders perceive increased application volume\, shifts in proposal quality\, and potential inequities created or reduced by AI.\n✅Identify practical\, right-sized actions rural funders and those working in other geographies can take to integrate AI responsibly\, reduce administrative burdens\, and maintain human-centered philanthropic judgment.\nGuest SPEAKERSPatice Shumate\, MSW | A Village for GoodPatrice Shumate has spent two decades working in and around nonprofits as a social worker\, grant consultant\, and systems disrupter. Through her social enterprise business\, A Village for Good\, she helps small and mid-sized nonprofit and funding organizations navigate complex world of social good funding with more strategy\, confidence\, and intention. Patrice is the current Board President of the Grant Professionals Association St. Louis Chapter and on the planning team of More Than Grant Writers. She believes the future of the social service and philanthropic sectors is human-centered\, values-driven\, and a lot braver than what we've been taught to expect.\nPatrice also uses privilege and positional safety to challenge harmful systems and call out practices that don't serve anyone. At its core\, A Village for Good is about making the business of doing good more human\, equitable\, and sustainable for all of us working in it.\nFielding Jezreel\, MSW | Jezreel ConsultingJezreel Consulting was founded in 2016 by Fielding Jezreel\, a seasoned federal grant expert with a track record of securing over $135 million in funds with nonprofits from more than a dozen federal agencies. Through coaching and training\, Jezreel Consulting empowers grant writers and nonprofit teams to elevate their proposals\, enhance submission quality\, and secure the funding needed to drive greater impact.\nFielding is also the founder and resident expert of the Federal Grants Accelerator\, a learning community for small to mid-sized nonprofits and the grant professionals who serve them. Within the community\, members have access to a range of tools and support to guide them through every step of the federal grant writing process\, including a self-paced online course with resources and templates\, group coaching\, and AI tools to expedite the federal grant-seeking process.Audience & RegistrationThe PhilMO team is hosting this Midwest Partnership webinar\, which has been designed with all types of grantmakers in mind and emphasizes a rural lens. We anticipate staff engaged in grantmaking operations and program staff who manage relationships with nonprofits will find the content especially useful.\nPhilMO Members may participate for free. If this is your first interaction with the new PhilMO website\, choose "Create New Account" when registering. \nNon-Member Missouri grantmakers may participate for a fee of $75. Non-Members should choose "Non-Member Funder" to register and submit payment.\nIf you encounter any challenges registering for this program or otherwise navigating the new website\, help is available by contacting info@philmo.org.\nWhat is the Midwest Partnership?The Midwest Partnership is a collaboration between the Council of Michigan Foundations\, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance\, Iowa Council of Foundations\, Philanthropy Missouri\, and Philanthropy Ohio. \nThe Midwest Partnership publishes an annual Midwest Grantmaker Salary Report and hosts joint programs\, including monthly webinars connecting funders across the four states. Webinars are typically designed for community foundations\, corporate foundations and giving programs\, and/or family foundations. Occasionally\, a program -- like this one! -- will be relevant to all foundation types. Regardless of focus\, all foundation types may register for any program. \nParticipation in webinars and access to the annual Salary Report is free for Member organizations. Non-Member Missouri grantmakers may not access the report but occasionally may register for webinars by contributing a $75 fee. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:



Is AI leveling the field or raising the bar?


Many Midwest funders are noticing a surge in grant applications &ndash\; and wondering whether AI is helping or harming the philanthropic process. At the same time\, rural nonprofits &ndash\; and often nonprofits in other geographies &ndash\; consistently cite limited capacity as one of their biggest barriers to engaging in the grantmaking process.


This session shares emerging research and real-world observations on how AI is being used throughout the nonprofit sector and how funders are experiencing the resulting shifts in volume\, clarity\, storytelling\, and capacity across rural nonprofits. Together\, we&rsquo\;ll explore both sides of the equation: AI as a potential equalizer for small\, often volunteer-driven rural organizations\, and AI as a force that may overwhelm funder systems or obscure genuine organizational needs. \;


The conversation will focus on what&rsquo\;s actionable now: responsible AI use\, equity considerations\, and how funders can adapt their processes to maintain trust\, discernment\, and alignment with community priorities. Participants will leave with practical strategies and a clearer sense of where AI can support their work &ndash\; and where human discernment matters most. \;


Grounded in the realities of rural philanthropy\, this session will include information transferable to any geographic setting.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

✅Examine the emerging impacts of AI adoption in rural grant seeking and rural grantmaking.


✅Share early findings from research on how funders perceive increased application volume\, shifts in proposal quality\, and potential inequities created or reduced by AI.


✅Identify practical\, right-sized actions rural funders &ndash\; and those working in other geographies &ndash\; can take to integrate AI responsibly\, reduce administrative burdens\, and maintain human-centered philanthropic judgment.


Guest SPEAKERS

Patice Shumate\, MSW | A Village for Good

Patrice Shumate has spent two decades working in and around nonprofits as a social worker\, grant consultant\, and systems disrupter. Through her social enterprise business\, A Village for Good\, she helps small and mid-sized nonprofit and funding organizations navigate complex world of social good funding with more strategy\, confidence\, and intention. Patrice is the current Board President of the Grant Professionals Association St. Louis Chapter and on the planning team of More Than Grant Writers. She believes the future of the social service and philanthropic sectors is human-centered\, values-driven\, and a lot braver than what we&rsquo\;ve been taught to expect.


Patrice also uses privilege and positional safety to challenge harmful systems and call out practices that don&rsquo\;t serve anyone. At its core\, A Village for Good is about making the business of doing good more human\, equitable\, and sustainable for all of us working in it.


Fielding Jezreel\, MSW | \;Jezreel Consulting

Jezreel Consulting was founded in 2016 by Fielding Jezreel\, a seasoned federal grant expert with a track record of securing over $135 million in funds with nonprofits from more than a dozen federal agencies. Through coaching and training\, Jezreel Consulting empowers grant writers and nonprofit teams to elevate their proposals\, enhance submission quality\, and secure the funding needed to drive greater impact.


Fielding is also the founder and resident expert of the Federal Grants Accelerator\, a learning community for small to mid-sized nonprofits and the grant professionals who serve them. Within the community\, members have access to a range of tools and support to guide them through every step of the federal grant writing process\, including a self-paced online course with resources and templates\, group coaching\, and AI tools to expedite the federal grant-seeking process.

Audience &\; Registration

The PhilMO team is hosting this Midwest Partnership webinar\, which has been designed with \;all types of grantmakers \;in mind and emphasizes a rural lens. We anticipate staff engaged in grantmaking operations and program staff who manage relationships with nonprofits will find the content especially useful.


PhilMO Members may participate for free. If this is your first interaction with the new PhilMO website\, choose \;&ldquo\;Create New Account&rdquo\; \;when registering. \;


Non-Member Missouri grantmakers may participate for a fee of $75. \;Non-Members should choose \;&ldquo\;Non-Member Funder&rdquo\; \;to register and submit payment.


If you encounter any challenges registering for this program or otherwise navigating the new website\, help is available by contacting \;info@philmo.org.


What is the Midwest Partnership?

The Midwest Partnership is a collaboration between the Council of Michigan Foundations\, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance\, Iowa Council of Foundations\, Philanthropy Missouri\, and Philanthropy Ohio. \;


The Midwest Partnership publishes an annual \;Midwest Grantmaker Salary Report and hosts joint programs\, including monthly webinars connecting funders across the four states. Webinars are typically designed for community foundations\, corporate foundations and giving programs\, and/or family foundations. Occasionally\, a program -- like this one! -- will be relevant to all foundation types. Regardless of focus\, all foundation types may register for any program. \;


Participation in webinars and access to the annual Salary Report is free for Member organizations. Non-Member Missouri grantmakers may not access the report but occasionally may register for webinars by contributing a $75 fee.



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