Join the 2026 Funders Forum at Powernet

MAY 5-6, 2026 IN CONJUNCTION WITH PowerNET 2026 (May 4-7)

TORONTO, ON, CANADA

REGISTER HERE

We are honored to invite you to join us in Toronto on May 5-6, 2026 for the fourth annual convening of the Funders’ Forum at the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies’ (The Network) annual conference, PowerNET 2026 (May 4-7).  

A collaboration with the Jewish Funder’s Network’s TEN: Together Ending Need and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, The Funders’ Forum is a gathering of foundation staff and board members, individual philanthropists, and Jewish Federation planning and leadership professionals who support and care deeply about the Jewish human service sector both in their local communities and throughout North America. 

The Network is the voice of the Jewish human service sector, strategically elevating issues of concern for the sector. This forum will offer funders an opportunity to immerse themselves in these issues. Given increasing challenges to our communities, this year’s Funders’ Forum will focus on a spectrum of important topics, including mental health, immigration, safety net services for at-risk populations, antisemitism, and more.

 Please join us at PowerNET to:

  • Network with other funders from the United States and Canada who share your commitment to the Jewish human service sector.

  • Connect with human services’ agency leaders who are on the frontlines of serving vulnerable populations in our communities.

  • Learn from experts about trends, research and effective practices that can inform your philanthropy.

  • Collaborate on ideas to address critical issues impacting the Jewish community, including vulnerability, government policies affecting the social service safety net, and antisemitism.

  • Engage in site visits to innovative client service offerings from our Toronto member agencies.

The cost to attend only the Funders’ Forum is $875, which includes dinner and a networking reception on Tuesday evening and breakfast and lunch on Wednesday.

You can access the registration link for PowerNET & the Funders’ Forum here and the schedule below. We hope you will join us in Toronto in May! Please feel free to connect with Reuben Rotman with any questions.

The Network Funders Forum 2026
The Network Funders Forum 2026

Funding at the
Intersection of Need

A convening for funders committed to Jewish community and human services

When Tuesday May 5 – Wednesday May 6, 2026
Where Toronto, Canada
Hosted by The Network, TEN and The Weinberg Foundation

This forum brings together funders working at the intersection of Jewish community, human services and economic vulnerability — to learn together, challenge our assumptions, and explore what it would take to move from crisis response to lasting self-sufficiency.

We'll combine immersive site visits, funder-only conversations, and cross-sector workshops designed to sharpen both strategy and relationships. Space is intentionally limited to allow for real dialogue.

Tuesday

Arrival & Opening

4:15 – 5:30 PM
Optional
Pre-Conference Workshops
Choose from six concurrent deep-dive sessions on issues at the heart of Jewish communal resilience:
  • From Crisis to Self-Sufficiency: Collaborative Systems for Jewish Economic Stability
  • Caregiving in the U.S. and Canada: Emerging Trends and PCTI Strategies to Support Caregivers
  • Building and Engaging Boards
  • Stewarding for the Long Term: Building Trust-Based, Multi-Year Donor Relationships
  • Ageless: Real Talk. Real Change. To End Ageism
  • Dynamic by Design: Replacing Static Planning with Vision, Accountability, and Iteration
  • Bridging Barriers to Whole-Person Care: Social Prescribing and Community Health Workers in Action
5:45 – 7:00 PM
Everyone
Opening Dinner
A convening dinner with assigned seating designed to spark the most honest conversations of the forum. Includes remarks from special guests and an overview on the status of the field in 2026.
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Optional
Evening Reception
Conference-wide reception. An opportunity for informal connection across the full gathering.
With an additional special gathering for funders interested in the Jewish talent pipeline collaborative.

Wednesday

Learning in Place

8:00 – 11:30 AM
Everyone
Site Visit
Featured Site
Vaughan Community Campus / One Open Door

An on-the-ground look at a co-location model that brings multiple Jewish social service organizations under one roof — and what it took to make it happen. We'll hear from the people who built it, run it, and rely on it.

The Origin Story Capital Campaign & Funder Role Operational Reality Human Impact What Worked & What Was Hard
12:15 – 1:30 PM
Funders Only
Lunch + Site Debrief
Rachel Sumekh opens with a brief data presentation grounding the site visit in the national landscape. Small-group breakouts by issue area — a structured conversation about what you saw, what surprised you, and what it would take to replicate it.
1:45 – 2:15 PM
Everyone
Break
2:15 – 3:00 PM
Funders Only
Funder Deep Dives
Concurrent issue-specific sessions for funders to go deeper on the topics most relevant to their portfolios — advocacy, caregiving, and more.
3:15 – 4:30 PM
Everyone
Afternoon Workshop Block
Choose from seven concurrent sessions:
  • Stronger Together — An Innovative Model for Staff Engagement and Organizational Excellence
  • Evolving Needs, Enduring Responsibility: Redesigning Holocaust Survivor Services for a New Reality
  • Tensions and Alignment: The Relationship Between Funders and Service Providers
  • Navigating Career Change in a Layoff Economy: Re-evaluating Interests for Meaningful Work
  • Building Community Resilience Through Multi-Agency Crisis Response
  • Fostering a Culture of Disability Inclusion at the Executive Level
4:45 – 5:45 PM
Funders Only
Funders + CEOs Conversation
A facilitated session pairing funders and agency CEOs for direct conversation — what funders wish agencies understood, and what agencies wish funders understood. Structured dyads followed by open reflection.
5:45 – 6:15 PM
Everyone
Closing Session
A collective close to our time together — reflecting on what we heard, what moved us, and what we're taking back to our work.

Interested in Joining?

Space at the Funders Forum is intentionally limited to support meaningful peer exchange. If you're a funder working on Jewish economic security, aging, housing, disability, or related issues — we'd love to connect.

Email rsumekh@jfunders.org to learn more and request an invitation

The Network / NJHSA  ·  Funders Forum 2026  ·  Toronto