A Year in Review
GSP Staff visited the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC in December 2023.
GSP staff have been in planning retreat mode for the past week, gearing up for exciting programs we’re bringing y’all in the new year. Before we do, we wanted to share some of our 2023 milestones with all of you:
- We launched and deepened our work with state tables in Georgia and Mississippi who are now engaged in funder organizing work that aims to strengthen the social justice and philanthropy infrastructure in each of these states.
- We launched our pilot leadership development program, Fellows for Southern Progress, and held our first cohort convening in Jackson, Mississippi. Our Fellows spent several days learning about the political context of MS, building relationships with one another and GSP staff, and began dreaming & scheming around their personal development goals in FSP.
- We released Groundwater, our introductory report from our revitalized As the South Grows funder report series. This report highlights changes in the Southern context and field of philanthropy over the past five years and lays a roadmap for the issue areas we will be covering in subsequent reports coming in 2024. Read the report here.
- We hosted our 2023 Convening: The Forward Moment in Orlando, Florida. Well…sort of! Due to Hurricane Idalia, we had to pivot to virtual programming, but while GSP’s staff was facilitating the event from the hotel, our event speakers and participants filled our three days of programming with invaluable wisdom, stories, and connection. in true Southern tradition, we were able to take a hard moment and turn it into an opportunity to support our communities and learn more about Climate, LGBTQ+, Immigrant, and Criminal Justice work shaping the central Florida area.
Looking back on all that we accomplished this year, we can’t help but feel grateful for the ways our GSP community continues to show up for us and each other. Thank you for all that you do. As we celebrate our accomplishments in 2023, we are also living into our values around centering people in the work. We know that rest is political within systems that put production before community. GSP staff will be prioritizing rest through the end of this year and into early next by closing our offices from December 18 through January 5. We are so excited to continue connecting and building with you in 2024. Happy Holidays, Grantmakers for Southern Progress