Thank you to everyone who joined us at CircleUP Chicago, hosted by Philanos, Philanthropy Together,Grapevine, and the Chicago Foundation for Women!

We’re incredibly grateful to the 130+ attendees who showed up, engaged, and explored the power of giving circles. Your energy and commitment to collective philanthropy made the event truly special!

As Philanos Co-Chair Clare O'Brien said:

"Our CircleUp Chicago event on March 31 was a vibrant, inclusive and joyful celebration of women’s collective giving! It was a treat to spend the evening with treasured and new friends from across our philanthropic ecosystem. Together with our partners Philanthropy Together, Grapevine, Latino Community Foundation, Chicago Foundation for Women and Women's Philanthropy at Indiana University, we welcomed over 130 giving circle members, partners, collaborators and funders. I was delighted to see members of Philanos affiliates Impact Austin, Impact100 Metro Denver, Impact 100 Cincinnati, Impact 100 of Greater Indianapolis, 100 Women Strong at Central Florida Foundation, Impact100 South Jersey and Impact Grants Chicago, as well as our long-term funders, Fidelity Charitable®Catalyst Fund, Raikes Foundation and DAFgiving360. The atmosphere was welcoming and celebratory, with attendees bringing a colleague, sister, mother and significant other to learn about the joys of community-based giving.

This event also reminded me why Philanos provides support for giving circles through both programmatic offerings AND fostering relationships. For 17 years, we have helped to build the connective tissue in women’s collective giving, creating a supportive, inclusive and generous community where ideas and resources can flow freely. This gathering vividly demonstrated the power of Mark Granovetter’s sociological theory of “The Strength of Weak Ties” whereby some of the most valuable innovations, opportunities and financial support can originate from networks distant from your own. It was rewarding to see the many new personal connections forged that night, uniting individuals with shared goals and values from disparate networks - with the hope that these leaders can combine their resources and lived experiences to create opportunities that enable all to thrive.  In that vein, we closed out our program by hearing from seven inspirational Chicago-based giving circles, several of which are rooted in under resourced communities."