2026-07-10 –, Linden Theater
You have a vision for how to make the world a better place and now you're wondering: how do I raise the money to realize this idea? Where to begin? We'll gather a variety of professionals working in philanthropy -- private foundations, government grantors, individual donors -- to answer your questions and demystify the process of raising nonprofit funds.
Okay, so you are a technologist/researcher dedicated to using your tech to create a better world, and instead of heading to Silicon Valley VCs for capital, you decide to make your venture a nonprofit organization. But now you've entered the byzantine world of philanthropy: private foundations, impact funds, crypto foundations and major donors.
Most of the foundations you research say "we do not accept unsolicited proposals." So how do you get started finding the right funders to support you? How do you interest the "angel donor" who can contribute a large sum to your nonprofit? What does it mean when a funder says "We are restructuring our priorities?"
We are lucky to have a group of experienced professionals working in philanthropy with us at DWeb Camp. We've asked them to demystify the process of funding in the nonprofit sector.
On the panel will be grant officers from private foundations, crypto foundations, government funders, a fiscal sponsor, and a major donor. The goal is to get you a little closer to your goal: garnering the support you need to propel your project forward.
Wendy Hanamura is an leader with deep experience in nonprofit management of global organizations with outsized impact. Her passion is using storytelling to achieve positive social change. As a content creator, she's had a rich career as a Time Magazine journalist, Tokyo-based foreign correspondent, television reporter and host, moderator and public speaker. She is currently the Board Chair of the Earth Species Project, and contributes her fundraising skills to many organizations she loves.
René Pinnell is the founder of Artizen, a funding platform for creative public goods across art, science, technology, and culture. Coming from a line of struggling artists, René has long been interested in how creators can receive the support they need to make ambitious work. Before Artizen, he founded Kaleidoscope, where he helped support and fund pioneering VR and immersive media projects, including projects screened at major festivals. His work focuses on building new funding models for creators and expanding the role of creativity in the commons.
Alex is a multidisciplinary professional with 20 years of experience working on six continents. Prior to eQualitie, Alex was an executive focused on developing and launching emerging technology programs in large organizations. As part of this work, he launched and led Amazon’s Worldwide Public Sector Innovation Studio and was a senior advisor in the White House, where he led national initiatives in sustainability, technology modernization and identity management. He is also a co-founder of multiple award-winning sustainable agriculture companies supporting global food security. His passion is using technology to help make the world more equitable and sustainable for all living things. Alex holds a JD from UC Berkeley, an MBA from Oxford University and a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale University.
Gerben works at NLnet Foundation, and used to write about internet decentralisation in the monthly Redecentralize.org Digest.
Having studied electrical engineering and machine learning and many things in between, he takes a full-stack view on technology — with a strong interest in the interplay of technology and society.
I run Raft Foundation, an experiment in nonprofit commoning.