NACD 2026 Summer Meeting

Foundation grants begin before the application ever does, by telling a compelling story. This session will cover strategic alignment, finding funders, making the ask, and sustaining partnerships over the long term. Rivka Hodgkinson, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, will blend real-world experience with a practical, replicable, and scalable framework, sharing examples along the way, from small grants to a $1.6 million capacity-building grant from the Erb Family Foundation. When you can clearly articulate where you've been, where you are, and where you're going, you become the kind of partner foundations want to invest in. You'll leave with actionable tools regardless of your starting point or organization size.