Upcoming Courses

ESS Course Dates:


Will you be offering Essential Skills and Strategies workshops? If so please email leaders@cof.org to add your workshop(s) to this calendar

The Council on Foundations and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers will work with sponsoring organizations to help you get started, answer questions along the way, and help promote your program. In addition, the Council and the Forum will:

  • Make ESS available free of charge to grantmaking foundations and philanthropic infrastructure organizations, such as affinity groups, regional associations, nonprofit research and education organizations.
  • Provide information, support, and technical assistance by telephone and email to sponsoring organizations planning to deliver the ESS program.
  • Share feedback, ideas, and lessons learned and encourage community-building among ESS alumnus.
  • Update ESS on an annual basis.

Contact the Council on Foundations to find an ESS workshop, to discuss planning an ESS workshop, or to learn more about the ESS curriculum.

Council logo Sophie Dunbar
Council on Foundations
703-879-0768 or leaders@cof.org


Contact the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers to find your local regional association, to partner with a regional association on training opportunities, or to learn how regional associations can coordinate an ESS workshop.

Forum logoMary R. O'Neill
Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers
703-879-0811 or moneill@givingforum.org