Mobilizing Philanthropy | Shifting Power

GCIR’s biennial National Convening is the foremost gathering in philanthropy on immigrant and refugee issues. The Convening brings together the sector’s leading voices and advocates with the aim of giving funders new tools and renewed enthusiasm to guide their immigrant- and refugee-related grantmaking. GCIR’s 2024 convening will take place in the context of daunting challenges for immigrant communities at a pivotal moment for our country’s future as a multi-racial democracy. We will meet that moment together at our gathering by addressing those challenges while shining a light on the powerful advocacy and organizing work being done to effect systemic change and build strong, welcoming, fully inclusive communities.The two-and-a-half-day gathering will provide a forum for grantmakers to:

• delve deeply into the key issues of the day affecting immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
• reflect on the state of the immigrant justice movement and on possibilities for advancing immigrant justice in a variety of contexts.
• uplift power-building strategies for immigrant and refugee populations.
• consider how the immigrant justice movement intersects with other movements, with an eye toward racial justice.
• explore strategies for centering and amplifying the work of immigrant and refugee communities that have been historically excluded from philanthropic investment and opportunities (e.g. Black, API, indigenous, Muslim, LGBTQIA+, and disabled immigrants).

THEME AND AGENDA: This year’s convening theme of Mobilizing Philanthropy | Shifting Power reflects the values, goals, strategies, and approaches set forth in GCIR’s theory of change. Through our programming and offerings, we are calling on funders to act boldly, moving beyond financial investments to leverage their privilege and power to tackle the challenges that deny individuals the freedom to stay, move, work, transform, and thrive. We will center the voices of directly-impacted communities and collectively advance philanthropic strategies through a racial justice lens. And we will work together to be in greater alignment with movement leadership while developing strategies for liberating capital and building power for immigrant and refugee communities.

Location: Nearly 700,000 people in Michigan are foreign-born – 108,000 of them undocumented – with 70 percent residing in southeast Michigan. Michigan has also been among the top five states for refugee resettlement in the last decade. We chose to host the event in the city of Detroit with an eye to its large and diverse immigrant population, with more than 400,000 immigrants currently residing in the Detroit metro area hailing from a wide range of countries. GCIR seeks to shine a spotlight on the challenges facing immigrants in the state, while highlighting the extensive and powerful work advocates are undertaking to advance immigrant justice in the region.VENUEGCIR’s 2024 National Convening will be held at The Westin Book Cadillac. The Westin is situated in the heart of historic downtown Detroit, just a 20-minute drive from the airport.Book your group rate of $239/night for the GCIR 2024 ConferenceLast Day to Book: Wednesday, October 9, 2024AIRPORT AND TRANSPORTATIONThe closest airport to the Westin Book Cadillac is the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), a 20-minute drive to the hotel.