Midwest Asset Building Conversations – 2025

📅 Friday, September 26 | ⏰ 9:00 AM–12:00 PM CST | 💻 Virtual

Now & Next: The State of Asset Building in the Midwest

Agenda (all times CST)

9:00 – 9:40 am | Opening

Welcome and scene-setting: Where we are economically in the Midwest, why these conversations matter now, and a regional economic overview highlighting key trends and opportunities. The opening also includes a framing talk on why these conversations matter now more than ever, offering both inspiration and practical grounding for nonprofit work across the Midwest.
Speakers: Thomas Walstrum, Principal Business Economist - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Megan Thibos - United Way Southeastern Michigan

9:40 – 10:25 am | Panel Discussion
Resilience & Innovation: How the Nonprofit Sector is Navigating the Now
Exploring economic justice in a constrained funding environment, creative models for financial empowerment, and cross-sector collaborations bridging rural, urban, and suburban divides.
Speakers:

  • Megan Thibos - United Way Southeastern Michigan, Director, Community Impact Innovation

  • Julianna Gonzalez-Crussi - Center for Changing Lives, President and CEO

  • Amy Kaufman - Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Vice President, Community Relations

  • Moderator: Jennifer D. McClain, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Senior Director, Programs

10:25 – 10:35 am | Transition to Breakouts
Overview of breakout topics and instructions.

10:35 – 11:25 am | Breakout Sessions
Attendees will choose from concurrent sessions designed to highlight bright spots, tackle pressing challenges, and share collective strategies.

Funding Realities & New Philanthropic Approaches: Nonprofits today face a rapidly changing funding landscape, with shrinking unrestricted dollars, heightened competition, and a greater focus on equity. To navigate these challenges, organizations must rethink how they resource core operations and innovation while building long-term sustainability. This moderated panel brings together funders shaping philanthropic practice to provide insights into current trends, emerging funding approaches, and opportunities for more equitable relationships. Participants will hear firsthand about strategies such as participatory grantmaking and trust-based philanthropy, gain practical guidance for diversifying support, and reflect on approaches that can strengthen their organizations’ resilience and impact.

Speakers:

  • Rachel McIntosh - The Indianapolis Foundation, Inc., Vice President of Grantmaking

  • Phylicia Manley - JPMorganChase, Vice President & Program Officer

  • Moderator: Jennifer D. McClain, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Senior Director, Programs

Mental Health & Burnout in the Sector: Collective Care Strategies. Burnout is a growing reality for those working in economic mobility and financial empowerment, where the pace and demands of front-line work often take a personal toll. At the same time, sustaining this work requires sustaining ourselves, which helps us amplify our impact. This interactive workshop, led by Tamara Staton of Lighter Side of Climate, blends honest exploration with practical strategies to help participants navigate burnout and build resilience. Drawing on her nonprofit leadership experience and her five-step framework for deepening personal resilience, Tamara will guide participants through practices that:

  • Build awareness of stress signals and personal needs

  • Foster peer support and connection

  • Shift daily habits toward well-being and balance

  • Embrace rest as a strategy for long-term sustainability

    Participants will engage in guided reflection and come away with concrete tools they can carry back to their teams, supporting healthier, more resilient individuals and organizations.

Bright Spots: Asset Building Programs That Are Working: Highlighting innovative programs across the Midwest that are creating measurable community impact. This session highlights promising practices in asset building—from new approaches to credit-building and income supports to place-based financial empowerment programs. Participants will explore what’s replicable, what’s scalable, and what’s unique to local contexts. Our panelists will share insights from The Center for Community-Based Enterprise's worker cooperative development in Detroit and the Family Housing Fund's Building Equity in Small Multifamily Ownership initiative. Both programs demonstrate how intentional, community-centered approaches can build wealth, create sustainable economic opportunities, and strengthen local communities.

11:25 – 11:35 am | Transition Back to Main Room
Attendees return from breakout sessions for closing reflections.

11:35 am – 12:00 pm | Closing
Reflective wrap-up, key takeaways, and calls to action.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, share, and shape what’s next for asset building in the Midwest.

Register HERE Now!

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NOTE: The Midwest Asset Building Conversations are part of the larger Midwest Asset Building Conference (MABC) experience, designed this year as a virtual event to deepen regional connection and engagement.