Discovery Day 2026 - Strengthening Collaboration: Navigating a Changing Landscape

Discovery Day 2026 brought members and guests of Impact Austin together for a powerful morning of reflection, dialogue, and forward-thinking philanthropy. One of three Impact Austin signature events, Discovery Day seeks to deepen members’ understanding of how collective giving and strategic grantmaking can evolve to meet complex community needs. Each year the event is held alongside the launch of our grantmaking process.

Our 2026 theme, “Strengthening Collaboration: Navigating a Changing Landscape,” framed an important conversation: how can philanthropists remain responsive, thoughtful, and effective in a rapidly shifting nonprofit environment? The program unfolded in two distinct parts — a fireside chat followed by a dynamic panel discussion — each offering meaningful insight into the evolving role of collaborative philanthropy. Guided table conversations boosted overall understanding.

🔥 Fireside Chat: Ten Years of Good Measure

The morning opened with a fireside conversation between Leah Turner of Mission Capital and Jesse Simmons of St. David's Foundation. Specifically, the conversation shared the collaborative community efforts of Good Measure, which partners with Central Texas nonprofit leaders and organizations to build the nonprofit capacity needed for lasting impact. To date, Good Measure has served 874 organizations.

The conversation centered on the evolution of partnership — how funders and nonprofits can move beyond transactional relationships toward authentic, trust-based collaboration. Turner and Simmons emphasized the value of data-informed decision-making, balanced with humility, openness to course correction, and a willingness for funders to learn alongside their grantees/community partners. Rather than positioning philanthropy as the driver of solutions, the conversation reinforced the need to elevate lived experience and community voice. Good Measure's Measuring What Matters program helps team to learn about equitable measurement.

Some takeaways were these:

• Importance of data equity - make sure evaluation is participatory and equitable

• People need to be taught how to collect high quality data

• Power dynamic between funders and nonprofits, between nonprofits and clients

• There is a science behind designing surveys; more education is still needed

• It's a benefit to use AI [responsibly] in the grant application process, given constraints in fundraising

• There are 4,000 nonprofits in Central Texas with a need to collaborate

• Role of trust-based philanthropy - let nonprofits decide what success looks like, then use storytelling (both quantitative and qualitative) to show impact.

🗣 Panel Discussion: Same Mission, Different World — Your Move as a Philanthropist

The second half of the event featured a panel moderated by Monique Parker of Little Bit of Good, bringing together diverse perspectives from across Central Texas. Panelists included:

• Lisa Barden of Keep Austin Fed [an Impact Austin 2023 Community Partner]

• David Gray of the City of Austin Homeless Strategy Office

• Amy Merida of Central Texas Community Foundation

  
  

Key learning points came from our panelists; note that these are not direct quotes.

Amy Merida - Most nonprofits aren’t lucky enough to have governmental funding, so the reduction in government funding means that more organizations are competing for private funding. There is so much fear and uncertainty in the nonprofit sector. As funders, we need to remember the individuals and the personal needs that budget cuts impact.

David Gray - Federal funding is moving away from housing solutions and toward enforcement. Cuts directly impact the humans receiving nonprofit services.

Lisa Barden - Nonprofits that have closed their doors have been affected by funding cuts and/or delays and also policy changes. At this point, don't expect for nonprofits to request funds to expand services; they need money to simply maintain current service levels.

Lisa Barden - It can be hard to nonprofits to specifically quantify the impact a grant has made. Example: Keep Austin Fed doesn’t collect any data about the people who receive their food and they also don’t take photos of the recipients. Funders can go out to the nonprofit and observe the work they’re doing to see the impact the funding has made. 

Amy Merida - Most nonprofits are small, volunteer-led, and don’t understand how to complete a grant application - and so they don’t apply. Get brave as funders to support small nonprofit organizations that are making a real impact.  Funders can provide community for nonprofit organizations to create cohorts.

David Gray - Levels of funding (from most quickly response to least): individual > small family foundations > larger foundations > government funding.  Collaborate among funders to make sure all of money goes as far as it can! Get more strategic about how we sequence funding based on how quickly the funds can be deployed. Work with the people who are the boots on the ground and are making an impact without a lot of bureaucracy and red tape.

Lisa Barden - How can donors better evaluate organizations for funding opportunities? If you believe in the nonprofit, trust the work they're doing. Ask yourself who really needs an impact report and why?

Amy Merida - Grantmaking is set up for people who know how to play the game. Grantmaking should have space for organizations who don’t know how to play the game.  You may have to find them because they don’t know how to find you.

Throughout the discussion, Monique Parker skillfully guided conversation toward a central question: What does effective philanthropy require now that may differ from the past? The collective answer pointed to deeper listening, broader collaboration, and a willingness to rethink traditional approaches.

🤝 Collective Learning in Action

Beyond the stage, Discovery Day also provided space for small-group dialogue and member engagement. These conversations reflected the heart of Impact Austin’s model: informed, thoughtful female philanthropists coming together to learn before they give grants.

The day reaffirmed that impactful philanthropy is not static. It requires curiosity, courage, and a commitment to shared growth. Unrestricted dollars and trust in a nonprofit's mission are highly valued! Collaboration - with nonprofits, with other funders, and among nonprofits - is not merely a strategy — it is a necessity in navigating today’s challenges.

Impact Austin thanks Impact Sponsor Amplify Credit Union, and Stacy Armijo, who joined our event.

Thanks also to Polaris Executive Talent Advisors, Erin McCord Consulting, H-E-B, Matt Witte, Realtor, Kendra Scott, and Your Part Time Controller.