MCF Adjusts Conference Schedule to Meet the Moment

MCF staff have reconfigured the 2026 MCF Annual Conference for the safety of attendees and staff. For those who are registered, MCF will still provide high-quality content and opportunities for connection.

Our Updated Conference Plan

• Virtual Engagement on February 11 - 12: We will offer valuable virtual experiences on February 11 – 12. The new virtual schedule has been greatly reduced from the full conference schedule. See the new schedule online here and check-back regularly for more details.
• In-Person Engagement on June 30: In June, we hope the climate in Minnesota will be greatly improved. At that time, we will host a single day in-person gathering with a significant focus on our keynote presenter, Rinku Sen. Rinku has been a national leader around narrative strategies, social change, and the belief that we need to create a shared identity built on life, rather than on politics. We’re excited to share those plans with you, soon. Details are highlighted here.

Action for Attendees

• Are you already registered for the conference? If so, no action is needed. We’ll email you all of the necessary details to log-in to the sessions on February 11 – 12. Plus, we’ll share more details with you about our June 30 in-person gathering. Watch for log-in details in your in-box on Monday, February 9.
• Do you want to register? Registration is still open. Register now.
• Do you need to cancel your registration? If you can no longer join us, please let us know no later than 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 9. We cannot process any cancelations received after that time. See our Registration FAQs for more details. To cancel your registration, please send an email, before 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 9, to Khin Oo, [email protected]. 

Background About Our Decision to Change Our Conference Format

In late January, MCF gathered input from nearly 150 MCF members who shared their thoughts about the conference in relation to the ICE presence in Minnesota. We conducted the survey because we were concerned about people being targeted by federal forces and we care about the wellbeing of conference attendees and MCF staff. 

Survey responses revealed that many registered attendees remained uncertain about their comfort attending the event or had decided to cancel their registration for issues of safety and well-being. A few recurring themes arose in the anonymous survey (you can view a sampling of some of the responses at the end of this email).

With these survey results and staff considerations in mind, we settled on the adjusted conference plan described above. 

Thank You From MCF

We do not take lightly the complication these changes may have on you, conference presenters, and the conference hosts. These changes will result in an abbreviated conference, with all of the same conference expenses. We are unable to save many costs related to the food and facility fees. Thank you for supporting this difficult situation. MCF staff are so grateful for the incredible people who work in philanthropy across Minnesota.

In solidarity,

The MCF Staff

Sample of Anonymous Survey Responses

“I really appreciate the MCF Annual Conference, and realistically I don't think I have the ability to focus or engage with it in the way I'd like. There'd certainly be value in coming together as a community during this time, but I think I'd prefer to come back to the conference at a later date when we can really be present and both process what's happened and think about how to move forward. I'm also somewhat behind on work because of how hard it's been to focus, so would appreciate the time back to concentrate on the most central aspect of my job - getting money out the door.”

“As much as we desperately need to come together as a community, we're in a complete crisis. Priority needs to be on safety. Just because many of us are not targeted by ICE doesn't mean we're not affected. I stand in solidarity with our community. Please postpone.”

“I think it's important for us to get together and keep the dates as-is as much as we can! We need to -- and should -- come together to reflect on what's happening in our state/country. That said, I also fully recognize my immense privilege in feeling comfortable attending an in-person event right now; so if things shift, I'll be supportive no matter what.”