PEAK in 2021 has been continuously engaged with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking leaders in the field of philanthropy via our ongoing interview series led by PEAK President and CEO Satonya Fair, a keynote event at PEAK2021 Online, and a spectacular panel discussion in September. The discourse at each event iterated time and again how grants management professionals will be the ones to operationalize the equitable practices that will transform the field. We couldn’t have asked for better ways to celebrate PEAK’s 25th anniversary and our community. As we reflect on 2021 and how much grants management has evolved over 25 years, here are some of the words that have stayed with us and will inspire us as we begin a new year. We think they’ll inspire you, too.

“When I came into this field, people didn’t even know what the heck we were talking about when we said ‘grants manager’ or ‘grants management’ or ‘grants associate.’ … We knew that there was a lot of work that needed to be done to evolve how we were positioned within our organizations.” —Satonya Fair, CEO, PEAK Grantmaking

“To build an organization that is first and foremost respectful of our grantees, we must also be first and foremost respectful of our grants managers and the way our grants managers work.” —Robert Bank, President and CEO, American Jewish World Service

“These are serious jobs where we endeavor to imagine freedom. You need to look at your grant recipients, your team, your board and say, we have an opportunity to plant the seeds of what the future looks like. What does public repair look like? How do we build the internal organization so that it projects out to the world what we want the world to look like and where we’re in that.” —Crystal Hayling, Executive Director, The Libra Foundation

Read the full article about changing grantmaking processes by Jesse Rhodes at PEAK Grantmaking.