This fall, the EGF Accelerator and the Fund for the City of New York convened a group of foundation trustees and nonprofit leaders that traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to the Legacy Museum, the Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Mothers of Gynecology Monument. It was a deeply meaningful experience. 

We invite you to join us to widen and extend the circle of conversation exploring the profound effects of multigenerational trauma on youth development. This discussion will provide additional perspective, and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by young people today and promote pathways to healing. Join us for what will be powerful discussion with restorative justice expert Gisele Castro: CEO, Exalt Youth  and  Edward Fergus: Professor of Urban Education and Policy at Rutgers University

This magical feeling of community here

is a relatively easy one to describe but a hard one to replicate — the feeling of connectedness, joy, support, and the collective drive to build a world our young people deserve. 

This November, I am thrilled to come home to EGF as its VP of Community and Capacity. In this role, I’ll get to give back to the place that taught me so much. As we move into the new year, and we look forward to opening our new space, I’ll be learning how best to support and extend the work of our grantees in our post-pandemic, tech-forward world. 

From 2010-2015, The Opportunity Network (OppNet) was housed at the EGF Accelerator as one of its incubated grantee partners. I started at OppNet as its first ever Director of Programs in 2011 and left in 2023 as its first ever BIPOC CEO. 

During the time we were at EGF, our staff shared our walls and cubicles with other EGF Accelerator grantees; Breakthrough New York, and Year Up New York. Upstairs from us sat SEO Scholars, Citizen Schools New York and then Blue Engine. 

Most of us had mission overlap. Some of us were further along in our organizational growth than others. All of us, though, put in long days, creating conditions for our students to thrive. And there were so many challenges and frustrations, especially when we discovered, as we often did, that our success was tethered to stubborn and entrenched systemic and structural inequities. 

It turned out, though, that the community that the EGF Accelerator created was a kind of medicine.  

 Sometimes, conversations among grantees and EGF staff were moments of connection. Sometimes, conversations with EGF staff or among other nonprofit leaders were opportunities for learning, and even collaboration, as we shared resources and tools. Other times, it was the feeling of being listened to, seen, and supported that fueled us. Now it's time for me to listen to you.

Please reach out to me at ailun@egfaccelerator.org.



Running a nonprofit is hard work. And it's easy to get very very serious. And with WFH, seriously isolated.

We follow some of our most intense learning sessions with a networking party -- a chance to meet, greet, imbibe, reconnect with former and current colleagues and generally, let your light shine.