Oakland, California

The Garfield Foundation supports changemakers working toward a more equitable, vibrant, and sustainable world. Grounded in systems thinking and networked action, the Foundation invests in approaches that leverage collective intelligence and accelerate inclusive, long-term solutions to complex challenges.

CSC advised the Foundation, in collaboration with consultants from the Interaction Institute for Social Change, on the design of a systems change learning series for philanthropic leaders.

The initiative sought to shift how funders understand and practice systems change — moving beyond isolated grantmaking toward coordinated, field-level stewardship. The learning series emphasized:

• Whole-systems analysis and leverage identification
• The role of philanthropy in strengthening relational infrastructure
• Inclusive collaboration across difference
• Experimentation, reflection, and adaptive learning
• Aligning capital deployment with regenerative outcomes

Rather than positioning philanthropy as an external driver of change, the series invited participants to examine how institutional culture, power dynamics, and capital strategy shape the systems they seek to transform.

This engagement reflects CSC’s commitment to supporting philanthropic leaders in evolving from transactional funding models toward relational, adaptive, and regenerative approaches capable of advancing a just and thriving future.