What We Inherit, What We Build: Philanthropy’s Role in an Intergenerational Environmental Health & Justice Movement
Join the Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) in Rapid City, South Dakota, on April 20-22nd for our 2026 Annual Meeting. We’ll be gathering at the base of the Black Hills – a region shaped by deep histories of resistance, cultural resilience, and ongoing organizing for environmental health and justice, and one at the heart of intergenerational movement-building toward a just, healthy future for all. South Dakota offers a powerful context for these conversations. From uranium mining in the Black Hills to the fight against pipelines and eminent domain, the region highlights how land, democracy, community, and environmental health are deeply intertwined. Local communities defend sovereignty, protect sacred lands, and lead on renewable energy solutions.
This year’s theme invites attendees to examine the legacies we carry and the futures we are helping to shape. Through site visits, plenaries, and interactive sessions, we will explore how philanthropy can support environmental health and justice efforts that are rooted in place, grounded by history, and led by community, particularly those who have long resisted environmental violence and political exclusion, to realize a more just, healthy, and regenerative future.
Registration launching soon!