Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit call for participation now open

Dec 17, 2025

The 2026 Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit will take place from May 18-20, 2026, in Philadelphia at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The Summit is hosted by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Press Forward.

PHILADELPHIA — The call for participation form for the 2026 Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit is now open. If interested in attending or pitching a session, please fill out the form: https://bit.ly/4s7acYY

Please note: This is not the registration form.

Because space is limited and the Institute aims to create an equitable gathering, it asks that you complete the short call for participation to tell about yourself and why you’d like to attend. The form will deactivate upon reaching capacity. After a review of submissions, selected attendees and session presenters will be notified. If you are selected to attend the Summit, you will receive the official registration form. The Summit is free to attend.

The 2026 Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit (https://bit.ly/4oZ7ORa) will take place from May 18-20, 2026, in Philadelphia at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The Summit is hosted by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Press Forward.

Building on the success of the 2025 Summit, which brought together more than 350 attendees for the largest-ever gathering of journalism development professionals, the 2026 event will be held in person for the second time, offering development professionals the opportunity to connect with colleagues, attend hands-on workshops, and learn from insightful keynote speakers.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE SUMMIT

Session pitches: The Institute wants to ensure that Summit sessions are responsive to the needs of attendees. If you’re planning to submit a session proposal, here are a few topics that we know will generate interest:

  • The use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to support fundraising.
  • Communications strategies to articulate the importance of local journalism and core values to funders, individual donors, and the broader community.
  • The nuts-and-bolts basics of news fundraising: individual giving, institutional funding, and membership.

This is by no means a complete list of topic areas, and you are encouraged to submit a session proposal that speaks to your expertise and interest areas. Some of the most popular sessions at the last Summit (https://bit.ly/4pIMZug) were case studies where experienced fundraisers shared insights into their own work and hands-on workshops that helped participants develop strategies and frameworks.

If you have any questions about submitting a session, please don’t hesitate to email npn@lenfestinstitute.org.

ACCOMODATION SUPPORT

The Lenfest Institute will be able to offer complimentary hotel accommodation for a limited number of general summit attendees, covering a two-night stay at the host hotel from May 18-20, 2026. Please note that rooms are at the conference hotel and only for those two dates.

You’ll be able to request accommodation support on the call for participation form. If you’re selected to attend the Summit, the Institute will confirm whether it can provide the support requested.

Press Forward will arrange hotel accommodations and travel expenses for grantees.

SCHEDULE

Programming will begin mid-day on Monday, May 18, and continue all day Tuesday, May 19. The Summit will wrap up mid-day on Wednesday, May 20. Summit attendees will be invited to attend a reception on the evening of Tuesday, May 19.

The full program and schedule will be released in March 2026.

GET NOTIFIED

Sign up to join the Lenfest News Philanthropy Network community email list to receive updates on future programming opportunities: https://bit.ly/44woMPr

LAST YEAR’S CONVERSATIONS

Last year’s Summit sparked rich discussions and reflections among attendees and speakers. Read guest essays highlighting key insights and experiences:

  • Why asking for money feels unnatural in journalism and how that needs to change by Brooke Galberth (https://bit.ly/4aVslTb)
  • Lighten the load with help from your public media friends by Carolyn Jewell (https://bit.ly/3MISzye)
  • Give while you read: How conversations at the Summit inspired a new path for publisher sustainability at Syndex by Adedayo Fashanu & Abolaji Omitogun (https://bit.ly/49fTnmW)
  • A journalist’s approach to the journalism problem by Bob Bonnar (https://bit.ly/3KQWj0c)
  • The ‘four Rs’ of fundraising by Tom Davidson (https://bit.ly/48K7FfC)