Start your Amplifying Access experience with an optional evening of networking and conversation. Connect with fellow attendees, get oriented to the conference, and enjoy refreshments before Tuesday’s main programming.

5:00–5:30 PM — Arrival, registration & check-in
5:30–5:45 PM — Welcome & conference orientation
5:45–6:30 PM — Networking & themed conversation tables
6:30–8:00 PM — Welcome reception & networking

Monday evening is optional. Participants who cannot attend will not miss any core instructional programming.

Tuesday, September 22

Main Conference Day

Michigan Union

8:00–9:00 AM — Registration & Continental Breakfast

9:00–9:25 AM — Opening Program

Land acknowledgment, institutional welcome, and opening remarks.

Featuring: Keenan Colquitt, Jr.; Laurie McCauley; Angela D. Dillard; and Elizabeth R. Cole.

9:25–10:15 AM — Keynote Address

Caroline Altman Smith, The Kresge Foundation

A look at the current funding environment and offer insight into how philanthropy and higher education are navigating changing priorities, institutional capacity, community partnerships, and systems-level impact.

The conference welcome, introductory remarks, and keynote presentation will be livestreamed.

10:15–10:30 AM — Transition Break

10:30–11:30 AM — Concurrent Session 1

Choose a workshop, attend a scheduled Consultation Zone appointment, or visit the Resource Fair.

What Are Faculty Honorifics? Strategies for Boosting Faculty Recognition
Henry Dyson
Building Momentum / All Tracks

Research Administration 101: From Solicitation to Submission
Anne Thomson and Brandi Berg
Getting Started

Searching for Funding: Exploring Funding Databases
Judy Smith, Jackie Freeman, and Paul Barrow
All Tracks

11:45 AM–12:45 PM — What’s Being Funded Now: Equity, Access, and Community Impact in Practice

This practical conversation will examine current funding priorities, how funders assess fit and community impact, and what makes a proposal credible and compelling.

Moderator: Rashid Njai
Panelists: Caitlin McEvilly Rosenbach and Michael Shaw

12:45–1:35 PM — Networking Lunch & Resource Fair

Enjoy lunch while connecting with offices and organizations supporting funding searches, proposal development, research administration, broader impacts, publishing, data management, community partnerships, and philanthropic engagement.

1:35–2:35 PM — Funding Scholarship that Matters: Policy, Philanthropy, and the Future of Impact

This panel will examine how policy shifts, institutional strategy, philanthropic priorities, federal public-health realities, and community needs are shaping the future of funding for equity-centered and public-impact scholarship.

Moderator: John Burkhardt
Panelists: Elizabeth Birr Moje, Neel Hajra, Luis Maldonado, and Rashid Njai

2:35–2:50 PM — Coffee Break & Wellness Moment

2:50–3:50 PM — Concurrent Session 2

From Opportunity to Strategy: Assessing Fit and Positioning Your Research for Impact
Lin Li and Adrianna Trusiak
Building Momentum

Connecting with Funders: Cold Calls, Elevator Pitches, and Networking Strategies
Savannah Hall and Michelle Campbell
Getting Started / Building Momentum

Working with Publishers as Partners: Demystifying Workflows and Open Access Impact
Charles Watkinson and Sara Jo Cohen
Advanced Grant Strategy

4:00–5:00 PM — Concurrent Session 3

Building Trust Before the Grant: Partnership Strategies for Caregiving and Dementia Research
Florence Johnson
Getting Started

Boundary Busting Strategies for Funding Engaged Scholarship and Practice
David Porter
Advanced Grant Strategy / All Tracks

From Cohort to Capacity: Institutional Mechanisms for Building Sustained Community Engagement Relationships
Samia Abdelnabi
Building Momentum

5:00–6:00 PM — Closing Networking Reception

Close out Amplifying Access with refreshments and networking. Reconnect with presenters, consultants, Resource Fair partners, and fellow attendees and continue conversations sparked throughout the day.

Throughout the Day

Consultation Zones

Attend focused appointments designed to help you identify practical next steps for a proposal, funding strategy, or partnership question.

Resource Fair

Visit University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offices and community partners that support funding searches, proposal development, research administration, broader impacts, publishing, data management, community partnerships, and philanthropic engagement.