THE FUTURE COLLECTIVE
An event series sponsored by Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund designed to cultivate Sonoma Valley’s new generation of community leaders.
ABOUT
What is The Future Collective?
The Future Collective is an event series sponsored by Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund designed to cultivate Sonoma Valley’s new generation of community leaders. The Future Collective is curating opportunities for learning, building relationships, and generating ideas to help people determine how to more effectively act on their commitment to the future of Sonoma Valley.
Why is it important to Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund?
Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund mobilizes philanthropic support and gives grants to local nonprofit organizations for innovative approaches to urgent, emergent, and chronic challenges in Sonoma Valley that no donor or organization can solve alone. The Future Collective expands the impact of philanthropy beyond traditional grantmaking. By investing in a new generation of leaders by curating events, learning opportunities, and collaborative projects through The Future Collective, Catalyst is amplifying how younger generations are shaping Sonoma Valley’s future and building a pipeline of future nonprofit leaders, thought partners, and donors.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LET’S GET DEEP is an event series on the issues Catalyst Fund is addressing, along with topics proposed by The Future Collective. The events are collaborative and will facilitate the creation of a shared vision for the future of Sonoma Valley. These topics are evolving, with more dates and invitations to come.
LET’S GET DEEP: Food Security, Food Production, Viticulture, and Labor in Sonoma Valley
April-August 2025
Dos’ Bar
521 Broadway
Sonoma
This series explores the intersection of local food and wine production, employers and farmworkers, housing affordability, and food security. By discussing these issues simultaneously with people in these industries, we aim to create a community-wide conversation about the future of Sonoma Valley through the lens of sustainable agriculture.
LET’S REIMAGINE: The Future of Sonoma Valley
June 2025
Haus of Hommeboys
Sonoma
A gathering in the inspiring Haus of Hommeboys showroom to develop a shared vision for the future of Sonoma Valley through the lens of design and connectivity.
LET’S GET DEEP: The Housing Affordability Crisis
July 2025
Sonoma
Findings of the Catalyst-funded study, Sonoma Valley Housing Affordability Roadmap, to be published in early 2024, on how to produce and preserve affordable housing, and protect people at risk of homelessness in Sonoma Valley, co-hosted by Sonoma Valley Collaborative.
LET’S STEP UP: New Nonprofit and Government Leadership
July 2025
Sonoma
A dialogue on the state of Sonoma Valley’s nonprofit sector, local government representation, and how to get involved at the leadership level.
PAST EVENTS
The launch of The Future Collective in October 2024, MEET CATALYST, brought together over 100 of Sonoma Valley's new generation of thinkers, donors, and influential community members for a high-level introduction to Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund. The event was held in the home of founding Catalyst donors Gayle Olsen and John Boich and invited attendees to gain a deeper understanding of Sonoma Valley through the lens of a new type of philanthropy. → EVENT PHOTOS by Kayla Schmah.
The second event, GET TO KNOW CATALYST, in December 2024, gave The Future Collective the opportunity to cosy up around a fire at Westerbeke Ranch for a panel discussion on how Catalyst Fund works, what issues it is focused on, and how to get involved. → EVENT PHOTOS by Kayla Schmah.
The Future Collective at UpValley event, LET’S GET DEEP: VALUES-DRIVEN LOCAL BUSINESSES, was ticketed a dinner and panel discussion between young, values-driven local business owners Sam Coturri, Winery Sixteen600, Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser, Glen Ellen Star, and Lauren Feldman, Valley Bar + Bottle, moderated by Elaine Chukan Brown on community-minded business practices that promote resilience and how, together, we can shape a rejuvenated and regenerative Sonoma economy. The event featured a dinner and wine pairings that showcased the principled sourcing that aims to close the loop on our local regenerative economic system and retain the value of purchased goods within the loop of our community utilizing local farmers that prioritize the land and the humans to the same level that we do. → FULL AUDIO RECORDING by James Joiner. EVENT PHOTOS by Marielle V Chua.
Get involved.
LOCAL BUSINESS PARTNERS
The Future Collective does not solicit donations from local businesses. This effort aims to support local staff and business owners while fostering community partnerships. These businesses have generously offered discounts, in-kind donations, venues, and collaboration for The Future Collective events.
