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Under Development & Subject to Change |
Tuesday, September 15 (Pre-AGCon 2026) |
Free Daytime Excursions (Optional) 9:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Red Ridge Walking Tour Explore a nature preserve tucked inside Oklahoma City with the deputy director as your guide — an easy hour and a half of wild ground before the conference gets loud. Transportation from the Ambassador Hotel via ride-sharing services will be coordinated. Red Ridge is an emerging 133-acre green space in the heart of Oklahoma City. In the coming years, Kirkpatrick Philanthropies intends to transform this landscape — including the historic R.J. Edwards home — into a nature preserve and study center in the heart of Oklahoma City. 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Visit to WildCare Oklahoma See how one of the country's busiest wildlife rehabilitation centers turns injured wildlife into second chances, hosted by their director of education. Transportation from the Ambassador Hotel will be provided by WildCare Oklahoma. Operating the only wildlife hospital in Oklahoma, WildCare Oklahoma now admits over 10,000 injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife annually from throughout the state. WildCare answers an average of 285 calls a day through its help desk staffed 365 days a year, provides 85 to 100 in-person educational events a year, monitors wildlife disease and produces field-informing research, rehabilitates and places exotic animals confiscated by law enforcement that have nowhere else to go for help, and runs a fellowship program training the next generation of veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators, conservation professionals, and biologists from throughout the U.S. In 2024, it founded the Oklahoma Animal Coalition – a broad-based advocacy and public education group encompassing the state’s zoos, cat and dog rescues, municipal animal welfare organizations, sanctuaries, farmed animal rescues, and more 1:15 P.M. - 3:45 P.M. Visit to Norman Animal Welfare Roll up your sleeves at a working municipal shelter and see companion-animal work at ground level — a rare chance for funders to be useful with their hands. Transportation from the Ambassador Hotel via ride-sharing services will be coordinated. Norman Animal Welfare is focused on encouraging responsible pet ownership by promoting and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and pets of Norman through education, enforcement, and community partnership. In addition to providing an excellent level of animal care, Norman Animal Welfare provides a variety of necessary treatments to the nearly 2000 animals adopted annually, as well as spay and neuter surgeries, in its state-of-the-art veterinary clinic. Humanely addressing the challenges faced by homeless pet populations requires dedicated community leaders and volunteers. These tireless contributors provide the extra resources that allow Norman Animal Welfare to achieve a 90+% live release rate. Evening Networking Events 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. Welcome Reception at Ambassador Hotel Oklahoma City Kick the conference off the way it should start — with a glass in hand, no name badge scramble, and 48 hours of the field's most interesting people just beginning to arrive. 7:45 P.M. Dine Around Oklahoma City Small-group dinners at Oklahoma City's best vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants — pick a table, meet your future collaborators, split the check. |
Wednesday, September 16 (AGCon 2026 - Day 1) |
8:30 A.M. Arrive at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Please plan to arrive at Oklahoma Contemporary by 8:30 a.m. Allow ample time to walk to the venue or travel by Uber, Lyft, or taxi. Breakfast is on your own prior to arrival. 8:45 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. Opening Remarks The chair opens the frontier — a few minutes to set the tone for the two days ahead — followed by some practical guidance for making the most of the experience. Speakers:
9:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. Inspiration (Morning Keynote) The conference opens with the story of where animal philanthropy stands today — the ground we've won, the ground still ahead, and why this year matters. Speaker: Matt Dominguez, U.S. director, Compassion in World Farming 9:30 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Structured Networking A fast, warm opener where the whole room finds itself in a series of one-question snapshots — you'll see who else in this room shares your obsession before you sit back down. Facilitators:
10:00 A.M. - 10:15 A.M. Break State of the Ecosystem - Lightning Talks Covering All Major Animal Categories 10:15 A.M. - 10:20 A.M. Session and Speaker Introductions A five-minute frame for the lightning round that follows — one conference, five categories of animals, no filler. Speaker:
10:20 A.M. - 10:35 A.M. SOTE Talk 1: Animals in Our Homes and Communities The state of companion-animal work in fifteen minutes — where the field is, where the money isn't, and what a funder should be watching next. Speaker: Brent Toellner, senior director, lifesaving programs, Best Friends Animal Society 10:36 A.M. - 10:51 A.M. SOTE Talk 2: Animals in the Wild Wild-animal welfare is one of the newest frontiers in philanthropy — Wild Animal Initiative gives you the tour in fifteen minutes. Speaker: Cameron Meyer Shorb, executive director, Wild Animal Initiative 10:52 A.M. - 11:07 A.M. SOTE Talk 3: Animals in Labs The Alternatives Research and Development Foundation on where laboratory-animal work stands now, what technologies are changing it, and what funders are missing. Speaker: Luke Klein, president & CEO, Alternatives Research and Development Foundation 11:07 A.M. - 11:17 A.M. Stretch Break 11:17 A.M. - 11:32 A.M. SOTE Talk 4: Animals on Farms Senterra on the frontier of farmed-animal philanthropy — the thesis funds reshaping the space and the practices spreading fastest. Speaker: Kelcey Meadows-Lucas, donor advisor, Senterra Funders 11:33 A.M. - 11:48 A.M. SOTE Talk 5: Animals at Work and in Entertainment The most under-covered category in animal philanthropy gets its fifteen minutes — working animals, wildlife trade, and the entertainment industry, from someone who has spent a career on the sharp end of it. Speaker: Anna Lampard, grants and program lead, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Note: Prior to joining Battersea, Anna spent eight years working on international programs for working animal welfare at Working Animals International (formerly SPANA), where she was head of program quality and delivery. 11:50 A.M. - 12:05 P.M. Q & A with State of the Ecosystem Presenters All five ecosystem speakers on stage for the questions the lightning talks left open — one of the few rooms where you can compare notes across every category of animal work in a single conversation. Facilitators:
12:05 P.M. - 12:15 P.M. Morning Wrap & Pre-Lunch Break 12:15 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. Lunch 1:30 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. Data Presentation #1 A short, funder-focused look at the numbers behind the field this year — what changed, what didn't, and what the data is telling us about where to put the next dollar. Speaker: Betsy Liley, CEO, Grateful Change 1:45 P.M. - 2:15 P.M. Structured Speed Networking Thirty minutes, one new peer every three minutes, twelve questions designed to go from warm-up to substance fast — the highest-density new-contact block on the program. Facilitators:
2:15 P.M. - 3:45 P.M. Practical Theory of Change Workshop for Grantmakers Hands-on Theory of Change work built for the way grantmakers actually work — leave with a real draft ToC for one of your own current grants. Facilitator: Stien van der Ploeg, executive director, Animal Charity Evaluators Note: There will be a short break about halfway through. 3:50 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Break 4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. From Chaos to Clarity: Workshop on Leveraging Productivity Tools and AI for Strategic Grantmaking A hands-on hour on using AI to elevate your grantmaking: beginner-friendly ideas, ways for the more experienced to upgrade their workflow, and plenty of time to swap ideas with peers. You'll leave with one actionable step to move from chaos to clarity. Facilitator: Olivia Addy, Grant Lead, Open Wing Alliance 5:00 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. Free Time 6:30 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Cocktail Reception 7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. Gala Dinner and Keynote Presentation Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson on animal protection from the seat of state power — dinner in good company, with a keynote that puts the field's advocacy work in a larger frame. Speaker: Drew Edmondson, 16th Attorney General, State of Oklahoma (1995 - 2011) |
Thursday, September 17 (AGCon 2026 - Day 2) |
8:30 A.M. Arrive at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Please plan to arrive at Oklahoma Contemporary by 8:30 a.m. Allow ample time to walk to the venue or travel by Uber, Lyft, or taxi. Breakfast is on your own prior to arrival. 8:45 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. Welcome Back & Welcome ANIMAL Conference Attendees Day two opens with a warm welcome to our peers from the ANIMAL Conference joining us in the room — two funder communities briefly overlapping, and a fuller field for it. Speaker: Stien van der Ploeg, executive director, Animal Charity Evaluators & AGCon 2026 Chair 9:00 A.M. - 9:45 A.M. Inspiration (Morning Keynote) Jane Velez-Mitchell is an American television and social media journalist, author, and vegan activist known for her work on animal rights, addiction, and social justice. A former CNN Headline News host of Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, she earned multiple Emmy and Genesis Awards for investigative and advocacy reporting. She founded UNCHAINEDTV, a free streaming network promoting veganism through documentaries, shows like New Day New Chef and the film Countdown to Year Zero. Jane will talk about the frontiers of media coverage in the evolving world of animal welfare, advocacy and rights through her work at UnchainedTV. Speaker: Jane Velez-Mitchell, founder and managing editor, UNCHAINEDTV 9:45 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Panel: Trends in Best Practices from the Grantee Perspective Battersea in conversation with Clara Aguilar of the Edgard Cooper Foundation and grantees — what actually helps grantees do their best work, told by the people giving AND receiving the grants. Speakers:
Moderator: Anna Lampard, grants and program lead, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home 11:00 A.M. - 11:15 A.M. Break 11:15 A.M. - 12:15 P.M. Practical Theory of Change Workshop for Evaluating Grantees Day one built a ToC for making grants; day two uses one to evaluate them — a working session for anyone who has ever wondered whether their reporting form is asking the right questions. Facilitator: Stien van der Ploeg, executive director, Animal Charity Evaluators & AGCon 2026 Chair 12:15 P.M. - 12:30 P.M. 5th Annual Melanie Anderson Lifetime Excellence in Animal Protection (LEAP) Award The 2026 LEAP Award recognizes Joyce Tischler — legal pioneer for animals — with the community she helped build. Affectionately known as the "Mother of Animal Law," Joyce helped found and build the field of animal law starting in the 1970s, and has been a trailblazer ever since. Speakers:
12:30 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. Lunch 1:30 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. Data Presentation #2 A second short data session, this one built for a mixed audience of funders, animal advocates, and academic guests joining from the ANIMAL Conference. Speaker: Betsy Liley, CEO, Grateful Change 1:45 P.M. - 2:15 P.M. Structured Networking - Small Groups Two rounds at small tables — first with peers whose funding structure looks like yours, then with peers whose animals look like yours — the deepest networking block of the conference. Facilitators:
2:15 P.M. - 2:45 P.M. The Frontier of the Animal Protection Movement: Young Animal Protectors Three younger voices on where animal protection is heading — the Reducetarian Foundation, WildCare Oklahoma, and an emerging advocate on the field they're building next. Speakers:
2:45 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Break 3:00 P.M. - 3:50 P.M. Frontier Film Fest Short documentaries about how AI and animal protection intersect, followed by an exciting conversation about how we can help AI go well for animals. 3:50 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Closing Remarks The chair closes the frontier — a short reflection on the two days behind you and the field they add up to. Speaker: Stien van der Ploeg, executive director, Animal Charity Evaluators & AGCon 2026 Chair 4:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Tour of Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center (Self-Guided) A self-guided walk through Oklahoma Contemporary between the last session and the joint reception — 20 to 30 minutes to breathe. 4:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. Cocktail Reception for AGCon + ANIMAL Conference Attendees Two funder communities in one room, a plant-based menu, and the kind of unhurried conversation the day has been building toward — the conference doesn't really end until this reception does. |
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