Our Partners

We collaborate with foundations, organizations, and skilled consultants to invest in the inherent power of leaders.
©CarlanTapp / Question of Power

Funding Partners

Collectively, our funding partners are driving more equitable and effective investments in leaders, organizations, and movements working on some of the most pressing issues today.

The Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity

In 2021, the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity engaged the LeadersTrust to tailor a strategy to provide high-touch, intensive support to 20 of their BIPOC and trans-led nonprofit partners across the United States with a goal of contributing to their increased sustainability and mission achievement, and in turn, enhancing the overall gender and reproductive equity movement.

The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

The LeadersTrust originated as a core grantmaking program of the Haas, Jr. Fund in 2004. The Haas, Jr. Fund believes that extraordinary, enduring breakthroughs are only possible when organizations and movements have imaginative leaders with big visions and robust staying power. To date, the Fund has provided deep leadership and capacity support to almost 80 organizations across its priority areas, including immigrant rights, LGBT equality, democracy and education equity. It is also providing core support to the LeadersTrust as it expands to become an autonomous program at the Tides Center.

The Heising-Simons Foundation

In 2017, the Heising-Simons Foundation engaged the LeadersTrust to bring multi-year, deep-dive organizational effectiveness to nonprofit partners through its Community and Opportunity Program. To date, the LeadersTrust has supported 9 of these organizations in human rights, climate and clean energy, education, and science.

The Grove Foundation

In 2017, the Grove Foundation engaged the LeadersTrust to broker deep, multi-year, organization-strengthening support to a group of its nonprofit partners. To date, the LeadersTrust has worked with 14 organizations that are ensuring a healthy democracy, mitigating climate change with clean energy, protecting and advancing immigrant rights, ensuring reproductive rights, and investing in people with no or low income.

The James Irvine Foundation

In 2020, the LeadersTrust began working with the James Irvine Foundation to strengthen the leadership and organizational health of about 20 organizations in the Fair Work Initiative that are advancing the rights, protections, and job opportunities for low-wage workers in California.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

In 2016, the Packard Foundation’s Organizational Effectiveness program began a partnership with the LeadersTrust to broker deeper, multi-year, leadership and capacity-building support to a group of its nonprofit partners. To date, the LeadersTrust has worked with 17 organizations that are fighting climate change, conserving the North American West, providing access to health and early learning, advancing reproductive health and rights, ensuring a better future for people and the ocean, and supporting local communities.

“The Flexible Leadership Award gave us resources and access to talented consultants and feedback and helped us be accountable to progress along these plans... It really raised the bar in terms of professionalism of the board, improved group dynamics and group functions.”

– Dianne Phillips, Past Board President, GLAD

Charlotte Fiorito

Field Partners

The LeadersTrust works in collaboration with other experts across the sector who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and stand shoulder to shoulder in the work with social justice leaders. Some of our field partners include:

Be The Change Consulting

Consults with nonprofit partners to strengthen their intersectional racial equity lens.

BIPOC Project

Works with nonprofit partners to build pro-Black organizations.

Healing Equity United

Helps nonprofit organizations strengthen their intersectional racial equity lens.

The Management Center

Delivers management training for social justice staff.

The Resilience Initiative

Curates training and consulting to help organizations build operational and staff resilience.

ReFrame/SPIN Academy

Provides opportunities to deepen communications strategies to achieve change.

Progressive Multiplier

Offers training and consulting to strengthen fundraising capacity.

Lydia Daniller

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Partnership in Action

The Management Center: Trainings and tools

  • Provide management trainings for the staff at our nonprofit partners.
  • Increase support and camaraderie by building cohorts of BIPOC staff in progressive and frontline organizations.
  • Be responsive to changing needs like supporting our nonprofit partners in adapting to COVID-19 and the new work environment.
  • Develop trainings, resources, and tools for the broader field around preparing organizations and staff to deal with the uncertainty surrounding the 2020-post election season and other current issues.

Partnership in Action

BIPOC Project: Creating pro-Black organizations

  • Workshops for leaders to envision what steps they can take to become pro-Black organizations, and build lasting solidarity among Black, Indigeneous and People of Color (BIPOC).
  • Frameworks to help organizations shift from deficit-focused language to asset-based language.
  • Developing a systemic analysis and choice points and levers for institutional change.
  • DEI assessments and baseline understanding of gaps, and how to bridge between learning and action.

Lydia Daniller

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