Our staff and board are former and current grantmakers, organizers, and advocates bringing funders together to support racial, economic, gender, and climate justice movements.
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Our Team
Dennis Quirin
President
Dennis Quirin
President
dennis@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 16
Dennis Quirin is the President of Neighborhood Funders Group. As President of NFG since 2013, Dennis has led an extensive organizational change process that has doubled the programming and membership of NFG. Dennis comes to this position with two decades of experience as an activist, organizer, fundraiser, and grantmaker working for social change.
A bridge builder between sectors and strategies, Dennis has worked with some of the most respected social change organizations and leaders in the country, including designing and leading the Race & Equity Collaborative at the Proteus Fund, and positions with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, SCOPE/AGENDA, Californians for Justice, and California Forward. Dennis began his philanthropic experience working at The San Francisco Foundation funding hundreds of social justice organizations in the Bay Area.
Dennis has served on the boards of Intersection for the Arts, Californians for Justice, Northern California Grantmakers Emergency Loan Fund, Civic Engagement Fund for AMEMSA Communities, and Bay Area Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy. He currently serves as a trustee of the Common Counsel Foundation and as an Advisor to Justice Funders (formerly Bay Area Justice Funders Network).
SARITA AHUJA
Vice President of Operations
SARITA AHUJA
Vice President of Operations
sarita@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 18
Sarita Ahuja is NFG’s Vice President of Operations. She joined NFG in April 2016. For over 20 years, Sarita has worked at the intersection of philanthropy and diverse communities engaged in social justice work. Sarita’s background includes positions with The San Francisco Foundation, The California Endowment, The Ford Foundation, and Asian Law Caucus; and providing consulting expertise to foundations, affinity groups, and other nonprofits on fundraising, program design, grantmaking, research and evaluation, and organizational development.
She is currently the Board Chair of RYSE Youth Center and has served on the boards of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, Narika, and the California Vipassana Center. Sarita holds an MA in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University.
Melody Baker
Senior Program Coordinator, Amplify Fund
Melody Baker
Senior Program Coordinator, Amplify Fund
melody@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 24
Melody Baker is the Senior Program Coordinator for the Amplify Fund, a national pooled grantmaking program designed to build power and elevate the decision-making role of communities of color and low-income communities in regional and local development. Melody joined NFG in August 2018 after serving as Deputy Director of Programs at The Inner Resilience Program (project of Tides), a national non-profit focused on cultivating the inner lives of students, teachers and school communities.
Previously, Melody served as the Director of Grantmaking and Capacity Building at the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO) and as a Program Officer at the Hazen Foundation. In both roles she supported multi-issue, youth-led, community organizing programs focused on racial, gender, educational and environmental justice. Across her professional experience, which includes seven years managing design and production in the jewelry industry, Melody has developed deep project management skills. She is grounded in collaborative grantmaking systems and practice and has managed multi-stakeholder projects and programs. She holds a BA in African American Studies and Sociology from Wesleyan University.
SHANNON LIN
Communications Manager
SHANNON LIN
Communications Manager
shannon@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 12
Shannon implements strategies supporting the growth and visibility of NFG’s national network and programming in the field of philanthropy. She helps our members connect and build relationships with each other and with NFG through our website, social media, and email communications. Her passion lies in lifting up the voices of our members and field partners to highlight ideas and opportunities for addressing social inequities.
Shannon joined NFG in 2016 as a Program Associate, providing support on membership engagement, events, and database management. Her background is in advocating for workers' rights and providing support for the housing, economic, education, and health needs of immigrants, low-income communities, and communities of color. She has previously worked with Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
Currently, she serves on the Steering Committee of the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) Bay Area Chapter. Shannon holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies with a minor in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2015, she was a fellow with the Center on Civility & Democratic Engagement at the Goldman School of Public Policy. Shannon is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
NILE K. MALLOY
Senior Program Manager, Democratizing Development Program
NILE K. MALLOY
Senior Program Manager, Democratizing Development Program
nile@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 17
Nile K. Malloy joined NFG in April 2016 as the Senior Program Manager of the Democratizing Development Program. He brings fifteen years of experience in economic development, public health, community organizing, philanthropic relationship building, climate change, and environmental justice.
Before joining NFG, Nile worked as the Northern California Program Director at Communities for a Better Environment, managing campaigns and programs on climate adaptation, clean energy, environmental justice, and local economic development projects. Nile has also provided consulting services to philanthropy, nonprofits, and government entities on community equity-based climate planning and development.
Nile has served on many boards and steering committees including the Oakland Climate Action Coalition, Climate Justice Alliance, Bay Area Resilience Initiative, Bay Area Rapid Transit Title VI Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, Bay Area Air Quality Management District Cumulative Impacts Working Group, and Bay Localize. He holds a BA in African American Studies and Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan and an MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Amy T. Morris
Director, Amplify Fund
Amy T. Morris
Director, Amplify Fund
amy@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 23
Amy T. Morris is the Director of the Amplify Fund, a national pooled grantmaking fund designed to build power and elevate voices of communities of color and low income communities in decision making, particularly related to regional and local development. Amy joined NFG in October 2017 after serving as Director of Programs at the Fund for Global Human Rights, where she oversaw grantmaking programs that strengthened the grassroots human rights movement in more than fifteen countries.
Previously, Amy was a Program Officer at the Surdna Foundation, first in Foundation Initiatives and later in the Strong Local Economies program. While at Surdna, Amy was a board member of NFG and the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO).
Amy currently serves on the board of the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and on the Advisory Committee of the Earlham College Border Studies Program. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and a BA in Urban Studies and Latin American Studies from Macalester College.
LORRAINE RAMIREZ
Senior Program Manager, Funders for Justice
LORRAINE RAMIREZ
Senior Program Manager, Funders for Justice
fundersforjustice@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063
Lorraine Ramirez has worked in social justice philanthropy for nearly 15 years, in the areas of LGBTQ rights, gender justice, racial justice, housing and the foreclosure crisis, and anti-violence organizing strategies. Prior to NFG, Lorraine worked in US Programs at the Open Society Foundations. She began her work in philanthropy with five years on the grantmaking team at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, across their international and US-based grant programs. She has consulted and partnered with a number of social justice community-based organizations, primarily on fundraising strategies and organizational development.
She has previously served on the board of the Audre Lorde Project and the Justice Committee. She is currently a board member of the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT), Trans Queer Pueblo, and Resource Generation; she also serves on the grants panel for the Mobilize Power Fund of Third Wave Fund. Lorraine holds a BA in Women's Studies from Pomona College.
Adriana Rocha
Vice President of Programs
Adriana Rocha
Vice President of Programs
adriana@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 20
Adriana Rocha joined NFG as Vice President of Programs in May 2017. She has worked in social justice for more than 20 years, bringing deep expertise in grantmaking, organizational and network capacity building and non-profit management. Previously, Adriana served as a senior manager and practice director for CompassPoint, where she led the creation and implementation of its theory of change.
Adriana honed her skills in social justice philanthropy and capacity building while serving as a program officer at the New York Foundation and Director of Grants & Capacity Building at the Just Beginnings Collaborative. She also worked at Community Resource Exchange in New York City where she provided planning, fundraising and board development consulting to community organizing, immigrant, youth and HIV/AIDS organizations.
Adriana has served on the boards of the Latino Commission on AIDS, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, and the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT). She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Master’s degree from Columbia University, Social Organizational Psychology Program. Adriana is from Toluca, Mexico.
Lindsay Ryder
Membership Manager
Lindsay Ryder
Membership Manager
lindsay@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 22
Lindsay works with NFG’s membership to ensure that foundations and their staff are fully benefiting from being a part of the NFG network. She holds a birds-eye view of the national and local funders within the NFG network and is always happy to help connect folks with each other, help NFG members share their stories or pose their questions to our nationwide audience, and plug funders into the growing slate of NFG programs and offerings to deepen their work and relationships.
Lindsay joined NFG in 2017, continuing her passion for and deep experience with providing resources, capacity building, and technical assistance to support social justice advocacy. Lindsay was herself an NFG member while serving as Program Officer with the Proteus Fund’s Security & Rights Collaborative, and also worked as a Legal Associate at Alliance for Justice. Lindsay earned her BA from New York University and JD from Brooklyn Law School. Following extended stints in New York City and the Bay Area and elsewhere around the world, Lindsay now engages in movement building work based from her home state of Montana.
Kita Urias
Executive Assistant to the President
Kita Urias
Executive Assistant to the President
kita@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 16
Kita Urias joined NFG in April 2016 and is the Executive Assistant to the President. She provides administrative assistance to NFG’s President and helps manage the workflow of the Senior Management Team. Kita has supported the launch of several programs at NFG, including Project Phoenix, the Amplify Fund, and Philanthropy Forward.
Kita has a background in education, and a passion for youth development and social justice. Prior to working at NFG, she taught Pre-Kindergarten and has since welcomed a daughter of her own. Having also worked in property management and marketing, Kita brings over seven years of administrative experience and strong communication, organizational, and troubleshooting skills. Kita earned a BA in English with a concentration in Education from the University of Texas - San Antonio.
Neda Said
Program Coordinator
Neda Said
Program Coordinator
neda@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 15
Neda Said joined NFG as Program Coordinator, supporting Funders for Justice, Funders for a Just Economy, and the Democratizing Development Program, in September 2018. Neda’s experience has honed her skills in strategic community engagement, detailed program coordination, dynamic facilitation, and thoughtful curriculum development.
Prior to joining NFG, she has led community empowerment and organizing efforts in a myriad of ways, including through facilitation and crafting of curriculum in partnership with queer and trans youth leaders, supporting and training survivors and advocates for domestic and sexual violence, and managing leadership programs for youth of color. Neda’s work is driven by her ardor to alleviate injustices for marginalized communities at the intersections of identity. She continues to utilize her skills in building intersectional approaches, foundational structure, and methodical coordination for the movement towards liberation.
Neda currently organizes to end the criminalization and incarceration of survivors of domestic and sexual violence with national coalition, Survived and Punished. She completed her studies in Political Science and International Studies at the University of California at San Diego. When Neda isn’t immersed in planning the details of something, she’s probably out enjoying the sunshine.
MANISHA VAZE
Senior Program Manager, Funders for a Just Economy
MANISHA VAZE
Senior Program Manager, Funders for a Just Economy
manisha@nfg.org
(510) 444-6063, ext. 19
Manisha Vaze joined NFG in February 2017 as the Senior Program Manager for Funders for a Just Economy (FJE). Manisha has more than 12 years’ experience as a community organizer. Before joining FJE, Manisha was the Director of Organizing at Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) in South Los Angeles. Her work at SCOPE helped advance an agenda to eliminate structural barriers to social and economic opportunities, and build replicable job training and workforce models that have regional and national impact.
Manisha also previously served as the Senior Organizer at Families for Freedom (FFF), a New York City-based community organization by and for families facing deportation due to an interaction with the criminal system. She campaigned to win federal changes to immigration law and statewide changes to cut ties between the local criminal system and the federal immigration system. Manisha also has experience in mental health program development and policy advocacy, and served as the Follow-up Coordinator at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University.
Our Board
Michael Brown
Seattle Foundation
Michael Brown
Civic Architect, Civic Commons
Seattle Foundation
Michael Brown is Co-Chair of the NFG board. Michael leads the Seattle Foundation's Civic Commons, providing vision and leadership to a collaborative effort to design a new regional civic infrastructure to unite more community voices in decision-making. Michael is also president of the Building Changes Board of Directors, a commissioner at the King County Housing Authority, and a board member of the Washington State Budget and Policy Center. He received his Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University (New Orleans).
ALISON CORWIN
Surdna Foundation
ALISON CORWIN
Senior Program Officer, Sustainable Environments
Surdna Foundation
Alison Corwin is Co-Chair of the NFG board. She is a Senior Program Officer for Sustainable Environments at the Surdna Foundation. She engages in grantmaking to develop and support how communities of color and low-wealth communities build accountability, alternatives, and democratic muscle to promote infrastructure development that simultaneously aims to achieve racial equity, and economic, environmental and climate justice. Alison holds a Master in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies from St. Lawrence University.
SHONA CHAKRAVARTTY
Hill-Snowdon Foundation
SHONA CHAKRAVARTTY
Senior Program Officer
Hill-Snowdon Foundation
Shona Chakravartty is a Senior Program Officer at Hill-Snowdon Foundation, where she leads its Economic Justice grantmaking program and executes learning and leveraging activities related to its economic justice goals. Shona is currently a Co-Chair of NFG's Funders for a Just Economy. She also serves on the steering committee of the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing and on the board of Chhaya CDC in Queens, where she lives. Shona was born in India and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a master’s degree from Oxford University.
ANDREA DOBSON
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
ANDREA DOBSON
Chief Operating & Financial Officer
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
Andrea Dobson is the Chief Operating & Financial Officer of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing its investment, finance, accounting, human resources, operating, and information technology functions. She also leads the Foundation’s efforts in mission investing. Andrea is committed to addressing issues related to poverty, racial and social justice, education, and community development. She is a Certified Public Accountant with areas of expertise including strategic planning, investment oversight, and financial governance. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
lavastian glenn
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
lavastian glenn
Program Director
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
Lavastian Glenn is Program Director at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. She directs the Program Team and the Foundation’s efforts in mission investing, including program-related investments. Lavastian also is responsible for strategic grantmaking, relationship and network development in Georgia and Alabama. She supports grantee partners engaged in asset development, community economic development and public policy/systems reform. Lavastian previously served on the steering comittee of Grantmakers for Southern Progress, a former program of NFG. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Wake Forest University.
marjona jones
Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
marjona jones
Senior Program Officer
Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
Marjona Jones is a Senior Program Officer at the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, where she focuses on grantmaking to support racial justice and economicequity. Marjona brings all of her experience, expertise and whole self to her practice as a grantmaker. Prior to entering the field of philanthropy, Marjona organized for 14 years in varying capacities for social and economic justice with Brown Community Development Corporation (BCDC), NY Jobs with Justice, and UNITE HERE. A native of Chicago’s South Shore, Marjona currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
AMY KENYON
Ford Foundation
AMY KENYON
Program Officer
Ford Foundation
Amy Kenyon is Secretary of the NFG board. She is a Program Officer on the Ford Foundation's Just Cities and Regions team. Her work has focused on reforming the rules that shape regional development in US metropolitan areas in order to expand economic opportunities for low-income people. Her grant making has supported integrated approaches to equitable development, through improving access to permanently affordable housing and transit choices and deepening community engagement in land use planning processes. Amy earned her master’s degree from the New School for Public Engagement’s program in urban policy and management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Messiah College.
Amoretta Morris
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Amoretta Morris
Director, National Community Strategies
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Amoretta Morris is the Director of National Community Strategies at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Her team works with local partners to improve the neighborhoods where kids and families live by promoting access to good schools, affordable homes and job opportunities and strengthening community safety. Amoretta has more than a decade of experience in education policy, youth development, civic engagement, interagency collaboration and nonprofit management. Morris earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and African studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s in public policy from Harvard University.
Sandra Witt
The California Endowment
Sandra Witt
Director of Healthy Communities
The California Endowment
Sandra Witt is currently the Director of Healthy Communities (Northern Region) at The California Endowment. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director of Planning, Policy and Health Equity for the Alameda County Public Health Department as well as the Director of the Community Assessment, Planning, Education and Evaluation (CAPE) Unit of the Alameda County Public Health Department. Sandra received her DrPH In Maternal and Child Health from the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Latin American Studies/Anthropology.
Mark Paley
The Hyams Foundation
Mark Paley
Director of Administration & Finance
The Hyams Foundation
Mark Paley is the Director of Administration & Finance at The Hyams Foundation. Before joining Hyams in 2001, he was the CFO at YouthBuild USA where he helped to build the national youth servicing non-profit to a nationally recognized network of groups working with out of school youth. Mark was a member of the initial steering committee of the Non-Profit Financial Managers Group. He is also a member of the board of the Schott Foundation. Mark earned his B.A. at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Masters of Management at the University of California, Davis.
Carmen Rojas
The Workers Lab
Carmen Rojas
Co-Founder and CEO
The Workers Lab
Dr. Carmen Rojas is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that invests in entrepreneurs, community organizers, and government leaders to create replicable and revenue generating solutions that improve conditions for low-wage workers. For more than 20 years, Carmen has worked with foundations, financial institutions, and non-profits to improve the lives of working people across the United States. She also sits on the boards of the Marguerite Casey Foundation and General Service Foundation. Carmen holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007.
mary sobecki
The Needmor Fund
mary sobecki
Executive Director
The Needmor Fund
Mary Sobecki has been with The Needmor Fund for ten years and currently serves as its Executive Director. Previously, she served as Senior Program Officer at the Toledo Community Foundation and later as the founding Director of the Nonprofit Resource Center. She previously held positions at several nonprofits, including Children’s Resource Center in Bowling Green, Ohio, and the Y.W.C.A. of Greater Toledo. Mary’s board memberships have included Philanthropy Ohio, The First Tee of Lake Erie, and FOCUS. Mary holds a bachelor’s degree in in Social Work from Bowling Green State University.
Aaron Tanaka
Center for Economic Democracy
Aaron Tanaka
Director
Center for Economic Democracy
Aaron Tanaka is Treasurer of the NFG board. He is a Boston-based community organizer, grantmaker, and impact investor. As the director of the Center for Economic Democracy, Aaron stewards funding and technical assistance to grassroots groups that build power and vision in low-income communities of color for a new economy. He is a former Green For All Fellow, a current Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) Fellow, and a visiting practitioner at Tufts University, and co-chair of the Asian American Resource Workshop and the national New Economy Coalition. Aaron holds a BA from Harvard University and an MS in community economic development from Southern New Hampshire University.
Dennis Quirin
Neighborhood Funders Group
Dennis Quirin
President
Neighborhood Funders Group
Dennis Quirin is the President of Neighborhood Funders Group. As President of NFG since 2013, Dennis has led an extensive organizational change process that has doubled the programming and membership of NFG. Dennis comes to this position with two decades of experience as an activist, organizer, fundraiser, and grantmaker working for social change.
A bridge builder between sectors and strategies, Dennis has worked with some of the most respected social change organizations and leaders in the country, including designing and leading the Race & Equity Collaborative at the Proteus Fund, and positions with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, SCOPE/AGENDA, Californians for Justice, and California Forward. Dennis began his philanthropic experience working at The San Francisco Foundation funding hundreds of social justice organizations in the Bay Area.
Dennis has served on the boards of Intersection for the Arts, Californians for Justice, Northern California Grantmakers Emergency Loan Fund, Civic Engagement Fund for AMEMSA Communities, and Bay Area Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy. He currently serves as a trustee of the Common Counsel Foundation and as an Advisor to Justice Funders (formerly Bay Area Justice Funders Network).
