Sara Gould Joins the Foundation Center as Visiting Fellow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

CONTACT:

Cheryl Loe
Communications Project Manager
The Foundation Center
(888) 356-0354, ext. 701
communications@foundationcenter.org

New York, NY — February 15, 2011. Sara K. Gould, former president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, has joined the Foundation Center in the role of The Atlantic Philanthropies Senior Fellow. During this two-year fellowship Ms. Gould will be in residence at the Center’s New York office, undertaking research and other activities to increase the philanthropic sector’s focus on social justice philanthropy and advance thinking in key related areas, such as leadership development. Ms. Gould will also serve as an advisor to the GrantCraft project, as well as to the Center’s work with global women’s funds.

Ms. Gould is a recognized thought leader, trusted expert, and frequent speaker in the areas of social justice philanthropy, organizational effectiveness, women’s economic security, and advocacy and public policy.

“This new relationship promises great rewards for both the Foundation Center as well as the broader field of philanthropy,” said Bradford Smith, the Foundation Center’s president. “Sara’s leadership and experience will strengthen our ability to empower donors with the knowledge they need to be more strategic.”

Ms. Gould’s position is generously supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies, an international grantmaking foundation which seeks to make lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

“I am delighted to join the Foundation Center, and grateful to the The Atlantic Philanthropies for this extraordinary opportunity to contribute my expertise and perspectives from a new vantage point in the sector,” Gould said. “I look forward to new collaborations that will further illuminate the practice and the value of social justice philanthropy.”

While president of the Ms. Foundation, Ms. Gould expanded the foundation’s grantmaking directed at organizations creating meaningful connections — across issues, movements, constituencies, and geographies — to engage more women and men in working for positive and sustainable change in both public policy and the broader culture. She also established the Katrina Women’s Response Fund immediately after the levees broke in New Orleans, which granted nearly $3 million in Louisiana and Mississippi to organizations building the leadership of women of color and low-income women to impact the recovery and rebuilding process.

Early in her tenure at the Ms. Foundation, Ms. Gould spearheaded the creation of the Collaborative Fund for Women’s Economic Development, a pioneering initiative that leveraged more than $12 million to support organizations assisting low-income women to create their own jobs, while engaging both funding partners and grantee organizations in a learning and evaluation process essential to advancing the field of women’s microenterprise development.

Ms. Gould holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and a Master’s degree in city and regional planning from Harvard University. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Center for Community Change and on the Steering Committee of Opportunity Agenda.

About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956 and today supported by close to 550 foundations, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center’s web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of 450 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and beyond. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.