Program Spotlight: Executive Grantmaker Fellowship
Get to Know the Inaugural Fellows!
Last September at the 2024 Fall Retreat, EGA launched the Executive Grantmaker Fellowship (EGF) to support foundation presidents and trustees in bridging the gap between leading from the helm and leading from the heart. The vision of this eighteen (18) month, peer learning journey is holistic integration of racial equity into the leadership level of the environmental grantmaking.
Our inaugural cohort of Fellows features ten (10) visionary trustees and presidents. They are generational grantmakers who leading foundations in local, regional and national networks to the global stage:
From left to right, top to bottom:
- Bakeyah Nelson, Senior Advisor, Rockefeller Family Fund
- Denise Porché, Executive Director, Island Foundation
- Elizabeth Love, CEO, Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation
- I-Hsing Sun, CEO, Envizen
- James Logan, President and CEO, Wege Foundation
- Jane West, Executive Director, The Two Lilies Fund
- Joshua (Josh) Amponsem, Co-Director, Youth Climate Justice Fund
- Lauren A.B. Nichols, Director, Chino Cienega Foundation
- Lourdes J. Rodríguez, DrPH, CEO, David Rockefeller Fund
- Nathan Méténier, Co-Director, Youth Climate Justice Fund
As the Fellowship reaches its midpoint, we’re reflecting on the incredible journey to today…
EGF Milestones
Fellowship Kick-off!
September 2024, EGA Fall Retreat
Several of the inaugural fellows attended the in-person launch of the Executive Grantmaker Fellowship in Stevenson, Washington. The launch session used analysis, group work, and collaborative conversations to identify and analyze current systemic barriers within the environmental and philanthropic sectors. Fellows reflected upon the historical context of racial injustices and their impact on present-day challenges. The cohort rounded out a two-day intensive with an axe-throwing activity!
Photo credit - Top: AT Media & Analysis, Bottom: I-Hsing Sun
In Fellows’ Own Words
"Finding Fellowship Among Leaders"
by Elizabeth Love, CEO, Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation
Excerpt: “…[I]t’s the connections with EGFers that are the heart of this experience. My fellow ‘axe-throwers’ (true story!) are strategic, creative, and compassionate, and there is no better group to wrestle with fears and doubts or to lift up hopes and successes. Each fellow brings their own powerful story to the work, and an extraordinary capacity to share their wisdom.”
Session II: Exploring Power Structures
November 2024, Virtual
EGA welcomed the cohort of leaders for their second session online. The fellows assessed how power dynamics shaped decision-making and strategies within their organizations and the broader environmental grantmaking sector. Using EGA’s Racial Equity POV as a guidepost, Fellows reflected on how their decision-making as leaders aligned with racial equity values and practices.
Fellows in discussion at the 2024 Fall Retreat. Photo credit: AT Media & Analysis
Session III: Bridging Policy & Culture to Advance Equity in Environmental Philanthropy
February 2025, EGA Federal Policy Briefing
Following EGA’s Federal Policy Briefing in Washington D.C., the Executive Grantmaker Fellows participated in a bespoke training where they practiced using their voices for impact. This was a powerful opportunity for Fellows to connect their work in grantmaking across movement, advocacy, and activism in the current context.
A group of Fellows convenes at the 2024 Fall Retreat. From left to right: Bakeyah Nelson, James Logan, Lauren A.B. Nichols, I-Hsing Sun, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, Elizabeth Love, Lourdes Rodríguez. Photo credit: AT Media & Analysis
About the Executive Grantmaker Fellowship
EGA launched the Executive Grantmaker Fellowship in response to a clear and pressing need: to sustain and support leaders navigating the evolving landscape of environmental philanthropy. This first-of-its-kind program offers foundation presidents and trustees a unique learning experience designed to:
- Build collaborative networks that spark innovation
- Enhance capacity for impactful philanthropy through real-time data and enduring equity-centered practices
- Strengthen leadership skills while testing strategies for navigating organizational challenges
- Foster resilience and well-being, ensuring leaders can remain deeply committed to their mission long-term.
Over 18 months, EGF Fellows participate in a dynamic blend of in-person and virtual sessions - exploring the role, stakes, and influence of leadership across personal, organizational, and sectorial dimensions. Together, they examine the complex interplay between history, systems, and their own leadership journeys.
We will continue sharing updates from the Fellows in our EGF Program Spotlights! In the meantime, we encourage you to learn more about the Executive Grantmaker Fellowship here.
If you have any questions about the program or are interested in supporting this opportunity for future Fellows, please don’t hesitate to connect with Katharine Millonzi, Strategic Partnerships Director.
