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.
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.