The toolkit team
The 2025 High Impact Giving Toolkit was produced by our team at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy:
Kelly Andrews, MLA, Director of Knowledge Management and Marketing; Diego Bautista, MS, Applied Research Assistant; Ariel Censor, MS, Associate Director of Communications; Julie Davis, Program Coordinator; Rose Homentosky, Applied Research Assistant; Iris Leon, MS, Director of Operations & Strategic Initiatives; Nick Matlin, MS, PhD, Program Manager for Education and Engagement; Carol McLaughlin, MD, Senior Advisor; Katherina Rosqueta, MBA, Founding Executive Director; and Evan Zheng, Applied Research Assistant
Special appreciation to our board of advisors for their ongoing support and guidance:
Julie Franklin, co-chair, Barry Porter, co-chair, Tony Bowen, Tim Fazio, Judy Friedman, Gary Kiang, Danisha Patel, and Monica Sasson.
Our home school
Our home school, Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), is dedicated to the passionate pursuit of social innovation, impact and justice. Together with a worldwide network of global collaborators, SP2 is advancing knowledge that drives justice, equity, and social innovation in a range of critical areas such as homelessness, health equity, social innovation, and more.
Platinum sponsor
Fidelity Charitable has served as the longtime platinum sponsor of the toolkit. Thanks to Fidelity Charitable’s generous financial support, our team is able to make the entire toolkit and downloadable PDF free for anyone interested in using these tools to create greater social impact with their giving.
The Fidelity Charitable® Catalyst Fund is a grantmaking program of Fidelity Charitable, led by its Board of Trustees and separate from its donor-advised fund program. The Catalyst Fund envisions a world where nonprofits that strengthen our communities have access to the resources they need to flourish. By investing in intermediaries such as the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, the Catalyst Fund helps build bridges between individual donors and promising nonprofits. When donors and nonprofits partner together, we can empower communities to thrive.
Additional sponsors
The Lenfest Institute
The Lenfest Institute creates solutions for the next era of local news by investing in sustainable business models at the intersection of local journalism and community in Philadelphia and nationwide.
Vanguard
Vanguard’s Community Stewardship invests in the well-being of children and families. We enhance Vanguard’s global community impact, reputation, and internal culture of care through the strategic integration of crew volunteerism, impact-driven philanthropy, and company expertise.
Individual donors
Thanks to the following donors whose financial support has ensured the 2025 High Impact Giving Toolkit remains a free, public resource.
The Baumgarten Family
Tim Fazio
Julie and Martin Franklin
The Friedman-Gluckman Family
Kira Kerkorian
Gary Kiang
Danisha S. Patel
Barry & Lea Porter
Lindsay and Evan Roth
Monica Peisach Sasson
Patricia Braun Silvers and
David Silvers
Anonymous Wharton Alumni
Our institutional partners
The nonprofit exemplars included in this toolkit were sourced from the following organizational partners. All bring rich networks and share our team’s commitment to ensuring philanthropic funds create greater social impact. Before requesting any additional information from the nonprofits we profiled, our team leveraged the extensive due diligence already conducted by these partner organizations, along with relevant publicly available information.
GreenLight Fund
The GreenLight Fund is a national nonprofit that partners with communities to create opportunities for individuals and families to move out of poverty. It facilitates a community-driven process that matches local needs not met by existing programs to organizations with track records of success elsewhere. https://greenlightfund.org/
The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize is an annual global prize that celebrates leadership and innovation in the social sector with an emphasis on impact and transferability of practices. Administered by the Wharton School on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania, the Prize is committed to resourcing and connecting change-makers to bring innovative ideas to new places and problems around the world. https://lipmanfamilyprize.wharton.upenn.edu/
Ivory Innovations
Ivory Innovations is a nonprofit whose mission is to catalyze innovation in housing affordability. Established in 2017, the organization was created in response to the escalating challenges within the housing industry. Fueled by a commitment to address these issues, Ivory Innovations devotes its time, talent, and resources to champion innovation and provide unwavering support to companies striving to alleviate the housing affordability crisis. https://ivoryinnovations.org/
The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation
The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation is a mission-driven grantmaking foundation that seeks innovative, sustainable solutions for human and environmental challenges.
The foundation works as an engine of change in both policy and practice in Texas, supporting high-impact projects and practices at the nexus of environmental protection, social equity, and economic vibrancy. https://cgmf.org/
Individual acknowlegments
We would like to thank the following individuals who shared their expertise, offered insights, connected us to others, or provided feedback on this project:
Sara S. Bachman, School of Social Policy & Practice
Anneliese Barron, One Family Foundation
Sima Bodalikar, Simprints
Amy Beth Castro, School of Social Policy & Practice
Sheamus Croke, Rural Homes Project
Kristen de Paor, School of Social Policy & Practice
Ejemhen Esangbedo, Simprints
Holly Fogle, The Bridge Fund
Fred T. Goldberg Jr., Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Sarah Berger Gonzalez, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Ben Hirsch, West Street Recovery
Tara Hopkins, Mali Health Organizing Project
Feather Houstoun, Wyncote Foundation
Casey Johnson, GreenLight Fund
Shkelqim Kelmenid, Housing Connector
Gina LaMotte, EcoRise
Kimberly Leichtner, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Sara Lomelin, Philanthropy Together
Alice Liu, West Street Recovery
Katherine Lorenz, The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
Jenna Louie, Ivory Innovations
Annie Madonia, Lenfest Institute
Paul Major, Rural Homes Project
Amaryllis Martin, EcoRise
Mark Martin, Build UP
Tunisia Meek, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Bart Miltenberger, School of Social Policy & Practice
Euria Min, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Marita Mirzatuny, The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
Danisha Patel, Long Arc Foundation
Charles Ransford, Cure Violence Global
Ariel Rosen Ingber, Food for Education
Duane Silverstein, Seacology
Matthew Spengler, Blueprint Schools Network
Freda Statom, Blueprint Schools Network
Allison Thompson, School of Social Policy & Practice
Emily Valdés
Teo Valdés
Victoria Vrana, GlobalGiving