The toolkit team
The 2026 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; Ariel Censor, MS, Associate Director of Communications; Julie Davis, Program Coordinator; Carleigh Douglas, Applied Research Assistant; Gevorg Gharzaryan, Applied Research Assistant; Victoria Kuznetsov, Applied Research Assistant; Iris Leon, MS, Director of Operations & Strategic Initiatives; Nick Matlin, MS, PhD, Program Manager for Education and Engagement; Liza Matthews, Applied Research Assistant; Carol McLaughlin, MD, Senior Advisor; Natalia Serón Möller, Nonprofit Leadership
Practicum Student; 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:
Barry Porter, chair, Danisha Patel, vice chair; Julie Franklin, former co-chair; Tony Bowen, Tim Fazio, Judy Friedman, Gary Kiang, Ruth Shaber, Emily Valdés, and Omar Woodard
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 Sponsor
Environmental Innovations Initiative
From 2020-2025, the Environmental Innovations Initiative served as a convener and catalyst for scholarship and education that addresses environmental and climate challenges. EII helped cultivate a community of knowledge and action in environmental stewardship, bringing together scholars, practitioners, students, and partners who aspire to create a world where everyone can thrive.
Individual donors
Thanks to the following donors whose financial support has ensured the 2026 High Impact Giving Toolkit remains a free, public resource.
Tony BowenLukas C. DwellyTim FazioThe Friedman-Gluckman FamilyGary KiangLemon Street Fund Cindy Moelis
Danisha S. Patel
Barry & Lea Porter
Barbara Ricci
Tara Health Foundation
Omar Woodard
Anonymous CHIP Education Program Alumni
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.
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:
Sarah Allen, BRAC
Sara S. Bachman, School of Social Policy & Practice
Mica Bevington, BRAC
Olivia Biggs, Changent
Sara Broning, National Zoning Atlas
Dixon Chibanda, Friendship Bench
Sheamus Croke, Rural Homes Project
Kristen de Paor, School of Social Policy & Practice
Danny Desjarlais, Lower Sioux Indian Community Hempcrete Program
Diana Drogaris, National Zoning Atlas
Luc Estapé, ADES
Holly Fogle, The Bridge Project
Suzanna Fritzberg, The Bridge Project
Ray Hailey, Greenlight Fund
Alvin Irby, Barbershop Books
Asu Sanem Kaya, AÇEV
Kimberly Leichtner, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Jenna Louie, Ivory Innovations
Amaryllis Martin, EcoRise
Tunisia Meek, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Sara Mierke, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Bart Miltenberger, School of Social Policy & Practice
Euria Min, Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Juveline Ngum, BleagLee
Duane Silverstein, Seacology
Rainey Talbot, CAP Tulsa
Karen Tilkin, CAP Tulsa
Esther Tumbare, Friendship Bench
Sarah Weissberg, Fidelity Charitable
Thank you to the members of the Penn Environmental Innovation Research Community:
Alison Buttenheim, professor of nursing and health policy, School of Nursing
Emily Falk, professor of communication, Annenberg School for Communication
Jared Farmer, professor of history, School of Arts & Sciences
Witold Henisz, professor of management, The Wharton School
Sarah Light, professor of legal studies & business ethics, The Wharton School
Chenyi Ma, research assistant professor, School of Social Policy & Practice
Carol McLaughlin, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
R. Jisung Park, assistant professor, School of Social Policy & Practice
Rand Quinn, associate professor, Graduate School of Education
Michael Weisberg, professor of philosophy, School of Arts & Sciences
Thank you to the following individuals for their contributions to our ongoing applied research on environmental movement building and community resilience:
Kate Barrett, President, Campbell’s Foundation
David Beckman, Pisces Foundation
Emily Bourgeois, Pisces Foundation
Damon Centola, Annenberg School of Communications, Penn
Carra Cote-Ackah, Goldman Sachs
Vanessa Chan, Vice Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Penn
Lauren Greenlee, XPRIZE
Lija McHugh Farnham, The Bridgespan Group
Jeannette Fournier, XPRIZE
Elinor Haider, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Eva Hernadez, Mosaic
Andrew “Andy” Hoffman, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn
Jason Ingle, co-founder, Closed Loop Capital
DeMarcus A. Jenkins, School of Social Policy & Practice
Sandhya Rani Jha, School of Social Policy & Practice
Thabo Lenneiye, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Penn
Samantha A. McBride, Penn Engineering
Laia Mogas-Soldevila, Weitzman School of Design, Penn
Thomas D. Parsons, PennVet
Leandro S. Pongeluppe, The Wharton School
Katie Robinson, Pisces Foundation
Serena Shapero, XPRIZE
Laura Sparks, President, Future Standard Foundation, FS Investments
Ximena Trujillo, Environmental Innovations Initiative, Penn
Katherine Unger Baillie, Environmental Innovations Initiative, Penn
Doris Wagner, Penn School of Arts & Sciences
Elliot Weinbaum, William Penn Foundation