Private Resources for the Public Good: Advanced Topics in Philanthropy
NPLD 7890, 0.5 cu
Instructors: Eileen Heisman, Katherina ‘Kat’ Rosqueta
Time: Tuesdays, 10:15am – 11:45am
Fall 2025
Philanthropy plays a unique role in advancing social change. Unlike business, there is no requirement to generate a financial return to owners, and unlike government (in a democracy), individual donors and institutional funders cannot be voted out.
Given philanthropy’s role, what tactics and strategies can philanthropy use for positive social change? This class will examine key issues in contemporary philanthropy. Each class will explore a different topic, with readings to prepare students for the topic and promote discussion and debate. For several classes, outside speakers who are experts will be invited to speak and respond to/facilitate the discussion.
Examples of topics include: family philanthropy & collective giving; staffed foundations and philanthropic innovation; philanthropy and power; large foundations; philanthropy as investment; and new models for the future of philanthropy.
This class is open to graduate students from all schools and advanced undergraduate students, by permission of instructors. Prerequisite: Prior coursework on philanthropy and/or relevant professional work experience. Contact teaching assistant Nick Matlin (nmatlin@upenn.edu) for more information or obtain permission to register.
Instructors
Eileen Heisman is an accomplished global CEO, board member, and philanthropic leader with nearly two decades of experience at the helm of the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), one of the largest and fastest-growing donor-advised fund providers in the world. Under her leadership, NPT raised over $63 billion in charitable assets and facilitated more than 778,000 grants totaling over $31 billion to nonprofits worldwide. Eileen is widely respected for her expertise in corporate strategy, risk management, cultural adaptation, fundraising, and investment oversight.
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Beyond her executive leadership, Eileen has extensive experience serving on nonprofit boards. She currently serves on the governance committee for the Nonprofit Leadership Master’s Program at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a founding board member of Social Impact Commons, a national incubator for emerging nonprofit organizations, and served as its founding board chair. Eileen built and served on the board of NPT-UK, where she helped establish donor-advised fund solutions for international donors. She also built and chaired NPT Trans-Atlantic board, an entity designed to support dual taxpayers in cross-border charitable giving.
As CEO of NPT, Eileen successfully scaled the company from $0 to $63 billion in assets raised, expanding the organization from two to over 200 employees, while ensuring high engagement scores. As a qualified financial expert, she developed deep relationships with global financial institutions, donors, and advisors. She brings an innovative approach to philanthropy, conceiving of and launching several industry-standard programs, including national private-label programs for financial firms and concierge donor services.
Eileen pioneered the global expansion of NPT, launching the first American entity to provide donor-advised fund vehicles in the UK and solutions for dual taxpayers and international donors. She also spearheaded the development of the first annual industry report on donor-advised funds which continues to capture data from over 1000 entities and is regarded as the definitive resource on DAF trends.
Eileen teaches a 14-week graduate course on philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy and Practice. She spent her early career in politics, policy, and fundraising, working with the Philadelphia Foundation as a Public Affairs Director, with Arlen Specter for the US Senate Campaign as a Finance Director, and as Councilwoman Joan Specter’s Chief Legislative Assistant.
She is a sought-after speaker on topics such as charitable giving, global philanthropy, and anti-money laundering and is frequently featured in prominent media outlets including CNN, Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Eileen holds an MSW from the University of Michigan, a BA in Psychology, from Carnegie Mellon, where she received the Carnegie Mellon Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019.
She has completed executive education programs at Stanford University and The Wharton School of Business. She has been recognized with numerous awards including the DAF Giving Summit DAF Trailblazer Award and the Nonprofit Times Power and Influence Top 50 for ten consecutive years. A dedicated community volunteer, avid traveler, and theater enthusiast, Eileen is also passionate about mentoring the next generation of philanthropic leaders.
Katherina ‘Kat’ M. Rosqueta is the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, faculty co-director of High Impact Philanthropy Academy, adjunct faculty in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), and a senior fellow at the Wharton Center on Leadership & Change Management. Founded as a collaboration between SP2 and alumni of the Wharton School, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy is the premier source of knowledge and education on how philanthropy can do more good.
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Before accepting her appointment to launch the Center, Kat was a consultant with McKinsey & Company; a consultant to the founding team of New Schools Venture Fund; founding director of Board Match Plus, a San Francisco program dedicated to strengthening nonprofit boards; and program manager of Wells Fargo’s Corporate Community Development Group.
Kat serves on the national board of Greenlight Fund, a venture philanthropy fund dedicated to addressing urgent social needs in cities around the United States, and co-chairs Greenlight Fund Philadelphia. She is a member of the Capitalization Committee of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation. She is the former chair of the board of Candid (merger of Foundation Center and Guidestar), the world’s largest source of information on nonprofits and foundations. Her past civic leadership positions include board president of La Casa de las Madres (San Francisco’s oldest and largest shelter for battered women and their children), chair of the United Way’s Bay Area Week of Caring, and co-founder and executive committee member of the Women’s MBA Network.
Her work and comments have been cited in numerous publications including the New York Times, Slate, Money Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. She speaks frequently on social impact management and philanthropy and has lectured at the Wharton Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, University of California Haas School of Business, and the University of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management.
Kat received her a BA from Yale University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was the 2012 recipient of the Wharton Women in Business Kathleen McDonald Distinguished Alumna Award, a 2011 recipient of the Brava! Women Business Achievement Award, the 2020 recipient of the Margaret Bailey Speer Award, and named one of Unboxed Philanthropy’s Philanthropy 100, a list of people, organizations and companies making a positive difference in our world.
Guest speakers
Melissa Berman was the founding President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), serving from 2002 to 2024. Under her leadership, RPA grew into one of the world’s leading philanthropic advisory services, stewarding more than $500 million annually for donors in over 70 countries. She guided the development of influential resources such as the Philanthropy Roadmap and Theory of the Foundation, shaping best practices for effective giving. A frequent speaker and writer on global philanthropy, Berman continues to advise foundations, families, and institutions on strategic giving and nonprofit leadership.
Dana Bezerra is Regional President-Americas at CREO, where she leads strategic engagement with investors, philanthropists, and mission-driven organizations. She was previously President of the Heron Foundation, where she pioneered mission-aligned investing across the foundation’s entire portfolio and advanced systems change to address poverty. Bezerra also co-founded Greater Share, a philanthropic investment firm partnering private equity with global NGOs to improve education outcomes. Her career reflects a deep commitment to integrating capital markets with social impact, and she is recognized for her collaborative approach to building cross-sector solutions.
Chris Capato is Finance Director at Independence Public Media Foundation, where he oversees budgeting, investments, and financial strategy to support equitable media initiatives. He has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit finance, with prior roles in public media, education equity, and women’s healthcare organizations. Capato began his career managing endowments and pension funds in banking and consulting before transitioning to mission-driven work. He holds a BA in Economics from Maryville College and is active in volunteer efforts around social justice, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and community development.
Robin Krause is a Partner in the Tax-Exempt Organizations Department at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, advising public charities, private foundations, and other nonprofit entities on governance, compliance, and strategic philanthropy. Her practice spans international grantmaking, program-related investments, donor-advised funds, and IRS regulations for exempt organizations. Krause is a frequent speaker on nonprofit law and policy, co-chairs the ABA’s Private Foundations Subcommittee, and has served on advisory boards for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and NYU’s Center on Philanthropy & the Law.
Sharmila “Mona” Sinha is a globally recognized advocate for gender equality and currently serves as Global Executive Director of Equality Now, an international NGO dedicated to legal and systemic reform to safeguard the rights of women and girls. Bringing over 25 years of experience from finance and leadership roles across mission-driven organizations, Sinha has brought more than $1 billion in funding for gender justice initiatives. She was previously Board Chair of Women Moving Millions, a network of women philanthropists funding bold, million-dollar-plus grants, and led the Women for the World campaign at Smith College, raising $486 million for women’s education. Sinha also co-founded Raising Change and the Asian Women’s Leadership University, and is a board member of institutions like Breakthrough USA and Apne Aap International.
Benjamin Soskis is a Senior Research Associate in the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute. His work explores how historical perspectives can illuminate contemporary philanthropic practices, particularly the interplay between philanthropy and democratic institutions. He co‑edits HistPhil, a web publication on the history of civil society and nonprofits, and serves as a 2025 Visiting Scholar at Independent Sector. A historian and journalist, Soskis has authored and contributed to multiple publications, including The Battle Hymn of the Republic: A Biography of the Song That Marches On and Giving in Time: Temporal Consideration in Philanthropy. His writing appears widely, from The Atlantic to Stanford Social Innovation Review, Washington Post, and Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Laura Sparks is Managing Director, Head of Corporate Engagement at Future Standard and President of the Future Standard Foundation (the philanthropic arm of Future Standard).
Ms. Sparks has an extensive background in both financial services and civic leadership. Prior to joining Future Standard, she served in both public and private finance roles at Citi, Goldman Sachs, and UBS. She also served as Executive Director of the William Penn Foundation, a then $2 billion private foundation dedicated to improving the Philadelphia region. Most recently, Ms. Sparks served as the 13th President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science at Art. She was the first woman to serve in the role and orchestrated a historic financial turnaround.
Sandra Swirski is an attorney, government affairs strategist, and co-founder of Urban Swirski & Associates, a women-owned advocacy firm specializing in tax and philanthropy policy. With decades of experience in Washington, she has built coalitions that shape legislation affecting charitable giving, nonprofit regulation, and estate planning. Swirski also serves as Executive Director of the Alliance for Charitable Reform, where she works to protect and promote charitable sector interests. Known for translating complex policy into actionable strategies, she has been a trusted advisor to nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, and lawmakers.
Emily and Teo Valdés (pictured at left, Emily Valdés) are philanthropic leaders committed to advancing education, community development, and equitable opportunity. Emily serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, contributing her strategic insight to the organization’s mission of maximizing the social impact of philanthropy. Teo brings experience in business and nonprofit governance, with a focus on cross-sector partnerships and innovative funding approaches.
Together, they have supported initiatives that bridge private sector resources with community-driven solutions, with a shared dedication to fostering inclusive economic and educational outcomes.
Teaching assistant
Nick Matlin, the Program Manager for Education and Engagement at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the School for Social Policy & Practice, manages delivery, marketing, and logistics for CHIP’s education programs and contributes to the center’s broader applied research work.
Nick comes to CHIP with 16 years of diverse experience in the nonprofit sector, working variously as researcher, teacher, and office manager. Previous roles include conducting policy, implementation, and evaluation research for JET Education Services in Johannesburg, South Africa; teaching high school English in Wilmington, Delaware; and lecturing in English and Humanities at New York University. Contact Nick with any questions: nmatlin@upenn.edu.