The Surdna Foundation in New York City has announced a reorganization of the foundation to ensure impactful grantmaking and support collaboration across the foundation’s several grantmaking programs.

In an open letter, Surdna president Don Chen explained that the foundation’s current programs and strategies would not change or be affected by the reorganization. Moreover, the foundation’s three grantmaking programs, Inclusive Economies, Sustainable Environments, and Thriving Cultures, as well as the Andrus Family Fund, had been operating almost independently and that the departure of several longtime program directors allowed the organization to rethink its structure and foster greater collaboration.

As a result, the foundation created a new program manager role and three vice president positions for programs, communications, and learning, all of whom will work with Chen and Andrus Family Fund director Mishi Faruqee to address the foundation’s programmatic priorities and funding strategies. Program officers and program associates will report to Faruqee and their respective vice presidents, and program officers will now manage grantmaking and field leadership for their programs—a responsibility previously held by program directors. In addition, the People and Cultures function was moved into the president’s office.

“For Surdna, our focus over the past year has been to come together again. We’ve returned to the office, resumed travel, and regathered with friends and colleagues. At a time when affirmative action has been rolled back and the world around us seems to be pulling itself apart, we have been trying to bring people together to work toward a common set of goals,” Chen said in his letter. “We’re trying to expand our circles of partners and collaborators so that we can all be more powerful together. Our newly reorganized structure is a pivot toward that promise and reflects our resolve to strengthen our impact.”

For a complete list of promotions, see the Surdna Foundation website.

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