Don Chen

The Dept. of Justice’s reported investigation of the Open Society Foundations would set a dangerous precedent. Charitable organizations must remain free to pursue their missions without fear of government scrutiny driven by the views of those who are in power.

surdna.org/news-insight...

Statement on the Fundamental Freedom of Speech “Acts of political violence — from the recent murder of Charlie Kirk to the murder of Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman of Minnesota — have…

As an American who's deeply committed to democratic values, I join ppl of all stripes, locations & backgrounds in unequivocally condemning political violence. Let's all work together to repair harm, bridge divides & bring ppl together to fight for liberty & justice for all medium.com/@uniteinadva...

'm delighted to share the Surdna Foundation's new impact report Journey to Justice, which captures stories & lessons from the past 6 years of grantmaking. Thank you to our grantees who work tirelessly to ensure our communities & democracy are just, healthy & sustainable surdna.org/impact-repor...

Ford Foundation’s New Leader Says She’ll Work to Protect Democracy

Wonderful news--Heather Gerken has been appointed as the next President of the Ford Foundation!

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/u...

In Minnesota, two elected officials & their spouses were gunned down in what appears to be politically motivated shootings. This is horrific & we must not allow it to be normalized.

A democratic society depends on our voices & standing up for what’s right.

#UniteinAdvance #CourageisContagious

What’s happening in California & across the country threatens those basic freedoms—journalists hit with rubber bullets, communities and nonprofits targeted for standing up against injustice, the separation of families, and people detained without due process.

Like many of you, I've been deeply disturbed by what's unfolded in California & Minnesota. At the Surdna Foundation, we believe in our fundamental American rights & freedoms—of the press, of speech, of peaceful assembly.

State of Nonprofits 2025: What Funders Need to Know | The Center for Effective Philanthropy In CEP’s third annual State of Nonprofits report, nonprofits report difficulty pursuing their missions in a complex environment.

Must read from Center for Effective Philanthropy re the challenges many nonprofits face amid a hostile environment, funding cuts & potential burnout. Orgs fighting racial injustice have been esp hard hit. Let's do more to support NGOs that help people & communities every day: cep.org/report/state...

Thank you, John!

The Surdna Foundation recently supported the United Way to launch the Courage Project, which recognizes everyday acts of civic bravery to uphold our shared values as Americans & strengthen democracy at the community level.

Learn more & nominate a hero from your community here thecourageproject.org

Inspiring message from Bill Gates, announcing a doubling of The Gates Foundation's spending to $200 billion over the next 20 years:

"The Gates Foundation’s mission remains rooted in the idea that where you are born should not determine your opportunities."

www.gatesnotes.com/n20-years-to...

High Risk, High Reward: Bold Investments Driving Change - Surdna Foundation On April 15, 2025,  Don Chen, president of the Surdna Foundation, spoke at the Global Impact Investing Network‘s West Coast Impact Forum and Investor Training on Surdna’s intentional decision to apply...

Last week, I gave a talk @ The Global Impact Investing Network's West Coast Impact Forum re: how Surdna Fdn's $100M commitment to impact investing evolved to incorporate diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) into our impact portfolio, which is now ~$220M. Read my speech here surdna.org/news-insight...

Rising Wave of Funders and PSOs Stand Up for the First Amendment Freedom to Give Starting on April 9, an array of powerful funders and philanthropy-serving organizations spoke up for the right to give in accordance with their values, and against political intimidation.

Wise words from Don Howard of the James Irvine Foundation:

“I’m proud of our leaders in philanthropy, that we are preparing in advance so that when those threats emerge, we won’t see a division within our community that undermines the basic right to give"

www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/rising-...

Unite in Advance: Philanthropy Coalition Launches Solidarity Campaign - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly We’re announcing a public sign-on statement to support philanthropy’s freedom to give. We are united to protect our freedom to express ourselves, to give, and to invest in our communities. Join us by ...

Must read op-ed by @jpalfrey.bsky.social Tonya Allen & Deepak Bhargava calling on foundations to Unite in Advance because "millions of people across the nation depend on nonprofits to meet their basic needs" & the need to maintain strong civic infrastructure:
nonprofitquarterly.org/unite-in-adv...

The Values Test | The Skillman Foundation With so much change demanded from a new federal administration, where do we acquiesce and where do we draw the line?

Inspiring words from Angelique Power, President of The Skillman Foundation in Detroit:

"this is a time to dig into your values with your institution so all are not only prepared for the risk but are trained up for it."

www.skillman.org/news/the-val...

The Surdna Foundation’s Continued Commitment and Our Call for Solidarity - Surdna Foundation The Surdna Foundation is committed to being a force for solidarity and cooperation to repair harm, bridge divides, and bring people together to stand up for the principles of liberty and justice for a...

The Surdna Foundation is committed to being a force for solidarity & cooperation to repair harm, bridge divides, & bring people together...We strive to foster a nation in which all can thrive for generations. Our future depends on it.

Pls read my statement & share widely: surdna.org/news-insight...

Trump unravels US climate agenda as he promises to ‘drill, baby, drill’ From declaring a “national energy emergency” to exiting the Paris Agreement, here is everything climate-related Trump did on Day 1.

From declaring a “national energy emergency” to exiting the Paris Agreement, here is everything climate-related Trump did on Day 1: grist.org/article/trum...

Recently, I was a guest on the Becoming The Vision podcast, where I pledge my "oath” to the Surdna Foundation's racial and social justice mission and discuss how that shapes our work in supporting structural change over the long haul. Listen and subscribe: becomingthevision.onpodium.com

The Future of Equitable Philanthropy (SSIR) Five truths for how donors committed to equity can continue to push forward.

Wise words from Amardeep Singh in this must-read piece by Darren Isom, Cora Daniels, and Lyell Sakaue of The Bridgespan Group ssir.org/articles/ent...

"What would it mean if our American identity was not bound by a shared past, or desire for a shared past, but a shared destination—a shared future."

Thank you! I'm the lucky one : )

New Leadership and Three New Members On the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Board of Directors  | The Center for Effective Philanthropy Media Contact: Chloe Heskett | chloeh@cep.org | 617-395-4092  Cambridge, MA — The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) announces the election of a new Board Chair — Tony Richardson, president of […...

I'm honored to join the Board of Directors of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. CEP's survey & data analysis tools provide funders with incisive insight into our effectiveness from grantees' perspectives, which is a rare accountability measure in the philanthropy sector cep.org/news/press-r...

Surdna Foundation’s Don Chen: High-risk, high-reward impact investments are paying off (Q&A) Impact funds led by women and people of color aren’t high risk, says Surdna Foundation's Don Chen. They’re “tremendous opportunities."

In my interview w/ImpactAlpha, I discuss Surdna Foundation's work w/fund managers of color & women; the freedom investors should have to use environmental, social & governance factors to assess potential investments; & fdn's right to choose which groups to prioritize: impactalpha.com/surdna-found...

We recently uncovered how some public universities received land stolen from Indigenous peoples. That land has been used to produce billions through logging, drilling, and mining. The universities we cover in our investigation: grist.org/project/equi...

Improving Philanthropic Practice by Prioritizing Reflection & Learning Family philanthropy done well can achieve lasting and meaningful change in the world and within the families themselves. To be effective, NCFP believes funders must employ four principles…

I was delighted to share my thoughts about "Improving Philanthropic Practice by Prioritizing Reflection & Learning" with Emerald Adeyemi of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP): www.ncfp.org/2024/02/06/i...

Read about the Surdna Foundation's learning efforts: www.surdna.org

2023 Annual Highlights — U.S. Impact Investing Alliance Annual Highlights

As a proud member of the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance Advisory Board, I am delighted to share the 2023 highlights of our work to scale the field of impact investing with integrity.

Explore the Alliance’s efforts to foster a more equitable economic system here: impinvalliance.org/2023-highlig...

What a great listen! Anat Shenker-Osorio is one of the most powerful communicators I’ve ever met. After you tune in to www.letshearitcast.com/anat/ and subscribe, be sure to also check out her excellent podcast, Words to Win By wordstowinby-pod.com

Don Chen of the Surdna Foundation Kicks off Season Six of Let’s Hear It How many of us in the nonprofit world can track our interest in climate to nightmares we had about natural disasters at age ten? Anyone? Oh, right, just Don Chen, President of the Surdna Foundation, f...

Kicking this off with a huge thank you to @donchen.bsky.social, President of the Surdna Foundation, for joining us on the latest episode of the Let's Hear It Podcast, which explores the wild and wooly world of foundation and nonprofit communications. www.letshearitcast.com/don-chen-of-...

Don Chen of the Surdna Foundation Kicks off Season Six of Let’s Hear It How many of us in the nonprofit world can track our interest in climate to nightmares we had about natural disasters at age ten? Anyone? Oh, right, just Don Chen, President of the Surdna Foundation, f...

Please tune in & subscribe!

The Let's Hear It Podcast kicks off its 6th season with Eric Brown interviewing me about the Surdna Foundation’s approach to social justice philanthropy, my career path & my aspirations for the sector

www.letshearitcast.com/don-chen-of-...

More about Surdna surdna.org

I'm thrilled to share our announcement about the appointment of Amachie Ackah and Michelle DePass to the Board of the Surdna Foundation, and the election of Caitlin Boger-Hawkins and Shari Wilson as Board Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, respectively. surdna.org/news-insight...

Excellent piece

“When people start seeing it rollout in projects, they won’t know that it came from the IRA. [But] the IRA is going to deploy a lot of wind and solar and that’s an accomplishment that people are going to look back and be proud of.”