At the Heron Foundation, Donna Daniels designs and leads the foundation’s programmatic strategies aimed at ceding power and decision agency to communities. A proponent of liberatory and reparative philanthropy that addresses long-standing systemic challenges impacting BIPOC and underserved communities, Donna supports trust-based and participatory practices that honor community voice and vision. As Vice President of Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance, Donna led the organization’s Donor Advised Fund program ($87M AUM), its philanthropic services team, and served as philanthropic advisor.
Previously, Donna was Interim Executive Director for Social Venture Network, a national network of impact investors, social entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. Donna also served as Vice President and General Manager at Iconoculture, a global market research company, and led a consulting practice advisingfor-profit and nonprofit leaders on strategy, marketing, and communications. A formerprofessor of cultural anthropology and African American Studies at Duke and Columbia Universities, Donna pairs her scholarly knowledge of BIPOC communities with the practical work of building a regenerative economy.
Areas of Expertise:
- Liberatory/reparative philanthropy
- Qualitative research & cultural analysis
- Participatory grantmaking
- Leadership development
