Eirene Chen joined the Global Philanthropy Project in 2024 as a Senior Consulting Advisor for Humanitarian Financing. In this role, she advises GPP on the current funding landscape which addresses the humanitarian needs of LGBTI communities in crises, an evolving ecosystem which includes leading funders for LGBTI rights as well as champions within the international humanitarian response system.

For over 20 years, Eirene has incorporated her passion for writing and intersectional queer feminist human rights advocacy into her work as a humanitarian, development and peacebuilding specialist with UN agencies, governments, philanthropies and civil society. Prior to joining GPP, she served as a consultant expert advisor on global LGBTI refugee protection to a GPP member funder, as well as to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Mandate of the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and numerous civil society organizations worldwide.

Eirene holds a Masters of Science (honors) degree in Social Policy and International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelors of Arts (honors) degree in Comparative Literature from Duke University. She enjoys traveling, reading, and the visual arts.  

Sarah joined GPP in May 2024 as the Global LGBTI Funding Campaign Manager. In this role she is developing and managing a global pledging campaign, working to galvanize major new funding commitments from the leading philanthropic and government donors supporting global LGBTI rights. She works closely with GPP staff, members, and campaign partners to secure pledges in the lead up to the Global LGBTI Funding Summit in Cape Town in November 2024. 

Sarah is a queer feminist advocate with nearly twenty years of experience supporting gender, racial, and economic justice movements in the U.S. and globally. As a consultant, she works with funders and nonprofits to develop program strategies, generate knowledge, mobilize resources, and advance philanthropic advocacy agendas. Sarah previously served as Senior Director of Philanthropic Partnerships and Director of Programs at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, where she oversaw $5M+ in grantmaking to grassroots groups in 60+ countries, grew and led diverse teams, led philanthropic advocacy initiatives, and co-created new funding architecture such as the Intersex Human Rights Fund. Sarah also led the Africa grantmaking program at American Jewish World Service and played a key role in developing AJWS’s global strategies for LGBTQI rights, trans justice, and sex worker rights. 

She holds a B.A. in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality studies and African American studies from Wesleyan University and a M.A. in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University.

Jennifer works toward creating a world where all people’s rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled through systemic change. With previous roles in-house and as a consultant, Jennifer has experience working with a range of stakeholders and sectors, including philanthropy, governments, corporations, and civil society to collectively address a variety of structural and seemingly intractable issues while centering the voices and agendas of the people and communities most impacted. Working with and shifting resources and power to feminist Global South indigenous organizations, networks, and movements to realize the change they seek is a focus of her work and a personal passion.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and a Master of Arts in International Development from American University in Washington, D.C. and has lived and worked internationally throughout her life and career. She is proficient in French, studied Italian and Spanish, and enjoys learning different languages and dialects. In her free time she cooks, connects with friends and family, and practices yoga and meditation.

As the Vice President of Grants, Programs, and Communications at Horizons Foundation, Francisco oversees all of the foundation’s grantmaking, programmatic strategies, and communication activities. His 25 plus years of experience in government, philanthropy, academia, nonprofit organizations, and community activism have blended scientific expertise, commonsense public health experience, research, organizational re-engineering, and grantmaking. Francisco’s career includes bilingual clinical practice in behavioral medicine with a special focus on chronic diseases. He has co-authored a bimonthly newspaper column on health, written numerous research articles, and produced research reports. He has also served on numerous community-based organization boards and museum advisories. Francisco holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from Boston University, along with B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in philosophy from the University of California, Davis.

Rebecca Fox is Astraea’s VP, Programs and has been a long-time supporter of Astraea and grassroots, feminist LBTQI movements. In her previous role, Rebecca was the Senior Program Officer on the SOGIE team at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. In that position, she coordinated grantmaking on a variety of issues related to increasing the rights of and improving the lived experiences of LGBTI people. Formerly, she was Executive Director of the National Coalition for LGBT Health and an adjunct professor of human sexuality at George Washington University. Rebecca currently serves on the Steering Committee on the International Trans Fund and was previously board chair at Funders for LGBTQ Issues. Rebecca’s other board membership experiences include those of Choice USA, Generations Ahead, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner, Meghan, and her not quite feral cat, Birdie Noodle. She is a women’s record holder for powerlifting in New York State.

Neville served as the inaugural executive director of the Southern Africa Trust, an independent regional funding agency dedicated to promoting policy engagement between governments and non-state entities for poverty alleviation in Southern Africa. Additionally, he holds positions such as a member of Global Citizen’s global policy committee, a member of the Africa policy advisory board for Bono’s ONE campaign, a senior fellow at the Synergos Institute, and the chairperson of community shareholding trusts associated with solar and wind renewable energy projects in South Africa. Neville was also part of the founding steering committee of the African Grantmakers’ Network (AGN), chaired the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), chaired the Open Society Foundations’ Africa advisory committee, served as a trustee at the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC), and previously worked at Oxfam in media and advocacy and at the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) coordinating social and economic justice programs. Currently, Neville holds the position of Chief Executive Officer at The Other Foundation.

Alli brings more than 20 years of experience in grantmaking, civil rights lawyering, and international human rights. Prior to joining Arcus in September 2022, she was the program director of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression Program at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, where she led U.S. and international grantmaking in support of LGBTQ movements. Previously, she was the head of the Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Programme at the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, where she authored Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Justice: A Comparative Law Casebook. She holds degrees from Harvard College, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, and NYU School of Law. In her free time, Alli loves to read, hike, and cook for family and friends.

Nicky has more than twenty years of experience raising awareness about, commitment to, and resources for human rights and social justice. She has demonstrated success in managing growing human rights foundations and building programmatic collaborations that advance the human rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people globally. Prior to joining FJS, Nicky worked for ten years as the executive director of Mama Cash in the Netherlands, where she oversaw one of the largest public funds that supports the rights of women, girls, and trans people. For ten years prior to that, she served as the vice president of development and communications at the Global Fund for Women. Nicky has served on numerous Boards, including OutRight Action International, the Women’s Funding Network, the European Foundation Centre, Prospera–the International Network of Women’s Funds, and Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations. She has a master’s degree in urban affairs from Hunter College and a bachelor’s degree in history and French from the University of Oxford, Somerville College. Nicky grew up in Scotland, but also finds home in France, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Nina is a Programme Officer at Oak Foundation, where she manages grant portfolios related to LGBTQI rights, impunity for gross human rights abuses, and immigration detention. Nina has a background in international law and has previously worked in refugee protection and strategic litigation across Central and Eastern Europe.

Outside work she enjoys exploring the outdoors, and is a keen theatre-goer.