The Nathan Cummings Foundation was known as a quiet but effective grant maker—a behind-the scenes operator known for nurturing progressive charities—before seeking a more prominent profile in 2011 with the hiring of Simon Greer.
Now it looks like the foundation’s move to the front of the stage may have been too much too soon. The grant maker announced last week that Mr. Greer, a forceful and sometimes controversial social-justice organizer before joining the foundation, is leaving. He was apparently fired just as he began to put in place a radical overhaul that will focus grant making on two new priorities: reducing income inequality and fighting climate change.
In an unusually candid statement about his departure, Mr. Greer said that he and the board disagreed about some “hard choices” related to carrying out the new strategy.
“I was ready to continue my work on these and other foundation priorities, but the board has decided it wants new leadership,” Mr. Greer said.
A Divided Family
The shift in strategy has been especially controversial among progressive Jewish organizations, many of which fear they will lose funding. The foundation had been giving about $6-million a year to Jewish causes before the strategic shift. Mr. Greer told the Jewish Daily Forward in January that he thought even more money would go to Jewish organizations by 2015, but that did little to allay their anxiety.
Foundation officials say it wasn’t the handling of grants to Jewish groups that led to his dismissal. “We are actually giving more this year to Jewish groups this year than last,” says Maurine Knighton, a senior vice president at Cummings. The foundation made $4.2-million in grants to Jewish groups last year and plans to give $4.7-million this year.
Mr. Greer’s ambitious effort to revamp the $400-million foundation appears to have divided the Cummings family, which retains a strong board presence.
“A sleepy family foundation hires a charismatic leader, and then when they get an idea of what one looks like, they weren’t all that happy,” says one nonprofit observer who asked to remain anonymous.
The foundation was created by the founder of the Sara Lee Corporation. James Cummings, a grandson of the founder, was the board chair in 2011 when Mr. Greer was hired. He described Mr. Greer at the time as a bold, energetic leader who possessed “a depth of collegial innovation.”
But Mr. Greer appears to be a polarizing figure. While he is regarded by many as a visionary with strong leadership skills, others describe him, in off-the-record interviews, as arrogant, sharp-edged, or worse.
In a statement provided to The Chronicle, Adam Cummings, the current board chair (James Cummings is no longer a trustee), said “personality” and input from grantees had nothing to do with the decision to replace Mr. Greer. He also said the foundation remains committed to the strategy of focusing on income inequality and climate change.
“The board felt it was the right time to bring in new leadership as we enter the next phase of implementing our new strategic plan,” he said.
For Workers’ Rights
Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, said she first began working with Mr. Greer a decade ago when he was trying to improve workers’ rights in New York City as head of New York Jobs With Justice.
“He has always paid attention to the voices that are the least visible and that really need to be heard,” she said, adding that she hopes the foundation remains committed to the strategic change that Mr. Greer advocated. “It makes a lot of sense given the state of the crisis that we’re facing with income inequality and climate change,” Ms. Poo said.
The foundation says it will take a deliberative approach to finding a new leader. Two senior vice presidents will take the helm when Mr. Greer officially leaves on June 20, and an interim chief executive is expected to be appointed within a month or two. The search for a permanent replacement could take up to a year.
Michael Anft contributed to this article.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information on June 13, 2014.
