Lisa Pilar Cowan
Lisa Pilar Cowan is vice president of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.
Stories by This Author
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Opinion | Dispatches From the First 100 DaysAs Funders Face New Levels of Risk, What Does Bravery Look Like?
We foundation leaders have long been insulated from threats. It’s time to shed our chicken feathers. -
Opinion | Dispatches From the First 100 Days
Amid Funding Freezes and ICE Raids, What Will It Take to Support Grantees?
Grant makers need to reassure nonprofits that they have their backs during these tumultuous times. -
Opinion | Dispatches
As Trump Takes Office, Philanthropy Should Adopt a Pandemic-Like Crisis Response
Lessons learned in 2020 can serve the field well as it faces another period of uncertainty and upheaval, writes Lisa Pilar Cowan in the first in a series of dispatches on Trump’s initial 100 days in office. -
Opinion
From TV’s ‘The Gilded Age’ to the Fight for Reparations: Lessons for Philanthropy in 2024
What binge watching a popular television show taught me about philanthropy’s ongoing efforts to move away from antiquated notions of charity. -
Opinion
Why Grant Makers Should Reject Shiny New Things
Social change takes a lot of time. Too often, foundation officials get bored and forget that. -
Opinion
Let’s Address the Real Reason Great Fundraisers Are in Short Supply
Too often, nonprofits force development officers to grovel for donations from the rich, rather than emphasizing how to connect people in a community to support an organization’s mission. -
Opinion
No Thank You: Why One Foundation Leader Doesn’t Want Gratitude From Grantees
Grant makers aren’t giving away their own money so the conversation with their partners should always be about equals working to change the world — not as benefactor and supplicant. -
Dispatches
2022 Is the Year for Grant Makers to Stop Talking and Start Doing
Because philanthropy has so little external scrutiny, foundation officials must assess whether they are actually making enough of a difference, writes Lisa Pilar Cowan, the author of a series of essays on grant making in a time of upheaval. -
Opinion
A New Generation of Foundation Leaders Need to Act Like Community Organizers, Not Gatekeepers
The pandemic and racial reckoning have made clear that we need bold foundation executives who see their role as using their money, power, and voices to muster resources to achieve ambitious goals. -
Dispatches
For All of Us in Philanthropy, the Moment of Rebuilding Is Here
Our grantees have struggled mightily with a range of challenges as foundations have seen their assets boom and learned that it doesn’t take luxury travel or other trappings to do good well. Let’s work now to keep moving forward.
