Broadening Leadership, Expanding Impact
When leadership comes from the same circles, imagination narrows. The future of philanthropy depends on shared power, fresh insight, and lived experience at every table.
More than half of all private foundations are family-led, yet most boards remain composed primarily of family members (Exponent Philanthropy, 2024).
Future Funders expands what’s possible—connecting proximate leaders with opportunities to serve, guide, and help philanthropy stay relevant and responsive in a rapidly changing world.
By the Numbers.
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CEOs
86% of foundation CEOs identify as white (Exponent Philanthropy, 2022).
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Trustees
As much as 91% of foundation trustees identify as white (Exponent Philanthropy, 2022).
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Assets
Family foundations control 44% of all foundation assets (~$294B) (Council on Foundations, 2025).
Leadership homogeneity limits philanthropy’s reach and imagination—but it also opens the door to transformation.
Reimagining Philanthropy Through Pluralistic Leadership
Pluralistic leadership is a mindset and design framework for how philanthropy can govern, learn, and adapt in an age of complexity. It brings many voices to the table—sharing authority, valuing lived experience, and drawing from multiple forms of knowledge to guide decisions.
Grounded in six principles, pluralistic leadership invites foundations to harness difference, honor dignity, share power, engage conflict creatively, design for abundance, and elevate diverse ways of knowing.
When these principles shape how institutions think and act, leadership becomes a collective intelligence. Foundations shift from guarding power to co-creating solutions—deepening trust, sparking innovation, and directing capital toward the common good.
OUR GOAL
2035 by 2035
Future Funders is committed to placing 2,000 proximate leaders into foundation leadership roles by 2035.
This goal represents more than a number—it marks a generational shift in who guides philanthropic decision-making. By expanding who leads, we’re creating the conditions for inclusive, imaginative governance that strengthens institutions from within and ensures philanthropy’s relevance for decades to come.
Pluralistic leadership is the pathway.
2035 is the milestone.
A more just and community-rooted philanthropic sector is the destination.
HELP SHAPE A NEW ERA OF PHILANTHROPY
FOUNDATIONS
Future-proof your organization. Modernize leadership and governance while advancing you mission and honoring your legacy.
LEADERS
Step into boardrooms and CEO roles where your lived and professional experience shapes systems and drives change.