Getting to know Sangeeta Chowdhry: Our New Executive Director’s First 30 Days

Greetings! As I round off my first full month as Executive Director at Common Counsel Foundation, I have been looking forward to reaching out to connect with you – our partners and community. Over this past month, I have been with our exceptional staff and board, and wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about myself, my beliefs, and passions that inform my work. 

Growing up in India, I saw my parents devote their lives to creating social change through education for all. Later as a young immigrant in my new home, I looked for my own path and examined my role in enabling transformative social change for a kinder and more just and equitable world. My reflections led me to start that discovery from the home I had left behind, through international social justice work.

For nearly two decades, I’ve led grantmaking globally that has spanned issues but focused on supporting grassroots movements and community-led solutions. Through my engagement with global gender justice movements, I had the privilege to see and learn about grassroots organizing and mobilizing across diverse contexts, and to learn about the systemic challenges that gave birth to that powerful organizing.

I strongly believe that transformative, sustainable change requires a critical interrogation of the systems, institutions, and mindsets that perpetuate the prevalent hierarchies of power and social order. And to change that, we need the collective power of people, specifically, the power of grassroots social movements. 

I strongly believe that transformative, sustainable change requires a critical interrogation of the systems, institutions and mindsets that perpetuate the prevalent hierarchies of power and social order. And to change that, we need the collective power of people, specifically, the power of grassroots social movements. 

We are in a time of extreme power struggle, of people and institutions consolidating power to the wealthy few, stripping rights, and denying the history and humanity of people across the country. At the same time, we are seeing movement expansion, the growing and deepening of organizing to connect struggles, connect communities, and realize the full power of the people to push back against injustice, and seed well-being for generations to come. 

I’ve inhabited the philanthropic space and have been intentional in interrogating how we shift philanthropy to be more movement centric, and use an intersectional lens of centering people that are most impacted by the injustice and oppression that we want to see overturned. These are not just words – transforming philanthropy – but, intentionally and rigorously as philanthropic institutions, asking ourselves how are we best supportive of these grassroots organizations? And as we act, having the courage and commitment to course correct as we adapt to what we learn along the way. 

These are not just words – transforming philanthropy – but, intentionally and rigorously as philanthropic institutions, asking ourselves how are we best supportive of these grassroots organizations? And as we act, having the courage and commitment to course correct as we adapt to what we learn along the way. 

I am thrilled to find community, home, and alignment with the decades of work and partnerships at Common Counsel Foundation doing just that: shifting power and resources to social justice movements to support their vision and work toward a more just society. 

In the upcoming weeks and months I will be meeting with CCF community, peer funders, and donor partners. I will be listening, learning and reflecting on what I hear, and doing so with humility and curiosity. I look forward to co-creating, and aligning our strategic vision with what we learn. I am dedicated to seeking ways we can deepen our partnerships, forge new ways of working together and supporting social movements. 

I want to thank you in advance for the opportunity to learn from you and your work. I am looking forward to what we can do together!

In solidarity,

Sangeeta Chowdhry, she/her
Executive Director