Lisa Pilar Cowan
Brooklyn, NY
Around the Block Consulting
Contact: lisa@aroundtheblock.consulting
she/her
Most often works with: Family Foundations, Private Foundations, Community Foundations, Individual Donors/DAF Holders, Intermediary Grantmaking Organizations, Pooled Fund/Donor Circle
Challenges most often addressed:
Lisa provides thought partnership and practical guidance to foundation leaders and staff looking to create systems and programs that move resources quickly and easily.
She helps organizations to learn from others in the field and to re-design existing systems and structures.
Lisa helps to design grantee-support and 'beyond the check' offerings.
Lisa supports family foundations and DAFs to integrate a next generations' contributions and leadership.
Lisa is the creator of the 'pop-up foundation' model, designed to move money with minimal infrastructure and maximum ease.
Lisa brings 30 years of experience working directly with community-based organizations, combined with senior-level foundation leadership at the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. Her perspective bridges grassroots realities with philanthropic strategy, grantmaking, and program oversight.
As a former consultant and nonprofit co-founder, Lisa contributes a pragmatic, implementation-oriented lens grounded in lived experience with organizational growth, governance, and accountability.
Lisa was an original advisory committee member of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and is an occasional columnist in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
