Our Team

CJRF operates with eight staff, an Arabella Advisors team, and a nine-member Governing Board that recommends CJRF funding decisions to the New Venture Fund (NVF). Grant applicants may receive emails from CJRF staff and/or Arabella Advisors staff regarding proposals.

The Climate Justice Resilience Fund is a project of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity registered in the United States. The New Venture Fund contracts many services from Arabella Advisors, a certified B corporation with offices in New York, Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco. CJRF staff work with an account team at Arabella Advisors that supports our grantmaking and due diligence.

To uphold trust and accountability in our funding process, CJRF has implemented a Conflict of Interest Policy that aligns with our participatory approach.

CJRF Governing Board

CJRF’s new governing board consists of people with intimate knowledge of the realities that people face across the globe due to the climate crisis. Their insights will help CJRF create real impact for communities who experience the most devastating effects of a changing climate. This new governing board represents a shift from traditional philanthropy, where foundation staff and wealthy individuals make grantmaking decisions.

Angela Sanau

Diana Samarasan

Helen Biangalen-Magata

Maria Alejandra Escalante

Nilesh Prakash

Panganga Pungowiyi

Pato Kelesitse

Samuel Yagase

Zahid Amin Shashoto

Climate Justice Resilience Fund Staff

Heather McGray, Director

Hilary Nilsen, Program Officer

Ayesha Dinshaw, Loss and Damage Program Officer

Rose Ziaei, Program Officer

Monica Waqanisau, Board Liaison

Kanchen Shakya, Program Assistant

Ritu Gupta, Gender Integration and Resource Coordinator – Loss and Damage Program

Alonso Quiroz, Communications Associate

New Venture Fund

Climate Justice Resilience Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. NVF hosts and incubates a wide range of conservation, education, global health, and other charitable projects. NVF is governed by an independent board of directors which holds fiduciary responsibility and legal authority for all CJRF activities. Support from donors to the project will go towards CJRF’s mission to empower women, youth and Indigenous Peoples on the front lines of climate change to create and share their own solutions for resilience.