Charles Fernández

Charles Fernández, Consultant, is a graduate of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed a Masters in Public Policy. In fulfillment of the master's degree, he worked at Northern California Grantmakers, where he developed resources to help foundations adopt best practices in the areas of grantmaking and governance, and researched opportunities for collaboration between the public and philanthropic sectors.

Prior to his graduate work, Fernández worked for nearly twenty years in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, as well as in socially responsible investing and the public sector. He was a philanthropic advisor at the Tides Foundation in San Francisco, where he advised numerous family and independent foundations and managed multiple grantmaking programs. Fernández also worked with a socially responsible investment firm now known as Citizens Fund, where he managed the company's community relations program, researched companies' social policies, and developed social impact assessment screens.

Fernández also has wide-ranging experience in the nonprofit sector. At the California Reinvestment Coalition, he worked with numerous organizations statewide to negotiate community investments in low-income communities from major financial institutions. At the Applied Research Center, Fernández carried out research on topics regarding race, public policy, and grassroots movements. He was also a senior development officer at San Francisco State University, raising private sector funds to support this public university's educational programs.

Fernández has served on several boards, including Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. He currently sits on the board of Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, which publishes the Grassroots Fundraising Journal and provides fundraising analysis, training, and resources to strengthen social justice nonprofit organizations around the country. Fernández received his B.A. in Government from Wesleyan University.

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