Charles Fernández

Education: BA: Wesleyan University in Political Theory; Master's Degree: University of California, Berkeley, Goldman School of Public Policy

Service Expertise: strategic and business planning, coaching, and capacity building

Charles Fernández has more than twenty years of experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, as well as in socially responsible investing and the public sector. At TCC Group, Fernández has worked with both philanthropic and nonprofit clients, including the James Irvine Foundation, the Weingart Foundation, the California Council for the Humanities, First 5 LA, the Oregon Arts Commission, and 10,000 Degrees. His work has included strategic and business planning, coaching, and capacity building.

Prior to joining TCC, 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 which is 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 investment 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 attended Wesleyan University and the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He has served on the Boards of Directors of Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and the 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.

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