C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser is an advocate for social impact and racial justice work.
CC began her career in the tech sector, later transitioning to nonprofit work to better fulfill her purpose and passion. CC moved from working in nonprofits to the funding side to increase her impact and is now entrenched in the philanthropic sector. CC was the first director of programs and strategic initiatives at the Satterberg Foundation, whose mission focuses on promoting a just society and sustainable environment.
In 2021, CC left the Satterberg Foundation and founded Black Ivy Collective, which provides consulting and advising services in the philanthropic sector, as well as provides healing spaces for Black artists, scholars, and social justice advocates in community. She is currently a fellow with Compton Foundation and a former NCFP Fellow. CC currently serves on the boards of Andrus Family Fund, Charlotte Martin Foundation, Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, and Grist Media.
CC was an NCFP Fellow from 2023–2024. For her fellowship, she explored relational reparations in family philanthropy and how funders can interrogate the sources of their wealth. Read the report, “Weaving Reparative Futures: The Power of Returning Resources to Black & Indigenous Women,” here and a blog post about her project here.