Anne Marie Toccket

Executive Director, Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh

Anne Marie Toccket has worked across the globe with social enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and individuals to build strong, lasting, effective institutions. Anne Marie is currently executive director of the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, a growing family foundation using diverse philanthropic tools to support solutions to social, environmental, and economic challenges around the world. Before joining the Foundation in 2019, Anne Marie was a sought-after consultant and facilitator. Anne Marie has won several awards, including the Sprout Fund Legacy Award (2018), Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40 award (2014) and the Iris Marion Young Award (2010).

Anne Marie began her career in San Juan, Puerto Rico with AmeriCorps*VISTA in a Women’s Small Business Administration office at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazon. She then moved to rural Peru, where she worked for an indigenous-led NGO in building market access for Quechua women artisans. That experience led her to co-found Awamaki, an NGO that readies indigenous women artisans for small business ownership. She remains an active and enthusiastic participant in the organization’s strategic planning and fundraising.

Anne Marie launched Procopia, a consultancy serving nonprofits and social enterprises, in 2012 after her work in Latin America showed that she had a skill for facilitating consensus among diverse ideas, values and objectives and across languages, cultures and worldviews. Anne Marie was a journalism major in college, which taught her intensive listening skills paired with an ability to ask questions that cut to the root of the issue at hand.

Anne Marie maintains a role at the Philanthropy Forum at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, where she supports an effort to democratize and document the impact of community-level philanthropy. She serves on several boards, including Hello Neighbor, a rapidly scaling refugee mentorship program; Grow Pittsburgh, the regional leader on growing food in communities, schools, and backyards; and 5A Elite Youth Empowerment, an organization dedicated to helping youth heal from trauma.

In her free time, you can find Anne Marie riding her bike, walking in Highland Park, exploring Pittsburgh’s lesser-trodden City steps, and spending time with her partner, Eric Davis.

Contributions

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Supporting Social Movements: How a Spend Down Foundation Can Make a More Impactful Difference

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Vanessa Silberman, Sharon Yazowski, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez

What caused the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation to move from gifting 6 to 8 percent of their total assets annually, to a decision to spend down its $150M in assets by 2041? What impact do they hope to make during that time? Join us for a conversation with Sharon Yazowski, CEO, and Vanessa Silberman, Executive Vice President on the… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: What Spending Down Well Can Accomplish—Lessons Learned from the Pierce Family Foundation

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Denis Pierce, Laura Jansen, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez

The Pierce Family Foundation sunsetted at the end of 2023. Why did they decide to spend down? How did they ensure they provided the most impactful support to nonprofits? Join us for a conversation with Laura Jansen, former Director of Programs and Operations at the Pierce Family Foundation, and Denis Pierce, President and Founder of the Foundation, who will share… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Insights from the Kendeda Fund

Posted on August 7, 2023 by David Brotherton, Dena Kimball, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez, Glen Galaich

Every family foundation that has decided to sunset has a unique spend down journey. But every family foundation learns throughout that journey. The Kendeda Fund has committed to spending out the remainder of its assets and ending grantmaking operations by the end of 2023. Since their founder, Diana Blank, began her philanthropic journey nearly 30 years ago, Kendeda has worked… Read More

Is Spending Down Right for Your Philanthropy? How to Make the Decision and What to Consider in the Process

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez, Glen Galaich

Interested in learning more about spending down? Join our Strategic Lifespan Peer Network. Many in this group have decided to operate with a limited lifespan. Others are thinking about the decision to spend down. Key Moments from the Webinar 00:00 Introduction 06:15 Introduction to the McClatchy Foundation 08:18 Introduction to the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh 09:32 Introduction to the Stupski… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: The Spend Down Journey—Timing is Everything

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Rhonnel Sotelo, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez, Glen Galaich

The length of the spend down journey varies from foundation to foundation. The nature of decisions also varies depending on the length of time remaining in the foundation’s lifespan. What is top of mind at the different times of the spend down journey? What can a spend down foundation with more than 10 years remaining learn from a foundation with… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Spending Down—Trade-offs and Opportunities

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Anne Marie Toccket, Laurel Randi, Priscilla Enriquez, Glen Galaich

When a family makes the decision to spend down their philanthropic resources, that is just the beginning to many other decisions that affect the impact of the family’s giving. Trade-offs will need to be made related to staffing, investments and grantmaking. How can one maximize the opportunities that spending at a faster payout rate provides? How can one minimize missed… Read More