Kelly Nowlin

Kelly D. Nowlin

Principal, KDN Philanthropy Consulting | NCFP Fellow (2018–2021)

Kelly Davenport Nowlin is a fifth generation Andrus family member who has been actively engaged in her family’s philanthropy for over 20 years. She served for 12 years on the board of the Surdna Foundation, a family-led social justice foundation started by her great, great grandfather, John Emory Andrus over 100 years ago. Kelly chaired the Thriving Cultures Committee and the Andrus Family Philanthropy Program, which is responsible for outreach to, and engagement of, nearly 500 Andrus family members and worked closely with staff to guide program, investment, and communications strategies. From 2015 to 2017, Kelly led efforts to mark Surdna’s 100th anniversary (2017) which included national grantmaking initiatives, the launch of a collaborative economic development fund, events, and publications that were shared with the field about impact investing, social justice and family philanthropy.

Prior to her years at Surdna, Kelly was a founding board member of the Andrus Family Fund (AFF), a program launched by Surdna in 2000 as a grantmaking fund for fifth generation family members. She, along with 8 cousins, developed program areas, governance policies, bylaws, mission, strategic vision, and committees of this $4MM fund. Kelly served as Vice Chair, then Co-Chair for four of her seven-year term.

In addition to philanthropy, Kelly has nearly 30 years of experience as a media and communications professional having held various marketing management positions at CBS and Entercom Radio, Community Newspaper Company (a Fidelity company), and in the media buying space. She developed and launched two startups and has acknowledged expertise in social media and brand development.

Currently, Kelly is Principal of KDN Philanthropy Consulting, developing strategies for family foundations and nonprofits, and speaks regularly around the country on topics in philanthropy including next generation engagement, social justice and racial equity, power and privilege, impact and evaluation, foundation culture and strategic communications. She is an outspoken leader on the need for philanthropy to be accountable to power dynamics and racial equity, and co-developed the Racial Justice Learning and Action Cohort at the National Center for Family Philanthropy for family foundation trustees to build knowledge, skills and action plans that advance racial justice practices. She regularly collaborates with and mentors next generation family members within the Andrus family and in the field more broadly, building equity-framed curriculums and facilitating opportunities for younger voices to be amplified. Kelly has served on the board of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and is currently the Board Chair of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP).

Kelly is married with two adult children and currently lives in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Contributions

The Principles of Effective Family Philanthropy: Equity

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Sergio Rodríguez, Liz Dozier, Cathy Cha, Erin Borla, Nicholas A. Tedesco, June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin

 Effective family philanthropy makes a collective commitment to meaningful societal change. It holds itself accountable to impact as defined by community, and to the proven practices that support it. It is adaptive, evolving with the family and the community or ecosystem within which it operates. It shares or cedes power with different family members and generations, as well as… Read More

2023 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Susan Stamerjohn, Michelle Tremillo, Alejandro Foung, Dr. Jason Franklin, Jonathan Brack, Sandra Fluke, Tonya Allen, Diego Zegarra, Sue Banerjee, Catherine Maddox Walton

Save the Date 2023 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat
Thank you so much for your interest in the Leadership Retreat. The event is sold out, and we are no longer accepting names for the waitlist, due to the unlikelihood of accommodating everyone on it already. We are delighted by the response, and we regret that we have to turn anyone away. Please keep an eye on our Programs and… Read More
From NCFP

Five Questions for Kelly Nowlin

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Kelly D. Nowlin

Kelly Nowlin Speaking at the NCFP 2022 Forum in San Francisco
Anniversaries are times for reflection on and celebration of the past, as well as opportunity to imagine the future. As NCFP celebrates our 25th anniversary, we are speaking with community members about their reflections on the evolutions of their own philanthropy, the sector, and NCFP as well as their hopes for the future. Kelly Nowlin is the current chair of… Read More
From NCFP

Racial Equity is Fundamental to Effective Family Philanthropy

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Kimberly Myers Hewlett, Kelly D. Nowlin

Learning opportunities bring us the delight of something new: we hear or do something for the first time, we might—metaphorically—or actually—scrape our knees, we pick ourselves up, and we enjoy a sense of accomplishment as we recognize that new thing we know or can do. Much like viewing the world through the eyes of young children, the National Center for… Read More

Racial Justice in Family Philanthropy Symposium

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Vincent Robinson, Doua Thor, Dwayne S. Marsh, Irene Wong, Sandy Herz, John Matthew Sobrato, Nora Leccese, Annie Mahon, Hanna Mahon, Sam Vinal

Registration is now closed. If you have questions, please email ncfp@ncfp.org. NCFP’s Family Philanthropy Racial Justice Symposium is a two-day virtual learning opportunity for family foundation board members, CEOs, senior staff, and next generation family members seeking to deepen their knowledge around racial equity frameworks and practices. Leverage Philanthropic Partners, ABFE, Resource Generation, other experts in this space will lead… Read More
Voices from the Field

Are Foundation Trustees Perpetuating Climate Injustice? Here’s How We Can Change That.

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Kelly D. Nowlin, Ernest Tollerson

This article was originally published by Inside Philanthropy and is re-posted here with permission. The recent IPCC report couldn’t be clearer: The world needs wide-scale, transformative action, swift action, to ensure we don’t blow past the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in average global temperatures. Mobilizing nations and market forces to achieve this goal, however, should not blot out America’s real-time responsibility to… Read More

Non-family Staff Peer Network: Racial Equity Discussions with Board and Staff

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Mary Mountcastle, June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin

Join the NCFP Fellows for an interactive conversation about addressing racial equity internally. Discuss how to approach tough conversations and how to bridge the gap that oftentimes exists between board and staff on equity issues. We will open with a brief dialogue from the Fellows and move into a group discussion. Bring your topics, favorite resources, and questions for peer staff… Read More

2021 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Isabel Nogueira, Alyson Wise, Jumi Falusi, Milton Speid, Emily Kaiser, Adrian Ruiz, Lisa Jackson, Priscilla Enriquez, Dorothy Gardner, Regan Pritzker

NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive overview of the important legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members and CEOs. Featuring the perspectives of innovative donors and a faculty made up of donors, board members, and highly respected philanthropy experts, this virtual seminar covers: Translating values and goals into action Connecting family legacy and… Read More
From NCFP

Calling Family Foundation Board Members to Join a Journey on Racial Justice

Posted on March 2, 2021 by June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin, Mary Mountcastle, Virginia M. Esposito

Learn more about the Racial Justice Learning and Action Network. In 2018, the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) announced its second class of fellows, naming Kelly Nowlin, June Wilson, and Mary Mountcastle as distinguished fellows. Each of us independently chose to focus our fellowship work on racial equity. Coming together we worked to support one another, challenge established thinking,… Read More

Family Foundation CEO Retreat

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Betsy Erickson, Janine Mason, Michael Smith, Tina Runyan, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bari Katz, Rob Reich, Shaady Salehi, Carmen Rojas, Diana Scearce

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills, particularly in these divisive and dynamic times. This 3-day virtual retreat, designed for both new… Read More