Miki Akimoto headshot

Miki Akimoto

Chief Impact Officer

Miki Akimoto is the Chief Impact Officer at the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP). In this role, she partners with the CEO to implement NCFP’s strategic plan, enhance sector partnerships, and ensure a strong measurement and evaluation plan. She aligns and integrates NCFP’s revenue, relationship management, and program strategies. Miki oversees NCFP’s programs and development teams.

Miki has a long professional history in the philanthropic sector. Most recently, she served as a Senior Philanthropic Strategist at Bank of America’s Private Bank. In that role, she provided consultation and support for families, foundations, and major nonprofits regarding their governance, grantmaking, and impact strategies. Prior to joining Bank of America, Miki was Vice President and then Acting President of Philanthropy Massachusetts, the regional association of foundations, corporate givers, and other donors in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She also served as the first Director of Grants Management for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and as a program officer at AmeriCorps.

Miki is actively involved in the philanthropic community both nationally and locally. She serves on the board of TSNE and serves as Chair and Clerk of the board for the Full Frame Initiative. Past board experience includes the Lenny Zakim Fund, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, YWCA Boston, and the Boston Foundation for Architecture. She is also a co-founder of the Saffron Circle, the first Asian Giving Circle in Massachusetts.

Miki holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Stanford University, and lives in Medford, Massachusetts. In her spare time, she bakes, reads, and travels to far flung places whenever she can.

Contributions

From NCFP

Application Processes and Effective Family Philanthropy: No easy answers

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Miki Akimoto

You don’t know who you don’t know – Jay Espy, former CEO, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation What does your application process say about you? As the philanthropic field continues to evolve and explore critical issues including equity, accountability, relationship-building, listening, and trust-based approaches, the grants application process (or lack thereof) often serves as a focal point for both discussions and… Read More
From NCFP, Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Freedom & Effectiveness Through Accountability

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Miki Akimoto, Ashley Blanchard

Because a body of men, holding themselves accountable to nobody, ought not to be trusted by anybody. – Thomas Payne It should go without saying that families who embark on philanthropy together have good intentions—to give back to  communities where families live and have made their wealth, to make a difference in the world, and to provide a place where… Read More

2023 Partner Summit

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Andrea Judd-Shurmur, Bridget McGuiggan, Regina Bell, Randy Van Antwerp, Kyle Caldwell, Miki Akimoto, Dr. Brittany Kienker, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Christine Sherry, Jason Born

The inaugural Partner Summit is a virtual convening designed for our network of regional associations of grantmakers, philanthropic consultants and advisory firms and financial institutions that serve family philanthropies. The summit will explore the latest trends in family philanthropy, including promoting effective practices with members and clients, the power of cross-sector relationships and defining paths to equity and advocacy for family… Read More

2023 Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Network Workshop

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Javon L. Coney, Chanel Coney, Lester Coney, Marguerite H. Griffin, Nikè Anani, Natalie M. McVeigh, Miki Akimoto, Tony Macklin

Community foundations networking at the 2022 National Forum on Family Philanthropy
This workshop, exclusively available for members of NCFP’s Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Network, is an excellent opportunity to learn from your peers and build professional skills! We’re excited to be back together in-person for this workshop. Space is limited and network members may register up to four staff member attendees at no cost. Attendees will pay for their travel, hotel, and some meals… Read More
From NCFP

The Work of a Lifetime: Reparative Philanthropy, Relationships, Healing, and Joy

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Miki Akimoto

Editors note: These reflections are rooted in a discussion called, Reparations: The Opportunity for Family Philanthropy to Advance Healing and Repair at the 2022 National Forum on Family Philanthropy. Money saves lives. This is a stark reality that underpins the inequities of our society and history. In the 1930s, Alan Preston’s parents, German Jews, were able to escape Nazi Germany… Read More

The Solidarity of Repair

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Leticia Nieto, Miki Akimoto, A. Sparks, June L. Wilson

To quote Leticia Nieto and Margot Boyer, “…we can’t have a more just society without talking about injustice.”  And to take it one step further, without talking about how we repair, and restore what has been lost to systems of injustice and oppression.  Join us for a discussion of how to support the practices of racial reckoning and reparative action, using the… Read More
Voices from the Field

Step up, Speak Up, and Join Us in Supporting AANHPI Communities

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Miki Akimoto, Patricia Eng

This article was originally published by the Center for Effective Philanthropy and is re-posted here with permission. A recent report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) titled Overlooked (Part 1): Foundation Support for Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders and Communities highlighted, as one of its key findings, that AAPI nonprofit leaders report having less positive experiences with their foundation funders… Read More
From NCFP

New Year’s Resolution – Give Boldly, Give More, Give Now

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Miki Akimoto

New Year’s resolutions may be 4,000 years old, and probably just as old is the tradition of breaking those resolutions all too soon after January 1. Nevertheless, the turning of the calendar can be a moment to stop and take stock of the year that is ending, and to think about how you want to reset and reframe your work… Read More

Organizational Change: Building a Successful Culture

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Tamara Lewis, Rebecca Cisek, Miki Akimoto

stacked hands
Organizations are shifting their operations—embracing remote work environments, using virtual communication, and building culture and connection from afar. Many family philanthropies are facing challenges and transitions as the way we work continues to evolve. Join us for a conversation on how to address organizational change, rebuild culture, and integrate practices that best serve the organization as a whole. About this… Read More

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