Nicholas (Nick) Tedesco is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP). NCFP serves as a hub of learning, connection, and collaboration designed to resource and activate a community of families to be intentional philanthropic stewards. Nick is a passionate advocate for philanthropy and brings over a decade of experience partnering with donors and their families to establish and meet their giving goals.

Prior to joining NCFP, Nick served as a Senior Advisor in the J.P. Morgan Philanthropy Centre where he provided clients with insights and services to help meet their philanthropic objectives through innovative advice, thought leadership and opportunities for learning and collaboration.

Previously, Nick served as a Relationship Manager at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he helped launch the Giving Pledge—an effort led by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. In this role, Nick managed relationships with current and prospective members of the pledge, as well as their staff and advisors. He helped to connect global philanthropists with one another in effort to exchange knowledge and encourage collaboration.

Nick began his career in the social sector as the Deputy Director of the Children’s Health Forum—a national nonprofit focused on the prevention and eradication of childhood diseases that disproportionately impact underserved communities.

Nick was named to the inaugural Chronicle of Philanthropy 40 Under 40 ranking in 2016. He has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal MarketWatch, Time Magazine and other notable publications. He serves as a director of the Wild Elements Foundation—a conscious catalyst for change that accelerates efforts to restore our global ecosystem.

Nick received a B.A. from Villanova University and resides in Washington, D.C.

Contributions

From NCFP

Trust-Based Philanthropy: Shifting Power to Communities

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Shaady Salehi

This article was originally published by Citi GPS: Global Perspectives & Solutions and is re-posted here with permission. Philanthropy is a complicated pursuit. Donors are committed to supporting their grantees to advance social progress, yet they hold a disproportionate amount of power, and operate within an inherently inequitable system that often perpetuates harm. Foundations and donors have virtually all the… Read More
Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with Vilas Dhar

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Vilas Dhar, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, joins NCFP President and CEO Nick Tedesco for a Family Philanthropy Speaks episode on data science, artificial intelligence, and the foundation’s recent merger. Hear about the innovative strategies the McGovern Foundation is using to tackle social issues.  Philanthropy is a practice borne out of compassion and commitment—and one that is… Read More
Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with Dimple Abichandani and Robin Snidow

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Dimple Abichandani, Robin Snidow

Dimple Abichandani, Executive Director of the General Service Foundation (GSF), works closely with the foundation’s chair, Robin Snidow. In this Family Philanthropy Speaks episode, the pair talk with NCFP President and CEO Nick Tedesco about their philanthropic journeys, GSF’s spending policy and values-aligned practices, and how they’ve fostered a meaningful relationship with one another.  About the Series Philanthropy is… 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
From NCFP

Modeling Collaboration: New Partnership between Stanford PACS and NCFP

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Erinn Andrews

For the last few years, the Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative (EPLI) at Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS) and the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) leadership teams have been meeting regularly as part of a number of sector collaboratives (the Impact-Driven Philanthropy Collaborative, Destination Impact, and Stanford’s own wealth advisor initiative) aligned around the shared mission of moving donors toward more effective giving… Read More
Voices from the Field

Video Highlights from the 2020 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Kimberly Myers Hewlett, Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Valerie Rockefeller, June L. Wilson

past TEI attendees
The Trustee Education Institute is one of NCFP’s signature events, offering family foundation board members and CEOs a comprehensive overview of family philanthropy trends and topics. Last year’s virtual Institute featured conversations on values, racial equity, board chair leadership, next-gen engagement, and much more. Here are short video highlights from a few of those sessions in 2020. Please visit the… Read More
Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with CC Gardner Gleser

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser

CC Gardner Gleser is the first non-family chair of the Andrus Family Fund and is the Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the Satterberg Foundation. In this Family Philanthropy Speaks conversation with Nick Tedesco, CC shares her path to philanthropy, how her own history intersects with the Satterberg family’s wealth creation, and the value of independent directors in the… Read More

Board Chair Peer Network: Finding Peers in Transition

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Jaimie Mayer, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Gilbert Miller, Katherine Lorenz

Managing transitions is challenging, but support and insight from peers can help as you navigate times of change. Join Nick Tedesco for opening comments about working through transitions together. Then, spend time in small groups with others who are going through similar shifts including changes to mission, changing program and program strategy areas, geographic family dispersion, and influx of assets… Read More
Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with Lisa Graustein

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Lisa Graustein, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Lisa Graustein, a trustee of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund in Connecticut, brings her experience as a public school teacher and her passion for building an equitable society to the boardroom. In this Family Philanthropy Speaks conversation, Lisa talks with NCFP President and CEO Nick Tedesco about the Fund’s evolution and her own philanthropic journey. Lisa also debunks assumptions… Read More
From NCFP

Holding the Paradox

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco

This post features reflections from NCFP President and CEO Nick Tedesco on our recent CEO Retreat and the role of family philanthropy executives. “Holding paradoxes simultaneously is an evolved human skill.” — Tina Runyan, psychologist Sitting at a Crossroads: Family Cohesion and Social Impact Staff leaders play an important, yet challenging role in the ecosystem of family philanthropy. The role… Read More