Marsh Heartwells (them/them)

Humboldt Area Foundation & Wild Rivers Community Foundation

Marsh is a mixed-race trans creative residing on unceded Wiyot territory in rural Northern California. Over the last decade, Marsh’s work and life have been driven by their passion for racial equity, intersectionality, queer and trans liberation, prison abolition and transformative justice, and environmental sustainability. After graduating with a BA from Cal Poly Humboldt in 2019, they have led substance use disorder prevention programs for youth, promoted local renewable energy initiatives, advocated for the needs of their rural trans community, and organized events that center queer joy. As a Grants Associate at Humboldt Area Foundation & Wild Rivers Community Foundation, they focus on uplifting the work of cultural organizers and artists in their community.

Myles Markham (he/they)

Ms. Foundation for Women

Myles is a queer and transgender Native Hawaiian/Japanese American living in Los Angeles, born and raised in the Deep South. With over a decade of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy across religious, nonprofit, business, and education sectors, Myles is committed to equity and storytelling that builds power. They work in documentary film as an impact producer and in philanthropy as Major Gifts Officer for the Ms. Foundation for Women, and serve on the boards of Transmission Ministry Collective and Level Ground, uplifting queer communities through fundraising consulting, spirituality resourcing, and collective care organizing.

Sarian Sankoh (they/them)

Surdna Foundation

Sarian is a musician and philanthropic worker based in NYC. As a Black, nonbinary lesbian, Sarian strives to uplift BIPOC queer and trans people and support movements for liberation. Sarian’s passion for arts, culture, and justice led them to work at places like the NYU LGBTQ+ Student Center and, currently, the Surdna Foundation. Here, they serve as the Senior Program Associate of Thriving Cultures and work to fund creative approaches to creating a more just society. Outside of work, Sarian enjoys baking, participating in their LGBTQ+ songwriting club, and tackling overly ambitious DIY projects.

Sofia Figueroa (she/her)

Horizons Foundation

Sofia is a puzzle solver, systems enthusiast, and community-driven trans woman with three years of experience in philanthropy. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of California, Merced. Here, she served as President of Lambda Alliance, a student-led org focused on education, inclusion, and uplifting QTPOC voices across campus and Merced County. Through this work, Sofia led efforts to collaborate with QT youth groups throughout the San Joaquin Valley and supported the development of rising queer and trans leaders. She takes this experience into her role as Communications Specialist at Horizons Foundation, where she supports the foundation’s community impact by focusing on systems and their accessibility and ease of navigation from multiple perspectives.

T.A. Green (they/them)

T.A., a professional and personal multi-hyphenate, knows from lived experience that cross-movement solidarity is key to moving resources to the communities philanthropy overlooks. Introduced to the philanthropic sector as a Grant Management Trainee at Oak Foundation’s Issues Affecting Women Programme, they most recently served as Program Coordinator for Neighborhood Funders Group’s Amplify Fund. With a career spanning philanthropy and institutional fundraising, T.A. has hands-on experience with challenges affecting both funders and grantees. T.A. especially enjoys operations work that enables social impact organizations to align their practices with their values. When not engaging in operations wizardry, their commitment to Black liberation guides their work to disrupt systemic violence against disabled folks. T.A. holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID), as well as a B.A. in Creative Writing and a B.S. in International Relations and Politics from Carnegie Mellon University. They received invaluable political education from Black Youth Project 100, Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity, Collective Action for Safe Spaces, Sanctuaries DC, and Sins Invalid. T.A. lives in their birthplace of Washington, DC, where you can typically find them snuggling their emotional support pittie amid their comic hoard.

Tran T.N. (they/them)

G4GC

Tran is a multi-hyphenate focused on creating spaces of belonging, both digitally and physically. As a digital strategist at G4GC, they develop marketing strategies to advance fundraising and communications goals. Outside work, Tran is involved in several mutual aid efforts. Previously, they served as chair of VietQ, an LGBTQ+ Vietnamese collective, and co-organized the first LGBTQ+ Vietnamese conference in Washington state. Tran is grateful for all the lived experiences and communities that shaped who they are today.

Zahra Wardrick (they/he)

iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility.

Zahra is a native Washingtonian, first-generation Salone-American, currently serving as the Program Associate at iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility, coordinating logistics and developing capacity-building resources for grantee partners. Most recently, Zahra acted as a Culture Curator at As You Are in Washington, DC, cultivating partnerships with LGBTQ+ organizations and collectives to host events, oversee social media strategy, and promote intersectional accessibility in LGBTQ+ nightlife and event spaces.  Zahra received their Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). During his academic career, he served as a member of the UDC LGBTQ+ Advisory Council and an inaugural Social Justice Ambassador fellow for UDC’s Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Affairs (CDIMA). There, he supported diversity initiatives, facilitated competency trainings, and organized events to enhance LGBTQ+ visibility and political education. They have attended the Human Rights Campaign HBCU Program’s HBCU Leadership Summit, acted as lead coordinator for Supporting & Mentoring Youth Advocates & Leaders (SMYAL)’s Rise UP! Youth activism conference, and a guest presented for  Georgetown University’s NAACP College Chapter.