Hunter Ryan
Grant Operations Associate (DAF)
I’m a big movie buff. Horror is my favorite genre. I’ll always have recommendations for you (if you’re brave enough).
My favorite meeting snack is Diet Coke. Does that count?
I love game shows and frequently watch them while I work. I’m planning on submitting a Wheel of Fortune contestant application soon!
It’s time for another edition of our Featured Friday series, where we shine a spotlight on the talented people behind Foundation Source. This week, we’re getting to know Hunter Ryan, our Grant Operations Associate on the DAF team. Read on to find out what drives him, what he’s already accomplished, and why he says joining Foundation Source is one of the best career decisions he’s ever made!
When and why did you join Foundation Source?
I joined the company in March 2026 with a professional background in gift processing and advancement services for multiple local and global nonprofits. Through those roles, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge of DAFs throughout my career. It’s such an efficient and powerful giving tool. When I saw how perfectly this role would marry my interest in DAFs with my experience in supporting philanthropic operations, I knew I had to apply!
What is the best part of your job?
Knowing I play a vital role in approving grants and getting donor funds into the hands of so many worthy, deserving charities working to make our world a better place.
What does your job entail?
I manually review all of our Charityvest grants to ensure IRS compliance, communicate with donors and charities on due diligence, and work on lots of database maintenance projects with the spare time I have.
What is your team like and what has your experience been with company culture?
My team empowers me to trust my gut instinct when making decisions and encourages me to suggest process improvements as I see fit. It makes me feel valued and respected. On top of that, they’re the type of folks I’d gladly go to happy hour with (if they didn’t all live 1,000+ miles away from me!)
Every single person I’ve interacted with has been remarkably helpful, accommodating, and approachable. It didn’t take long for me to feel like I belonged here. I love knowing that I work with people who share my passion and appreciation for the power of philanthropy.”
Hunter Ryan
Grant Operations Associate (DAF)
What has been your biggest accomplishment since joining the team?
I worked in close collaboration with my manager on a project to remediate stale grant checks, or in other words, grant checks that were returned to Foundation Source by the post office for a variety of reasons. I was able to do extensive charity research, resolve address discrepancies, and re-issue tons of grant checks to deserving charities.
In your opinion, what makes the Foundation Source team special?
Every single person I’ve interacted with has been remarkably helpful, accommodating, and approachable. It didn’t take long for me to feel like I belonged here. I love knowing that I work with people who share my passion and appreciation for the power of philanthropy.
What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t know about Foundation Source or may be thinking about joining the team?
Simply put… do it! It’s one of the best career decisions I’ve ever made.
Want to join our team?
Check out our careers page for open opportunities.
ABOUT FOUNDATION SOURCE
Foundation Source is the leading provider of philanthropic software and services. A pioneer in philanthropic technology, Foundation Source is the partner of choice for integrated, enterprise-grade solutions spanning private foundations, donor-advised funds and planned giving programs. Its flexible suite of tools and resources include end-to-end administrative support for the most popular charitable vehicles, specialized compliance, tax, development and consulting capabilities, and deep domain expertise to help maximize impact, mitigate risk, and improve efficiency for all parts of the philanthropic ecosystem. Foundation Source works with donors, nonprofits, wealth advisors and financial institutions to launch, enhance or augment charitable initiatives with turnkey, white-label and outsourced offerings that meet a wide range of philanthropic objectives quickly, professionally, and compliantly.
As of December 31, 2025, Foundation Source supports more than 5,600 private foundations, 20,000 DAF accounts, and 1,700 nonprofits, administers more than $55 billion in charitable assets and facilitate more than 190,000 grants and planned gifts representing more than $4 billion in charitable aid annually.
