Elizabeth Wong

Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services

With three decades of experience in organizational performance and philanthropy, Elizabeth Wong is a highly sought-after expert in the philanthropic sector. As a gifted leader, relationship manager, executive coach and philanthropic consultant, Elizabeth has advised Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) clients and large corporations in several key areas, including high-impact philanthropy, family foundation governance, succession planning, and leadership/program development. She specializes in strategic planning, leadership transitions, organizational development for corporations, nonprofits and foundations, and business development and client retention.

Over the course of her career, Elizabeth has managed multimillion-dollar grantmaking portfolios, evaluated the performance of hundreds of nonprofit organizations, and worked with some of the country’s most prominent philanthropists. During her tenure at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she worked directly with Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Bill Gates Sr. on their international Family Interest grants as well as on the global education grantmaking portfolio. She was responsible for managing a $90+ million portfolio of Special Initiative and Family Interest grants with a particular focus on innovation, impact evaluation, outcomes and strategic opportunities for leveraging the foundation’s investments with other resources through rigorous assessments, public-private partnerships and other co-funded mechanisms.

Her impressive portfolio also includes establishing and running an independent philanthropic consulting firm, as well as holding additional roles at JP Morgan Private Bank Global Foundations Group, Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, and Council on Foundations International Programs.

In her current role, Elizabeth serves as the Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services at Foundation Source, the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive support services for private foundations. She leads an experienced team of philanthropic directors in expertly helping clients carry out their philanthropic missions and activities. She is also responsible for setting strategy for the company’s philanthropic advisory services and leads custom pricing and revenue generation opportunities for the team. She has an undergraduate degree from Columbia College and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Passionate about philanthropy and the power of the social sector, Elizabeth sits on the advisory board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Alumni Network, and Digital Green, a global development organization that empowers smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the collective power of technology and grassroots-level partnerships. She grew up in San Francisco, CA, and lives with her family in Seattle, WA.