Elana Wien is a respected philanthropic advisor and social impact leader with over two decades of experience helping families, foundations and corporations give more effectively, more meaningfully, and with greater impact.

Elana Wien is a philanthropic advisor and social impact leader with over two decades of experience helping families, foundations and corporations give more effectively, more meaningfully, and with greater impact. Rooted in an early-formed belief that a more just and healthier world is possible, she brings both the rigor of a seasoned advisor and the warmth of a genuine partner to every engagement.

Her practice is built on a simple conviction: with the right support and strategy, people unlock their most generous selves — and that generosity, directed well, creates positive outcomes for communities and the planet.

Her experience spans the full landscape of philanthropy. She spent nearly a decade at the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles — one of the largest Jewish community foundations in the United States and among the top 10 largest foundations in Los Angeles — overseeing $20M in annual grantmaking and developing giving strategies for major donors and families. She then served as Inaugural Executive Director of SRE Network, a North American gender equity grantmaker and membership network of over 175 organizations, leading it from startup through mezzanine stage.

But it was some of Elana’s earliest experiences as a youth engaged in service — whether it be volunteering with the Hopi indigenous community in the Southwest of the United States, or providing literacy support to Spanish-speaking youth at Los Angeles area elementary schools — that nurtured her understanding of community-led change and the importance of grounded, respectful partnership. Today, through her independent advisory practice, she works with philanthropic individuals, family foundations, community foundations, private foundations, donor advised funds, giving circles, and corporations to design and execute strategies that match their deepest values with their greatest potential impact.

Elana holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography: Local & Global Relations from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Arts in Anthropological Studies from Universidad de las Américas in Puebla, Mexico — where she conducted field research on binational collective giving models and deepened both her Spanish fluency and her understanding of cross-border social change. She earned her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation from the American College of Financial Services, holds additional certifications in Impact Investing and Behavioral Philanthropy through Daylight Advisors, and is a 21/64 Certified Advisor. Her work has been recognized by the Wexner Foundation, the Schusterman Foundation, and the Rotary Foundation — the latter selecting her as an Ambassadorial Scholar to Mexico — and she is a full member of the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers. Her writing has appeared in the Center for Effective Philanthropy, eJewishPhilanthropy, and The Forward.

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