Dimple Abichandani

Board Member, Solidaire Network | NCFP Fellow (2023–2025)

Dimple Abichandani is a nationally recognized philanthropic leader, lawyer, and author of A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just and Sustainable Future, a book that reimagines how philanthropy can meet this moment.

For two decades, she has worked to reshape philanthropy’s purpose and practice while leading innovative funding institutions. As Executive Director of the General Service Foundation (2015–2022), she aligned the foundation’s grantmaking, investments, and governance with justice values. She was the founding director of the Rise Together Fund, a donor collaborative at the Proteus Fund, and previously led the Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law.

A National Center for Family Philanthropy Fellow, Dimple’s leadership has been recognized with a Scrivener Award for Creative Grantmaking. She serves on the Board of Directors of Solidaire Network and has served on the boards/steering committees of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Northern California Grantmakers, and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Dimple is based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she advises donors and foundations working towards a more just and sustainable future.

Dimple was an NCFP Fellow from 2023–2025. Learn more about her project here.

Contributions

A Philanthropy for Our Times: Reimagining Purpose and Practice in a New Era

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Dimple Abichandani, Nicholas A. Tedesco

In an era of overlapping crises, philanthropy must evolve—not just in practice, but in purpose. How can funders move beyond outdated models to meet this moment with courage, accountability, and impact? Dimple Abichandani, author of A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just and Sustainable Future, and Nick Tedesco, President & CEO of the… Read More
Voices from the Field

Video Highlights from the 2021 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Dimple Abichandani, Will Cordery, Kimberly Myers Hewlett, Anne Wallestad

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. The virtual Institute this September 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. Give Big and Give… 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

Trust-Based Philanthropy Learning and Action Lab Application

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Shaady Salehi, Dimple Abichandani, Carrie Avery

Peer Learning for Family Philanthropy Leaders The National Center for Family Philanthropy, The Philanthropy Workshop, and the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project are pleased to announce a six-part Learning and Action Lab for family foundations and individual donors interested in leveraging their philanthropy toward a more just and equitable nonprofit sector. At its core, trust-based philanthropy is about addressing power imbalances and… Read More

2021 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Isabel Nogueira, Alyson Wise, Jumi Falusi, Milton Speid, Emily Kaiser, Adrian Ruiz, Lisa Jackson, Priscilla Enriquez, Dorothy Gardner, Regan Pritzker

NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive overview of the important legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members and CEOs. Featuring the perspectives of innovative donors and a faculty made up of donors, board members, and highly respected philanthropy experts, this virtual seminar covers: Translating values and goals into action Connecting family legacy and… Read More

Family Foundation CEO Retreat

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Betsy Erickson, Janine Mason, Michael Smith, Tina Runyan, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bari Katz, Rob Reich, Shaady Salehi, Carmen Rojas, Diana Scearce

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills, particularly in these divisive and dynamic times. This 3-day virtual retreat, designed for both new… Read More

Financial Stewardship in Troubled Times: Managing Endowments and Spending Policies

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Christopher Blume, Dimple Abichandani

The National Center for Family Philanthropy is dedicated to serving families who give and those that work with them. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are offering conversations on topics of interest to all philanthropic families associated with family foundations, donor-advised funds, family offices, and other philanthropic vehicles. For questions about this series, please contact Jen Crino at jen@ncfp.org… Read More
Voices from the Field

A ‘Balancing Test’ for Foundation Spending

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Dimple Abichandani

Editor’s Note: This article, by Dimple Abichandani, executive director of General Service Foundation, was originally published by Stanford Social Innovation Review on February 10, 2020 with the headline: “A ‘Balancing Test’ for Foundation Spending.” One of the most important decisions a foundation makes is how much to spend each year. As distinct from budgetary decisions, spending policies are the invisible architecture shaping… Read More

2020 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Christopher Fletcher, Jennifer Davis, Robin Snidow, Kathleen Simpson, Laura Collins, Paul Liu, Greg Ratliff, Tamara Larsen, Dana Lanza, Shaady Salehi

past TEI attendees
Attendees, please visit the event website for the most up-to-date agenda and Zoom links. The website passcode was emailed to all registrants. NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive introduction to important legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members. Featuring a faculty made up of donors, board members, and highly respected philanthropy experts, this… Read More

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