Dr. Jason Franklin

Founder & Principal, Ktisis Capital

Dr. Jason Franklin is the Founder & Principal of Ktisis Capital through which serves as a strategic advisor to a mix of progressive individual donors, families, foundations and philanthropic collaboratives across the US and globally. After first getting involved in philanthropy as a 4th generation member of his family 25 years ago, he has been engaged in progressive philanthropy across a wide range of roles including donor advisor, scholar, grantmaker, family & independent trustee, and donor organizer. He has served on over twenty nonprofit boards over the years and currently serves as chair of the Michigan Alliance, co-facilitator of the Reproductive Justice funding venture at the Threshold Foundation, and is a member of the Smithsonian’s Philanthropy Initiative Working Group, Solidaire, Threshold Foundation, Democracy Alliance, and Generation Pledge. He previously worked as the inaugural Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and before that as Executive Director of Bolder Giving, an organization that inspired people to give big & take more risks with their philanthropy. He received his PhD from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where he also held an appointment for ten years as an award-winning adjunct professor teaching about philanthropy and social change.

Contributions

Board Chair Peer Network: Leading in Complex Systems

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Dr. Jason Franklin, Elizabeth Snowdon Bonner, Katherine Osborne Valdez

Philanthropy often seeks to change systems that are complex and intersectional. While no one funder can address all of pieces of the system, identifying the right approach for any organization can be a complex process in and of itself. Board chairs are responsible for leading their organizations and families through these processes, balancing internal and external dynamics. Jason Franklin will… Read More

2023 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Susan Stamerjohn, Michelle Tremillo, Alejandro Foung, Dr. Jason Franklin, Jonathan Brack, Sandra Fluke, Tonya Allen, Diego Zegarra, Sue Banerjee, Catherine Maddox Walton

Save the Date 2023 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat
The 2025 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat will take place in La Jolla, San Diego from October 27 to October 29, 2025. Learn more here.   Thank you so much for your interest in the Leadership Retreat. The event is sold out, and we are no longer accepting names for the waitlist, due to the unlikelihood of accommodating everyone on it… Read More