Nicholas (Nick) Tedesco is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP). NCFP serves as a hub of learning, connection, and collaboration designed to resource and activate a community of families to be intentional philanthropic stewards. Nick is a passionate advocate for philanthropy and brings over a decade of experience partnering with donors and their families to establish and meet their giving goals.

Prior to joining NCFP, Nick served as a Senior Advisor in the J.P. Morgan Philanthropy Centre where he provided clients with insights and services to help meet their philanthropic objectives through innovative advice, thought leadership and opportunities for learning and collaboration.

Previously, Nick served as a Relationship Manager at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he helped launch the Giving Pledge—an effort led by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. In this role, Nick managed relationships with current and prospective members of the pledge, as well as their staff and advisors. He helped to connect global philanthropists with one another in effort to exchange knowledge and encourage collaboration.

Nick began his career in the social sector as the Deputy Director of the Children’s Health Forum—a national nonprofit focused on the prevention and eradication of childhood diseases that disproportionately impact underserved communities.

Nick was named to the inaugural Chronicle of Philanthropy 40 Under 40 ranking in 2016 and the Nonprofit Times Power & Influence List in 2024. He was also named by Inside Philanthropy as the Best Guide to Family Philanthropy in 2023. He has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal MarketWatch, Time Magazine and other notable publications.

Nick received a B.A. from Villanova University and resides in Washington, D.C.

Contributions

From NCFP

Our Minds are Holding Us Back: Solutions to Overcome Psychological Barriers to Moving Resources

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Nicholas A. Tedesco

As humans, we all face obstacles to taking action. From the mundane—going to the gym or paying a bill—to the consequential, like switching careers or moving, we often put off decisions and tasks. Philanthropists face their own specific barriers to action, many of which are psychological and unconscious. In philanthropy, moving capital effectively is the crux of the work, and… Read More

2024 Partner Program Series: Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Betsy Erickson, Piyush Tantia, Nicholas A. Tedesco

What are the most common barriers to giving and what are the actionable ways you can use with philanthropic families to help them overcome them? Join us for a virtual gathering of regional associations of grantmakers, consultants and advisors who support family philanthropies as we take a deep dive into NCFP’s Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving report. The report explores… Read More

Meaningfully Engaging Next-Generation Adults in Your Family Philanthropy

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Jenna Mulhall-Brereton, Cara Binder-Kopchick, Theo Avery, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Kelly D. Nowlin

The guide During this session Cara Binder-Kopchick, along with Theo Avery, Jenna Mulhall-Brereton, and Kelly Nowlin discussed guide’s critical points and shared their own experiences with navigating next-generation transitions. The guide has now been published and is available to read here. 🔑 Key Moments from the Webinar 2:00 Context from NCFP on how our network is grappling with multigenerational engagement… Read More

How Family Philanthropy Can Support Free, Fair, and Representative Elections in 2024

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Keara Mendez, Marilyn Carpinteyro, Tomas Lopez, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Joe Goldman

In this salon conversation, family philanthropy donors will have the opportunity to learn about critical election-related areas of giving and major 501(c)(3) funding opportunities associated with each area. After every election cycle, nonprofit leaders working on strengthening democracy and civic engagement report that the funding they received often came too late to have meaningful impact. The goal of field leaders… Read More
From NCFP

Preparing for Bold Leadership

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Nicholas A. Tedesco

watercolor pine trees
As I look back at the past few years, it’s clear that the challenges we faced as a society and as a sector have been unrelenting. It’s also been a time of great promise. Many families have shifted their philanthropic practices to respond to urgent and entrenched problems. They have taken bigger risks, leaned into trust, listened to communities, and… Read More
From NCFP

Beyond the Family: An Ecosystem Approach to Family Philanthropy

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Nicholas A. Tedesco

The success of family philanthropy is dependent on the willingness of the family to embrace an ecosystem of partners. In fact, the most effective philanthropic leaders recognize that the family operates in relationship to many others—most importantly community and staff members. Embracing an ecosystem approach to philanthropy, which focuses on building and respecting relationships to others in the system, is… Read More

Clarifying Your Purpose and Legacy Part One: NCFP’s Family Giving Lifecycle Curriculum

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Miki Akimoto, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Intentional philanthropy requires ongoing reflection and planning. This interactive webinar will give an overview of NCFP’s Family Giving Lifecycle and updated curriculum which provides families with practical tools and proven strategies to clarify their philanthropic mission, effectively transition leadership, ensure lasting impact, and preserve their philanthropic values. Then we’ll take a deep dive into the Succession & Legacy module and… Read More

The Current State of Family Philanthropy: Dallas Regional Convening

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Jeremy Smith, Elizabeth Carlock Phillips, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Sarah Kozmetsky Miller, Michael Meadows

Aerial view of Dallas, Texas
In philanthropy, meaningful change is the aim—it’s the purpose and the promise. But in striving for and achieving impact, have we been effective? Who decides the measures of success and what are the conditions that promote meaningful and enduring progress? Join the National Center for Family Philanthropy and the Phillips Foundation to explore how philanthropic families are accelerating the pace of… Read More
From NCFP

Choosing Effectiveness as a Family

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Nicholas A. Tedesco

Effectiveness is a universal aspiration in philanthropy. It is ongoing and iterative, but it begins with making a choice. As our colleagues at the Center for Effective Philanthropy note, effectiveness requires four mutually reinforcing elements: goals, strategies, implementation, and assessment and learning. For family philanthropies, questions of effectiveness go even deeper. How do you build consensus with your family? How… Read More