Donna Lawrence
Donna Lawrence is the Director for the Children & Youth Programme at The Atlantic Philanthropies. She manages U.S. grantmaking to create and support a network of organisations with an enhanced ability to advocate for children and youth, especially those most in need. Ms. Lawrence also has responsibility for global learning in the children and youth field. She is based in New York.
Ms. Lawrence has extensive experience in advocacy and policy development in support of disadvantaged children, youth and families. She spent many years at the Children’s Defense Fund where she served in both a statewide role as Director and in a national position as Vice President of National Field Operations. Ms. Lawrence also worked as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Children and Families under New York City Mayor David Dinkins, and was his Senior Policy Advisor on Children and Youth when he was Manhattan Borough President.
Prior to joining Atlantic, she was Executive Director of The Riggio Foundation, where she worked to develop a strategic social justice agenda and funding guidelines, and served as a liaison to existing grantees. Ms. Lawrence managed a $20 million grant for building 150 homes for poor New Orleans families who lost their homes as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Prior to joining the Riggio Foundation, she was the Executive Director of the New York office of the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In addition, Ms. Lawrence has held many other leadership and managerial roles in her professional career.
She has an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University and a B.S. in Social Work from Cornell University. She was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Revson Fellowship and Outstanding Women Achievers.
