Dan Gaff

Background

About Dan Gaff

Hello! I’m the Director of Grants Management for the May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, a private foundation in Northern California whose grantmaking supports organizations that provide direct services to adults with disabilities, foster youth, older adults, and veterans, as well as organizations working at the field, policy, and systems levels to address disparities and improve outcomes for these communities. I oversee the Trust’s grantmaking policies, processes, and procedures, and work to enhance the effectiveness of the Trust’s grantmaking practices through equity-centered and trust-based philanthropy principles.(I also manage grants for the legally separate but related foundation, the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust) More about me: I'm a grants management professional with 25 years of experience in grantmaking practices, database administration, technology, operations, process optimization, project management, impact assessment, programs, finance, and communications in the philanthropic, nonprofit and public sectors. I'm a proactive, strategic problem solver, with a collaborative and facilitative leadership style well-suited to team environments and cross-department workflows. I strive to demonstrate, and value in others, integrity, enthusiasm, curiosity, and a commitment to evidence-based, mission-driven, equity-centered work to improve lives, create positive change, and enable a society in which all people have the opportunity to succeed. I love dogs (and cats!), music, art, literature, gardening, woodworking, hiking, and makers/creators of all kinds.