Sarah Cotton Nelson serves as the Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Communities Foundation of Texas. She is responsible for $100M+ in outgoing grant monies from the foundation and for the development of programs designed to positively impact the community. Prior to joining the Communities Foundation of Texas, Sarah spent 12 years as a survey research methodologist with the RAND Corporation. Other professional roles she has had include: managing a youth intervention program for at-risk 10-18 year olds in inner city Los Angeles; directing grants and research for the Dallas Women’s Foundation and developing policy changes within El Salvador’s legalization process for nonprofit organizations (on behalf of USAID) following the end of that country’s civil war. Sarah is deeply committed to creating a bridge between information and best practices identified in the research world, and the nonprofit practitioners who often face a scarcity of time to source what is available.
