NonProfit Times Names Carnegie Corporation’s Mannion as One of Nation’s Most Influential Nonprofit Executives

In recognition of her achievements in the field of immigrant civic integration, Carnegie Corporation's Geri Mannion has been named by NonProfit Times as one of the 50 most influential executives in the nonprofit sector.  This listing, NPT Power & Influence Top 50, appears in the magazine’s current edition.

Geraldine (Geri) Mannion, who is Director of the U.S. Democracy and Special Opportunities Fund, is cited by the magazine for: “Focusing on broad engagement, Mannion has been a tireless advocate for deepening the nation’s civic dialogue and for nonprofit capacity building. With 30 years in the sector, she has worked with major funders and knows what will work. That doesn’t mean she won’t take a few chances with Carnegie’s money.”

Honorees were selected for the impact of their current work as well as for innovations aimed at further evolving the charitable sector.  The annual selections are based on nominations submitted by the editorial staff of The NonProfit Times, its contributing editors, as well as suggestions from former nominees and other key figures in the nonprofit world.

“After spending more than thirty years in the field of philanthropy, Geri Mannion’s dedication to her work, her passion about the missions of the organizations she supports, her deep and abiding belief in the vitality of democracy and her fierce determination to help the grantees she partners with to achieve their goals has never wavered,” said Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation.  “In fact, her energy and enthusiasm seem to increase day by day, as is evident to all who have the good fortune to work with her. Her colleagues at Carnegie Corporation, along with the Board of Trustees and myself are all extremely proud of Geri and we congratulate her for receiving this important and wonderful recognition.”

Geri Mannion is also the 2009 co-recipient of the Council on Foundations' prestigious Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking.  Mannion and Taryn Higashi, who is Executive Director of Unbound Philanthropy, are co-founders of the Four Freedoms Fund (FFF), Public Interest Project's national collaborative fund founded in July 2003 to energize democracy by supporting and engaging immigrants and refugees.  Shaped by their vision, FFF aims to build an infrastructure in the United States that links immigrant rights groups on a local, state and national level on issues of immigration reform, civic engagement, immigrant integration and protection of civil liberties and human rights.