Kelly D. Nowlin is a descendent of the early 20^th century American industrialist and former U.S. Representative John Andrus (R-NY) and is a board member of the Surdna Foundation that he founded and funded. She also runs her own philanthropic consulting practice and is involved in left-of-center environmentalist and racial-interest activism. ¹

Career

Kelly Nowlin began her career in media marketing and promotion, working for several newspapers, radio stations, and media organizations from 1992 to 2001. From 2008 to 2015, she was involved in several entrepreneurial tech startups and worked as a marketing consultant at the Boston Arts Academy. She has been involved in the leadership of a variety of nonprofit organizations, and runs her own philanthropic consulting firm, KDN Philanthropic consulting. ² Her firm has worked with the Bainum Family Foundation, the France-Merrick Foundation, and the Frechette Family Foundation, among others. ³

Philanthropy

Kelly Nowlin is a fifth-generation descendant of John Andrus, a capitalist businessman and Republican member of congress. Starting in 2000, Kelly Nowlin began her involvement in a variety of philanthropic organizations, beginning as a founding board member of the Andrus Family Fund, a position she held until 2007. The Andrus family fund is a project of Nowlin and eight other fifth-generation Andrus descendants that was provided with $4 million by the Surdna Foundation to make grants. ^{4 5}

In 2009 she joined the board of trustees of the Surdna Foundation, the billion-dollar institution run by the descendants of John Andrus. John Andrus was a Republican member of congress in the early 20^th century and according to his biographer “the complete laissez-faire businessman. He believed in simple capitalism all his life.” ⁶ However, the Surdna Foundation now supports a number of left-of-center and anti-capitalist groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, the left-wing community organizing group Center for Popular Democracy, and the Clean Energy Group. ^{7 8 9}

Nowlin currently chairs the Andrus Family Philanthropy Program, which engages with the nearly 500 descendants of John Andrus and is focused on advancing left-wing “social justice philanthropy”. ¹⁰

Nowlin is a board member of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, which is a network organization that provides information to philanthropic families. ^{11 12} She has co-authored a number of essays on the organization’s website focused on “social justice” environmentalism, and “racial justice.” ¹³

She is also a board member of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, a membership organization that provides resources and guidance to philanthropic organizations to advise their giving. ¹⁴

Political Views

Nowlin’s public statements and the grants distributed by organizations she is involved with demonstrate a clear left-of-center political stance. The Surdna Foundation distributes millions of dollars to left-of-center groups, including Black Lives Matter organizations, and is a major promoter of environmentalist groups and left-of-center economic policies. ^{15 16}

In a co-written essay published by the National Center for Family Philanthropy, Nowlin stated that “systemic racism” has perpetuated injustices in many areas that grantmaking organizations seek to address, and that these organizations should give more money to organizations led by women and “BIPOC” (black, indigenous, people of color). She also likens racial injustice to a “pandemic” on par with COVID-19. ¹⁷

She has also stated that it is necessary to incorporate “climate justice” into environmentally focused giving strategies and that traditional giving is “largely dictated by racial bias” and that it is necessary to contribute to BIPOC-led organizations that will lead to the change necessary to “save the planet.” ¹⁸

Nowlin has also participated in the development of the National Center for Family Philanthropy’s curriculum meant to guide family members who sit on foundation boards in beginning a “journey on racial justice”. ¹⁹

1. Surdna Foundation. “Kelly D. Nowlin.” Accessed April 6, 2022. https://surdna.org/team/kelly-d-nowlin/.
2. Linkedin.com. “Kelly Nowlin | LinkedIn.” Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellydavenportnowlin/details/experience/.
3. Kelly D. Nowlin. “Portfolio.” Accessed April 6, 2022. http://www.kdnphilanthropy.com/portfolio.
4. Linkedin.com. “Kelly Nowlin | LinkedIn.” Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellydavenportnowlin/details/experience/.
5. Surdna Foundation. “Kelly D. Nowlin.” Accessed April 6, 2022. https://surdna.org/team/kelly-d-nowlin/.
6. Morrill, George. “ The Multimillionaire Straphanger.” Wesleyan University Press. 1971. Accessed November 15, 2017. https://books.google.com/books/about/The_multimillionaire_straphanger.html?id=j0iv-qlUewAC
7. “Search Our Grants.” Surdna Foundation. Accessed November 13, 2017. http://www.surdna.org/what-we-fund/search-our-grants.html
8. Surdna Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2015, Part XV Line
9. “Surdna Foundation Announces $1.98 Million in Grants.” Surdna Foundation. Accessed November 13, 2017. http://www.surdna.org/whats-new/news/945-surdna-foundation-announces-1-98-million-in-grants.html.
10.  NCFP. “Kelly Nowlin,” Accessed April 9, 2022. https://www.ncfp.org/people/kelly-nowlin/.
11. NCFP. “Kelly Nowlin,” November 27, 2018. https://www.ncfp.org/people/kelly-nowlin/.
12. NCFP. “About the National Center for Family Philanthropy.” Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.ncfp.org/about-us/.
13. “Kelly Nowlin,” November 27, 2018. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.ncfp.org/people/kelly-nowlin/.
14. Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. “Our Vision for Smarter Grantmaking.” Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.geofunders.org/about-us/our-vision-for-smarter-grantmaking.
15. “Search Our Grants.” Surdna Foundation. Accessed November 13, 2017. http://www.surdna.org/what-we-fund/search-our-grants.html.
16.  “Surdna Foundation Announces $1.98 Million in Grants.” Surdna Foundation. Accessed November 13, 2017. http://www.surdna.org/whats-new/news/945-surdna-foundation-announces-1-98-million-in-grants.html.
17. Hewlett, Kimberly Myers, and Kelly Nowlin. “Racial Equity Is Fundamental to Effective Family Philanthropy.” NCFP, January 12, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.ncfp.org/2022/01/12/racial-equity-is-fundamental-to-effective-family-philanthropy/.
18. Nowlin, Kelly, and Ernest Tollerson. “Are Foundation Trustees Perpetuating Climate Injustice? Here’s How We Can Change That.” NCFP, August 24, 2021. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.ncfp.org/2021/08/24/are-foundation-trustees-perpetuating-climate-injustice-heres-how-we-can-change-that/.
19. Wilson, June, Kelly Nowlin, Mary Mountcastle, and Virginia M. Esposito. “Calling Family Foundation Board Members to Join a Journey on Racial Justice.” NCFP, March 2, 2021. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.ncfp.org/2021/03/02/calling-family-foundation-board-members-to-join-a-journey-on-racial-justice/.