Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) is a mindset that helps lean funders move from grantmakers to changemakers. Grounded in humility, passion, curiosity, and patience, CLIP encourages funders to build deeper relationships, understand the systems they operate in, and leverage all their assets, not just grant dollars, to spark lasting change.
In this final case study, we explore how Danielle M. Reyes, president and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, applies CLIP’s four catalysts, connect, collaborate, champion, and advocate, to strengthen leadership development, expand networks, and advance a more equitable nonprofit sector across the Washington, DC–Maryland–Virginia region.
Danielle M. Reyes’s Path to Catalytic Leadership
At a time when philanthropy is often viewed as a transactional exchange—money in, impact out—Danielle M. Reyes, president and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, offers a different model. Her leadership centers the human, social, and financial capital of philanthropy, aligning seamlessly with the four catalysts of Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy: connect, collaborate, champion, and advocate.
Connecting People and Possibility
Reyes and her team at the Crimsonbridge Foundation know that meaningful change doesn’t happen in isolation. A core part of their approach is connecting grantee partners to resources and relationships that reach far beyond a grant. Crimsonbridge often acts as a bridge, fittingly, linking nonprofit leaders to networks, expertise, and opportunities they might not otherwise access.
When leaders of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in the Washington, DC–Maryland–Virginia region struggled to find relevant leadership development programs, the foundation created LeaderBridge. Rather than simply funding trainings, Crimsonbridge mapped the local landscape, curated high-quality programs, partnered with consultants to build new ones, developed a shared website, and recruited leaders from across the region. The result: a stronger, more inclusive leadership development ecosystem.
Reyes notes that nonprofit leaders increasingly look to funders not just for dollars but for introductions to peers, experts, policymakers, and other funders. By opening their networks, Crimsonbridge helps leaders build relationships that extend well beyond a grant cycle. This kind of connecting and leveraging social capital is a powerful example of how foundations can mobilize all their assets, not only their financial ones, to spark lasting change.
Collaborating Across Sectors
At the Crimsonbridge Foundation, collaboration is not a buzzword; it’s a guiding practice. Much of the foundation’s leadership development work grew directly from conversations with grantee partners. As Reyes explains, their approach begins with a simple but powerful question: “What do you need to be successful?”
These conversations revealed that the barriers to leadership development weren’t only financial. Many nonprofit leaders weren’t sure which programs were trustworthy or how to navigate a crowded landscape of options. Crimsonbridge stepped in as a true collaborator, partnering with grantees and program providers to make high-quality leadership opportunities more accessible. Beyond funding, the foundation supported outreach and marketing, helping ensure that programs reached diverse leaders across the region.
The creation of the LeaderBridge initiative reflects this collaborative ethos. By working alongside private-sector partners and nonprofit organizations, Crimsonbridge built a network where leaders can connect, share, and learn, opening doors to leadership development opportunities that reflect the rich diversity of the Washington, DC–Maryland–Virginia region.
Championing Through Storytelling
One of Reyes’s most powerful practices is championing the people and organizations the Crimsonbridge Foundation supports. She does this not only through grants but through storytelling, visibility, and consistent advocacy. Crimsonbridge’s communications strategy plays a central role: the foundation uses its websites, social media, and regular publications to spotlight the work of nonprofit partners, not itself. This intentional shift reflects a deeper goal: using the foundation’s platform and networks to amplify the voices of those driving meaningful change.
Crimsonbridge’s support doesn’t stop when a grant is awarded. The foundation highlights grantee accomplishments across digital channels, elevates leaders in coauthored articles, and shares stories that help broaden awareness of critical issues and opportunities. This approach shows how funders can champion their partners by leveraging their influence and communications assets to lift up the work happening on the ground.
Advocating for a Stronger Ecosystem
For Reyes, advocacy isn’t limited to policy change; it’s about addressing the broader, systemic needs of the nonprofit sector. Whether advancing leadership development or expanding post-secondary student success initiatives, the Crimsonbridge Foundation consistently asks how it can use all its resources, not just grant dollars, to create lasting impact.
Reyes has coauthored articles with leadership program providers to highlight barriers, elevate opportunities, and make the case for deeper philanthropic investment. In the foundation’s college success and career pathways area, Crimsonbridge published a research-informed guide offering concrete ways funders can support students beyond scholarships. Reyes encourages other lean funders to adopt a similar mindset, emphasizing that foundations of any size can drive outsized change when they think beyond traditional grantmaking.
Her advocacy also focuses on strengthening the ecosystem for nonprofit leaders. Using the foundation’s convening power, Reyes helped design and co-host a gathering where regional funders heard directly from LeaderBridge program partners, sparking new conversations and inspiring additional investment in leadership development. As demand grew, Crimsonbridge partnered with Spur Local, the region’s largest nonprofit capacity builder and an early grantee, to expand program availability and reach the 500 organizations in Spur’s network.
Through these efforts, Crimsonbridge has not only responded to a decline in leadership advancement but actively helped build a more connected and equitable nonprofit sector. Today, opportunities spearheaded through the LeaderBridge initiative are open to nonprofit leaders across the region, demonstrating how advocacy can reshape systems over time.
Bringing the Catalysts to Life
The leadership of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, with Danielle M. Reyes at the helm, demonstrates catalytic leadership at its strongest. By connecting, collaborating, championing, and advocating, Reyes shows how funders can move far beyond financial transactions to create systemic, long-lasting change. Through intentional relationships, cross-sector collaboration, and strategic communications, Crimsonbridge is setting a new standard for how foundations of any size can act as true catalysts.
As the social sector continues to evolve, Reyes’s approach offers a clear reminder: Money alone is rarely enough. But when paired with human capital, social capital, and a deep commitment to partnership, foundations can play a transformative role in advancing equity and strengthening the ecosystems they serve.
For more on her approach, Danielle M. Reyes discusses why money alone won’t create systemic change on The Catalytic Philanthropy Podcast.
Part 1: Money Alone Won’t Make Systemic Change. Our Foundation Uses Our Full Social and Human Capital
Danielle Reyes explains why funders must leverage all their assets, not just grant dollars, and shares examples of how her team goes “beyond the grant” to advance leadership development and college success initiatives.
Part 2: Money Alone Won’t Make Systemic Change. Our Foundation Uses Our Full Social and Human Capital
In Part 2, Danielle Reyes illustrates how funders can go “beyond the grant” by leveraging relationships, influence, and non-financial assets to support leaders of color and remove barriers to lasting change.
Part 3: Going Beyond Scholarships to Increase Student Participation in Tuition-Based Education
In Part 3, Danielle Reyes shares how going “beyond the grant” helped increase Hispanic student participation in tuition-based education using outreach, engagement, and communication strategies to strengthen school capacity, boost enrollment, and deepen family connection.