What’s possible when nonprofits and funders come together to strengthen the sector?

Philanthropic Action Lab

Social impact leaders Andrew Spector and Jake Wild Crea recognized the same challenge: philanthropy’s potential is limited by subpar collaboration between and among nonprofits and funders.

  • Andrew was in Tulsa, OK directing a nonprofit. His fundraising experience led him to a master’s in philanthropic studies, where he researched nonprofit-funder dynamics and discovered most efforts to strengthen philanthropic collaboration are conducted in separate funder and nonprofit spaces. Andrew is now a Senior Fellow at The Patterson Foundation, a $300M private foundation based in Sarasota, FL, where he is a strategic advisor to the President & CEO, leading high-priority initiatives across strategy, program innovation, and organizational capacity.

  • Jake was in Chicago, IL advising foundations and nonprofits with Arabella Advisors. His experiences in nonprofit, funder, and intermediary roles led him to a master’s in conflict resolution, exploring how to apply peacebuilding approaches to philanthropic relationships. He now teaches conflict resolution at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego and is a facilitator, mediator, and organizational consultant in conflict resolution.

Andrew and Jake founded Philanthropic Action Lab (PAL) because they believe philanthropy’s potential can be achieved if nonprofits and funders are equipped to strengthen the philanthropic sector together.

Our Story

Our Mission
Unite nonprofits and funders to co-create philanthropic processes, structures, and partnerships that unlock philanthropy’s potential.


Our Vision
A philanthropic sector that consistently realizes its potential.

Mission and Vision

Guiding Questions

What conditions are needed for authentic co-creation to happen?

What structures should scale, evolve, or be created for more authentic co-creation?

How should philanthropy evolve to meet today’s challenges?

Tulsa Pilots

In 2023, with support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we piloted workshops with Tulsa-area nonprofits and funders to see if, through thoughtfully structured facilitation, we could create the conditions for real conversation and productive co-creation. The first workshop brought together 17 funders and nonprofits, the second convened 23. The results exceeded expectations:

  • 100% of participants reported that the workshops enabled discussion of topics typically unaddressed in daily work.

  • 97% reported increased trust, understanding, and empathy between funders and nonprofits.

  • 94% felt better equipped to build and deepen trust in their relationships.

Conferences

From 2024-2025, we took PAL on the road, presenting as the closing plenary at Forefront Illinois’ 2024 Annual Summit in Chicago, and leading sessions at Feedback Labs’ 2024 Annual Summit in Denver and at Florida Philanthropic Network’s 2025 Annual Summit in Orlando. After our plenary at Forefront, participant Julie Simpson wrote: “This session was incredibly well-facilitated and meaningful. At the end of a long day, it was challenging to get a room full of philanthropists and nonprofit execs to engage in unfiltered, honest, and open conversation with each other. But we did it! The balance of guidance and trust in the process was just right, and the group appreciated the chance to risk appropriately with others by listening and offering feedback. There’s so much need for this type of engagement to learn how to transcend differences gracefully.”

Kalamazoo

In 2024, we started trading notes with Danielle Sielatycki and Sarah Weishaar from HubOne in Kalamazoo, a nonprofit collaborative turned sector strengthening initiative. In January 2026, we partnered with HubOne to bring together 13 funders and nonprofits to answer the question: should nonprofits and funders work together to strengthen the health and impact of the Kalamazoo nonprofit/philanthropic sector? The answer was a resounding, “yes.” We are now working with a smaller group of “champions” to customize the initiative.

Contact

Andrew Spector | AndrewLSpector@gmail.com | LinkedIn

Jake Wild Crea | jwildcrea@sandiego.edu | LinkedIn