Lynn Alvarez, J.D.

In her former role as senior program officer at The California Endowment, and more recent status as consultant, Lynn led the development of a new grantmaking program, the implementation of a customer satisfaction survey, and the refinement of grantmaking procedures. She contributed to programmatic and process improvements throughout the foundation. She managed a $30 million grant portfolio that encompassed two strategic initiatives: Native American health and a health grantmaking partnership involving 25 community  foundations. The development of these major initiatives involved convening key stakeholders, managing evaluation plans, disseminating findings, and developing funding criteria and objectives.

Lynn has a varied background in grantmaking, which includes working at the California Community Foundation and the Peninsula Community Foundation. As a program officer at those foundations, she worked extensively in the areas of child development, education, human services, affordable housing, and the arts. She managed several grantmaking programs and donor advised funds.

Lynn earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work as an attorney focused on immigrant and refugee issues. She was the legal director of a community based organization representing Central American refugees and also worked on impact litigation in the federal courts on behalf of immigrant children. As a professor at UCLA School of Law for three years, she taught immigration law and professional ethics. Fluent in three languages and conversant in two more, she brings a global perspective to the field of grantmaking.

Lynn was appointed in 2011 to the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission. She is also currently on the board of Los Angeles Education Partnership, an education reform organization focused on helping students in high-need schools improve their academic achievement. She has served on the boards of Para Los Ninos, Human Rights Watch and the Central American Refugee Center. She served as a member of The Grantmaking School Advisory Board.