Dorothy Largay is Founder and CEO of Linked Foundation and a pioneer in using philanthropy to create new ways to solve critical health needs of women and their families.
About Us
OUR APPROACH
At the Linked Foundation, we invest technical and financial resources to develop and scale social enterprises that improve the health of communities throughout Latin America and the United States.
We bring a gender lens to all of our work, in particular through our support of organizations that focus on women, who are important agents of change as health and economic decision-makers. By investing in scalable, market-based solutions, focusing on outcomes, and creating strong cross-sector partnerships, we can ensure long-term, sustained impact. We often engage in a “blended capital” approach, co-investing with partner organizations in the form of grants, debt financing and technical assistance to catalyze growth and social impact.
AREAS OF IMPACT
Catalyzing Health Access in Latin America
In Latin America we scout and support the most promising, impactful health social enterprises. We are increasingly focused on women’s health, and often provide technical assistance in addition to financial resources. We provide innovation grant capital to help social businesses pilot promising new approaches that deepen the social impact, often combined with debt capital to scale existing services.
Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health in the United States
With increasing threats to women’s health right here in the US, Linked has created a domestic initiative that focuses on reproductive health. Our investments will primarily be selected and funded through Rhia Ventures (formerly the Reproductive Health Investors Alliance), of which Linked is a founding member.
Impact Investing
Our global impact investments represent Linked Foundation’s commitment to putting as much of our resources to work toward the mission as possible, through a range of investment classes. We invest in funds, public and private equities, and act as a loan guarantor in a broader range of global investments that align with our criteria of generating economic opportunity, healthier communities, and investing in women.
Our Community
Linked Foundation is committed to giving back to the Santa Barbara community through contributions to exceptional local organizations. Our criteria for local contributions focuses on the ability of the organization to address the most critical and relevant local needs, across all sectors.
CRITERIA FOR FUNDING
| 01 |
| Women |
| 02 |
| Health |
| 03 |
| Latin america & the united states |
| 04 |
| Catalytic |
| 05 |
| Impact |
| 06 |
| Scalable |
| 07 |
| Sustainable |
| 08 |
| Partnership |
Our work focuses primarily on underserved women as agents of change and enterprises that aim to improve outcomes for women.
We invest in solutions that address the health needs of our target population, with a particular focus on direct services, maternal and reproductive health.
Catalyzing health access in Latin America; and Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health in the United States.
We look for opportunities to spark innovation and growth within early stage health enterprises.
We are committed to providing technical assistance and funding so that our partners are able to evaluate their social impact.
We invest in developing and refining solutions that have the potential to be scaled throughout Latin America particularly those that include corporate partners.
We support business models that require a diminishing subsidy level and that aim to achieve financial sustainability.
Linked places a high value on working together with like-minded funders, and will support initiatives where we can engage in collaborative funding partnerships rather than being the sole funder.
OUR TEAM
Nancy Swanson
Executive Director
Nancy Swanson is a founding member and the executive director of Linked Foundation, a private foundation that invests in solutions that improve the health and economic self-reliance of women in Latin America and the United States.
PATI GRIFFIN
KEEPER OF THE PEACE
Pati is the Administrator at the Linked Foundation and is responsible for financials, communications, and everything that makes the office run smoothly.
ANNA DE LA CRUZ
Senior Consultant, Social Impact
Anna De La Cruz is an independent consultant, advising the Linked Foundation on its portfolio strategy and social impact measures.
SENIOR ADVISORS
Ann Hutchins
Senior Advisor
Ann Hutchins is a licensed Financial Coach (ACC, CFC). Her almost 30 years of experience as a securities analyst and portfolio manager – combined with her passion for financial literacy – are unique in the world of coaching.
David Lehr
Senior Advisor
David’s career has largely focused on the intersection of business, job creation, and information technologies. He is currently the Senior Director, Strategy and Impact at TechSoup Global and also consults to organizations leveraging market-based approaches to addressing poverty.
Deborah Burand
Senior Advisor
Prof. Deborah Burand directs the International Transactions Clinic that she cofounded at the Law School in 2008. She writes and lectures on issues related to international finance, microfinance and microfranchise, impact investing and social finance innovations.
Kim Wilson
Senior Advisor
Kim Wilson has worked in microfinance for two decades, first as a practitioner with Working Capital, which won the Presidential Award for Excellence, and then later as an advisor and consultant to various international organizations.
Sheila Leatherman
Senior Advisor
Sheila Leatherman is a research professor at the School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She conducts research and policy analysis focusing on quality of care, health systems reform and community health interventions for poverty reduction.
Gabriela Salvador
Senior Advisor
Dr. Gabriela Salvador is the senior director of microfinance and health protection at Freedom from Hunger. She has more than 15 years of experience working as a medical doctor and public health practitioner, designing and implementing high impact health programs for very low-income women and children around the world.