Linetta J. Gilbert

Linetta J. Gilbert is well-known and highly regarded in the fields of community development and philanthropy. For nine years she served as a Senior Program Officer and Program Officer at the Ford Foundation specializing in programming and grantmaking related to community philanthropy and civic culture in the U.S. and abroad. In this role, she led several initiatives including the Community Philanthropy, Race and Equity in the American South Initiative, the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, the Gulf Coast Transformation Initiative as well as Ford’s investments in community philanthropy globally. A significant amount of Linetta’s work has focused on expanding the definition of community philanthropy to represent the various pools and types of philanthropic capital to be organized for the betterment of communities. Linetta holds a BA in history and political science from Howard University. In 2008, Linetta received the Robert W. Scrivner Award for creative grantmaking and the Critical Impact Award from the U.S.Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C.