CAMBRIDGE, MA—Geeta Pradhan draws on her deep experience in philanthropy, urban planning, and community development to address the needs of Cambridge, MA.
Ms. Pradhan serves as president of the Cambridge Community Foundation, known as CCF. She has led CCF’s transformation from a local Grantmaker to a data-informed, strategic civic leader that tackles the city’s most intractable problems in deep partnership with nonprofits, local changemakers, and donors.
To watch the full ingterview with Ms. Pradhan, please click here, or on the image below.
In 2021, she co-authored the Foundation’s Equity & Innovation Cities report, highlighting the widening income disparities amidst Cambridge’s growing prosperity. She helped envision and structure the City’s $22– million Rise Up Cambridge program, the first non-lottery cash assistance program in the country supporting all eligible families at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty line. CCF is leading the research of the program to help make the case for policy change.
Ms. Pradhan is regularly called upon to speak on issues of poverty and social change, the changing role of philanthropy, and collaborative action. She serves on several public-sector task forces and committees, including the City of Cambridge’s Youth & Family Policy Council, Community Benefits Advisory Committee, and the Rise Up Cambridge Steering Committee. She also serves on the boards of the Kendall Square Association, Central Square Business Improvement District, and Philanthropy Massachusetts.
She previously worked for the Boston Foundation, serving as the associate vice president for programs and co-founded the Boston Indicators Project. Prior to that she worked for the City of Boston as director of Sustainable Boston and assistant director for neighborhood development.
A trained artist, she completed her Bachelor’s of Architecture degree in India and holds a master’s in urban design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2022, Geeta received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Lesley University, in recognition of her ‘changemaking leadership and dedication to growing the nonprofit ecosystem at every turn.’
On April 26th, 2024, Ms. Pradhan will be honored as the Outstanding Woman of the Year 2024 at the 21st Annual Woman of the Year Awards gala at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The event will be attended by over 400 community leaders, social activists, entrepreneurs, academicians, and philanthropists.
To register for the gala, please click here.
