Congratulations to Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Geri Mannion! The magazine Inside Philanthropy released its 2021 Philanthropy Awards in December, naming Mannion “Program Director of the Year” among foundation executives.
Mannion was recognized for her work in “rallying philanthropy to invest more in strengthening democracy” and “helping to build up groups that now are facing their greatest test yet.” The publication also cites her work in catalyzing new grantmaking for immigration issues. Mannion joined the Corporation in 1998 and is currently the managing director of the Strengthening U.S. Democracy program and the Special Opportunities Fund.
“I am so surprised and grateful to Inside Philanthropy for this acknowledgement of my work. It reflects the support and commitment demonstrated by the Corporation’s board of trustees, our leadership, and our incredible staff,” said Mannion. “The Corporation’s longstanding commitment to voting, voting rights, and immigration — spanning decades — is recognized and appreciated deeply by my peers in philanthropy, and more importantly, our grantees. They are the ones doing the difficult work, in an increasingly polarized world, to strengthen our nation and uphold our democratic ideals.”
In September 2021, Inside Philanthropy published a feature story about Mannion’s career, noting her roots as an Irish immigrant raised in the Bronx, her unconventional rise through the ranks of philanthropy, and her status as a trailblazer among grantmakers. Mannion was credited for her focus on systemic change, policy change, and funder collaborations around issues such as promoting voter registration, ensuring election security, and improving the fairness of data collection for the U.S. Census. As of the first of this year, she has been responsible for 1,772 grants, totaling more than $411 million.
Mannion joins a group of esteemed individuals honored by the magazine, including the Corporation’s late president, Vartan Gregorian, who died in April 2021 after nearly 24 years of service to the foundation. The magazine described him as “The Foundation President We’ll Miss Most,” citing him as “an all-too-rare kind of foundation president: a public intellectual and true ‘citizen of the world’ who believed in the power of ideas.”
