Lisa Martilotta Lamprecht is one of the wonderful people who bring life to our coworking spaces. In 2011, she moved from Washington, D.C. environment, to Rwanda. After dedicating 12 years to a project providing quality education to girls and women in East Africa, she now manages a private foundation that grants funding to American non-profit organizations
Can you tell us a bit about your work, what you do, and what the organization you work for focuses on?
The first thing I love sharing is that since I'm deeply and spiritually connected to my work, it is actually not work -- rather, it's the manifestation of my life’s purpose, and it brings me joy.
What I "do" technically is manage a private foundation that grants funding to American non-profit organizations that are addressing some of society’s largest concerns, especially related to child and youth wellbeing in Florida. I am a one-woman team, with an experienced and very wise board of directors that generously supports me in governance and grantmaking affairs. The foundation is entering its second year, and leaning into a trust-based philanthropy approach. This means we try to do our own homework and leave our grantee partners in peace, avoiding the usual strings, power dynamics and burdensome reporting requirements that are typical in funder-grantee relationships.
Our foundation provides support beyond the grant, with the goal of further uplifting our partners’ work, such as making connections across our network. We are especially fond of convening in-person gatherings that offer our community those direct bridges to one another and unlock important elements of the grantmaking equation: togetherness and joy.
Could you share a bit about your career path? Where did you start, what led you to work in your field, and what are the main challenges?
I started in Washington, D.C. at a conservative think tank, and quickly jumped into an intense assistant role to a U.S. government cabinet member. Over the next decade, I served high-level government officials, which required sacrifice, discretion and deep resilience. I traveled the world, and developed a deep appreciation for what we call “the developing world”. In 2011, I gave away my belongings and moved to Rwanda to pursue a new 12-year journey to help lead the Akilah Institute for Women and connect graduates to career opportunities. It was a very successful endeavor. I am eternally grateful for the graceful way that the Akilah team and Rwandan community shaped me, drawing me closer to my reality as a privileged white woman and teaching me how to center relationships in my work.
The Akilah experience led me to my current work, for many reasons, but especially because of one of my roles in raising funds. In those days, I lived with a profound tension, experiencing great anticipation and great let-down, like all fundraisers for nonprofits. I noticed that both grantees and funders get lost in their quest for giving and receiving money, and that power dynamics often spoil this two-way exchange. I began to sense a new emerging purpose for my life, whereby I serve as a bridge between the non-profit community and funders, but from the funder side this time. In my current role, I work to answer the following question each day: How can I support philanthropists and create the conditions that enable funds to easily flow to the nonprofit community from a place of trust and love?
I believe a key challenge to solving America’s worst social dilemmas is “we the people” – we have to get out of our own way. We are blessed with infinite resources: we have both the money and the people that share a deep love of humanity. By laying down our egos, we can release ourselves from power dynamics that no longer serve us, as individuals, nor our society, as a collective. It’s time to get out of our own way. Once we do that, I believe we would recoup our true democratic power in the most literal sense.
What positive impact (in the world, in Switzerland, in Ticino) do you aim to create? How are you working towards achieving this goal?
I aim to spread love and joy first and foremost, working to leverage each of my daily interactions and forgiving myself each time I fail, so that I can keep pressing forward toward that goal. I am trying to achieve that by literally practicing the art of smiling – it’s incredible how many people are afraid to smile at one another on the street. A smile is free and has a huge return on investment.
On a professional level, I’m working to achieve wellness for humans that are suffering, especially children and youth, one person at a time. I’m working to advance that goal through my work with the foundation and standing in solidarity with community leaders and non-profit institutions that are on the frontlines of these deeply troubling issues.
Someday soon, I hope to provide a loving home for many children that find themselves vulnerable and in need of family.
What does Impact Hub Ticino mean to you? Why did you choose it as a place to carry out your activities, and what value does it bring you?
I work at Impact Hub because I can focus there, and I feel peace knowing I’m surrounded by a warm and loving community that spreads joy throughout the day.
IHT is a very welcoming and flexible coworking environment, and has delivered upon all the promises of its strong brand in Lugano.
In addition to the work benefits, I have also had the great pleasure of expanding my horizons in speaking Italian and meeting new people at some of the many community opportunities they offer.
They create a safe space for those of us with language concerns :)
My kids love the swing in the backyard and so enjoyed the Halloween party this year!
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