Laughing Gull Foundation Welcomes Ebony West as Grants and Programs Manager
The Laughing Gull Foundation is thrilled to welcome Ebony West as our new Grants & Programs Manager.
Ebony brings deep experience in strategic grantmaking, resource mobilization, and funder organizing across the South. Most recently, as a Senior Program Associate at Democracy Fund, she played a pivotal role in growing philanthropic investment in Southern power- and movement-building organizations — advising over $17.6 million in collaborative efforts and leading strategy development that resulted in more than $10 million in grants to grassroots groups in NC, GA, MS, AL, and TN.
Previously, Ebony worked at Triangle Community Foundation, where she co-designed and launched community development programs, supported capacity-building grant portfolios, and led engagement efforts connecting donors and local nonprofits.
A Black, queer, Southern femme, Ebony describes her work as rooted in a “deep and complicated love for the South.” Across roles, she has been a powerful connector — bridging funders and movement leaders and advocating for resources to flow boldly and trustfully to BIPOC-led organizations on the front lines of democracy and justice.
Ebony holds a Master of Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and degrees in Communication and Political Science from East Carolina University. We are excited for the leadership and clarity she brings to LGF’s grantmaking practice, and for the ways she will strengthen our relationships with grantees, partners, and Southern movement leaders.
Please join us in welcoming Ebony to the Laughing Gull Foundation community!
