Mijo Lee (she/her)
Affiliated Consultant
Principal, Mijo Consulting
Mijo Lee brings a deep commitment to movement building, and a long background both in community organizing and funding community organizing. Mijo’s work is driven by the beliefs that lasting social change is impossible without grassroots movements; that philanthropy must center and follow the leadership of those most directly impacted by injustice; that redistribution of wealth is imperative and urgent; and that this is joyful but challenge work - and no one should do it alone.
Mijo (pronounced “Mee Joe”) spent 9 years in leadership of Social Justice Fund NW, the largest public foundation funding community organizing in the northwestern US. She led the development of the innovative Giving Project model, which combines political education, leadership development, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking in order to fund social justice movements in ways that are more accountable, connected, and sustainable than traditional models. As program director and executive director of SJF, Mijo played a leadership role in improving grantmaking programs to be more responsive and accessible to grassroots organizations, particularly those led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and those based in rural communities and small towns. She helped steward the organization through two bold strategic plans and exponential growth in its fundraising and grantmaking.
As a consultant, Mijo has worked with individual donors, groups of donors, and family foundations to develop strategies and giving plans; research, advise, and manage giving; and create and facilitate educational curricula to help move more resources to movements that build lasting power for social change.
Mijo lives on Duwamish/Coast Salish territory in Seattle with her teenager and goofy pitbull. She loves baking, complicated board games, and enthusiastic karaoke.