GET TO KNOW GRANTBOOK

The people behind the work.

We are strategists, technologists, designers, project leaders, and former grantmakers who care deeply about making philanthropy work better.

We listen, ask questions, get into the details, and figure things out alongside you. We bring technical expertise, practical experience, and a healthy curiosity about how organizations actually work.

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MEET THE GRANTBOOK TEAM

Good work starts with good people.

There are many ways to understand philanthropy, and the Grantbook team covers many of them. Our team has worked inside foundations, across technology, consulting, design, and operations, and in the trenches of grants management.

We love working with grantmakers like you to solve complicated problems and maximize your impact.

Technology is an important part of what we do, but the harder work is understanding how decisions get made, where processes break down, what what different interest

holders need, and what will actually work once we leave the room.

That's where our team comes in. We bring together different perspectives to design systems and ways of working that are practical, inclusive, and built to last.

We're intentional about how we build Grantbook itself. As a long-standing B Corp and Canada's first Employee Ownership Trust, we're building a company designed for shared ownership, sustainable growth and a long-term view.

MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

The people steering the ship.

Grantbook is built to be a place where smart people can do meaningful work, and where our clients can count on us to do what we say we'll do.

Driving this mission is our leadership team, who bring together experience across philanthropy, technology, operations, delivery, and growth to set our course forward while staying close to the work itself.

Nikki Barrett

Chief Executive Officer

Nikki sets Grantbook’s direction and keeps the team focused on where philanthropy is heading. She brings a sector-wide view of grantmaking and the conviction that a professional services firm can be built differently—around shared ownership, meaningful work, and long-term impact. She’s helped shape Grantbook into an employee-owned company, connecting people, ideas, and opportunities along the way.

Born in Zimbabwe, Nikki gravitates toward creative thinkers and brilliant misfits. Outside of work, she’s a tennis player, salsa dancer, animal lover, and proud mom to Max and Boone, her French bulldog–poodle cross.

Nick Verma

VP, Operations & Finance

Nick helps Grantbook connect big-picture strategy with the everyday decisions that make great work possible. He oversees how the firm delivers client engagements, supports its teams, and builds for the future. With experience spanning consulting, technology transformation, and financial strategy, he brings a practical approach to solving complex organizational challenges and is leading Grantbook’s exploration of AI and new ways of working.

When he’s not thinking about how organizations work, Nick spends time with his two sons, stays active, or dives into whatever new topic has caught his attention.

Kate Browning

Director, Growth

Kate brings 15+ years of experience across the nonprofit, philanthropic, tech, and social enterprise worlds. Her jam? Building impactful, values-aligned partnerships across sectors and helping organizations scale with intention. She’s a strategic, hands-on leader who knows how to drive growth, build brands, sharpen marketing and communications, and streamline operations and tech to help organizations work smarter and grow sustainably.

Outside of work, you can find her sailing on Lake Ontario, rock climbing, cycling, or hopping between neighborhoods throughout Toronto.

Jennifer Toh

Director, Delivery Excellence

Jen helps turn ambitious technology projects into well-managed, collaborative experiences for grantmakers. She brings deep expertise in system implementation, project delivery, and business analysis, along with a talent for making complicated decisions easier to navigate. At Grantbook, she’s known for her calm approach, attention to detail, and belief that strong relationships and engaged teams are just as important as a good project plan.

When she’s not bringing order to complex projects, Jen enjoys theatre, gardening, and getting lost in a good mystery. She takes family trivia seriously and is making a point of bringing more dancing back into her life.

Tierney Smith

Advisory Delivery Lead

Tierney specializes in helping grantmakers align their grantmaking processes with their values and make effective use of technology. With 11 years of experience at Grantbook, she helps clients redesign their processes and successfully implement grant management systems. She is especially passionate about creating stronger funder-grantee partnerships by helping funders implement grantee-centric, trust-based practices.

Outside of work, you can find her reading, playing ultimate frisbee, or gardening.

Kenny Li

Fluxx Delivery Lead

Kenny leads Grantbook’s Fluxx practice, helping grantmakers turn complex operational needs into practical, well-designed technology solutions. Since joining Grantbook in 2015, he’s helped build the firm’s Fluxx implementation, data, and integration capabilities, bringing a knack for simplifying complicated systems and connecting the pieces that make them work.

Outside of work, Kenny is happiest outdoors—hiking, fly fishing, skiing, or sailing. He’s trekked the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas and dreams of one day riding a motorcycle across Canada.

Lisa Plekhanova

Salesforce Delivery Lead

Lisa leads Grantbook's Salesforce practice, translating grantmaking needs into systems teams actually want to use. She brings the technical and grantmaking fluency that keeps implementations grounded in the real work of the organization.

TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Meet
Rhea Vaz

Senior Implementation Consultant | 8 Years at Grantbook

Known for: Making sense of messy processes, untangling tricky system challenges, and helping grantmaking teams work smarter.

Proudest Moment: Co-presenting with the Packard Foundation at sector conferences, sharing practical lessons from their work together.

Away From the Desk: When she's not solving systems challenges, she's probably enjoying comedy, catching up on reality TV, or making friends with a cat.

CAREERS AT GRANTBOOK

Join us

We're a growing social enterprise working at the intersection of philanthropy, technology, and operational excellence.

We look for people who are curious, who can get into the weeds without losing sight of the big picture, and who care about doing good work with other good people.

Explore Careers →