About
Angel Fernandez-Chavero is the Managing Director and founder of Aspire Praxis, LLC, a firm dedicated to “helping you create high impact, high value, long-lasting change.” He brings a unique combination of front-line and leadership experience as a former executive at local and national nonprofits and funders in various roles: grantor/lender/investor; fundraiser; philanthropic advisor; management and technical assistance provider; and sector analyst. His civic activities as a leader, mediator, organizer, and advocate in various community and civil rights issues complement his work experience. His firm works with individuals, families, volunteers, nonprofits, corporations and foundations of all types. Contact him at 203-584-7724 or angel (at) aspirepraxis.com.
Achievement Highlights
For a chronological career summary, click here (PDF).
Economic Development. Angel has devised funder priorities for and led the promotion of policies like smart growth. He has analyzed inner city markets, managed neighborhood commercial revitalization efforts, and vetted and managed investments in affordable housing development (rental and homeownership), day care facilities, and a major chain supermarket, all community-owned.
Capital for Success/Sustainability. An early advocate and funder of Individual Development Accounts, he was asked to serve on a state treasurer’s task force to craft policies and a program. He advocated for IDAs tied to a tangible benefit, i.e., a house, college classes, etc. He is helping a small nonprofit in family economic success to scale up and move from an EITC focus to one ensuring that, via a case management system that delivers/brokers comprehensive services, families gain the capacity to earn income and manage their finances well. He vetted and reviewed a multi-million dollar capitalization and management support program for a region’s eight largest arts organizations, vetted and approved a grant to help capitalize a grant, loan, and training program for a statewide supportive housing development fund, and vetted grants to a national/local funders’ collaborative building the capacity of Latino agencies.
Children, Youth, & Elderly. As chair, he led the expansion of a neighborhood Head Start, overseeing the creation of a companion for-profit program that integrated both customer bases, led the development of two new facilities to move out of a church basement and a storefront, and promoted a strong adherence to Head Start principles. At the same time, and as chair, he led the expansion of a small youth agency and the development of its new facility. As a board member and volunteer, he has advised an elderly housing nonprofit on increasing its residential stock and its evolution to an intergenerational community center.
Civic. He has established bridges within the various Latino communities of his region, between the overall Latino community and the African-American and Jewish communities, has mediated a major conflict and established cooperative ventures among them. He was a key strategist and leader in a local Catholic church’s effort to stop a suburban police department from profiling and brutalizing Latinos. Through their public pressure and legal actions, the Justice Department conducted civil and criminal investigations that resulted in the takeover of the police department and the conviction of four officers. He is also a leader in the church’s effort to help bright undocumented students go to college. Twelve now attend.
Planning, Policy & Outcomes. Angel was a key member of a statewide team that promoted outcome measures and trained funders and nonprofit staff. In the early days of the Internet, he co-planned and co-founded a nonprofit ‘data cooperative.’ As chair of a statewide housing coalition, he endorsed and pursued a move from classic advocacy on housing rights to a marketing approach that appealed to more policy leaders and the public. Eventually, a new nonprofit was created to use the method to gain policy changes and funding. He chaired a national committee that recruited and helped community foundations support smart growth initiatives. He planned and implemented a revamping of a federated campaign’s grant distribution from ‘routine’ member support to a venture fund model.
Funder/Donor Engagement. He raised the largest single gift from an individual or family at a community foundation, among other major gifts, all the result of a practice of ‘deep’ relationship building and broad philanthropic advising. He planned and implemented partnerships with two brokerage firms for donor advised funds. He taught himself planned giving after the one staff member left, reestablished the program and oversaw the selection of a new trustee. He started an effort to help smaller nonprofits increase their gift options (and sustainability) using a community foundation’s planned giving and endowment services. He was key in the establishment of funds to attract donors from emerging ethnic markets. He helped bring funders together for the arts capitalization collaborative, the supportive housing fund, and co-founded, recruited local funders for, and actively participated in the local/national funders’ collaborative to support Latino nonprofits.
Economic Development. Angel has devised funder priorities for and led the promotion of policies like smart growth. He has analyzed inner city markets, managed neighborhood commercial revitalization efforts, and vetted and managed investments in affordable housing development (rental and homeownership), day care facilities, and a major chain supermarket, all community-owned.
Capital for Success/Sustainability. An early advocate and funder of Individual Development Accounts, he was asked to serve on a state treasurer’s task force to craft policies and a program. He advocated for IDAs tied to a tangible benefit, i.e., a house, college classes, etc. He is helping a small nonprofit in family economic success to scale up and move from an EITC focus to one ensuring that, via a case management system that delivers/brokers comprehensive services, families gain the capacity to earn income and manage their finances well. He vetted and reviewed a multi-million dollar capitalization and management support program for a region’s eight largest arts organizations, vetted and approved a grant to help capitalize a grant, loan, and training program for a statewide supportive housing development fund, and vetted grants to a national/local funders’ collaborative building the capacity of Latino agencies.
Children, Youth, & Elderly. As chair, he led the expansion of a neighborhood Head Start, overseeing the creation of a companion for-profit program that integrated both customer bases, led the development of two new facilities to move out of a church basement and a storefront, and promoted a strong adherence to Head Start principles. At the same time, and as chair, he led the expansion of a small youth agency and the development of its new facility. As a board member and volunteer, he has advised an elderly housing nonprofit on increasing its residential stock and its evolution to an intergenerational community center.
Civic. He has established bridges within the various Latino communities of his region, between the overall Latino community and the African-American and Jewish communities, has mediated a major conflict and established cooperative ventures among them. He was a key strategist and leader in a local Catholic church’s effort to stop a suburban police department from profiling and brutalizing Latinos. Through their public pressure and legal actions, the Justice Department conducted civil and criminal investigations that resulted in the takeover of the police department and the conviction of four officers. He is also a leader in the church’s effort to help bright undocumented students go to college. Twelve now attend.
Planning, Policy & Outcomes. Angel was a key member of a statewide team that promoted outcome measures and trained funders and nonprofit staff. In the early days of the Internet, he co-planned and co-founded a nonprofit ‘data cooperative.’ As chair of a statewide housing coalition, he endorsed and pursued a move from classic advocacy on housing rights to a marketing approach that appealed to more policy leaders and the public. Eventually, a new nonprofit was created to use the method to gain policy changes and funding. He chaired a national committee that recruited and helped community foundations support smart growth initiatives. He planned and implemented a revamping of a federated campaign’s grant distribution from ‘routine’ member support to a venture fund model.
Funder/Donor Engagement. He raised the largest single gift from an individual or family at a community foundation, among other major gifts, all the result of a practice of ‘deep’ relationship building and broad philanthropic advising. He planned and implemented partnerships with two brokerage firms for donor advised funds. He taught himself planned giving after the one staff member left, reestablished the program and oversaw the selection of a new trustee. He started an effort to help smaller nonprofits increase their gift options (and sustainability) using a community foundation’s planned giving and endowment services. He was key in the establishment of funds to attract donors from emerging ethnic markets. He helped bring funders together for the arts capitalization collaborative, the supportive housing fund, and co-founded, recruited local funders for, and actively participated in the local/national funders’ collaborative to support Latino nonprofits.
