Sophie Fanelli

Sophie Fanelli is President of the Stuart Foundation. Under Sophie’s leadership, the Foundation has reinforced its commitment to educational justice and equity in California and refined its focus on two critical strategies: Thriving Adolescents and Transforming Systems for Equity. Sophie has spent her entire career working for social justice as an advocate, a coalition builder, and in philanthropy. Previously, she was the Director of Research & Policy at the Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA) at UCLA where she oversaw public policy and legislative efforts focused on education equity and access, student and parent engagement, school transformation, and the democratic purpose of education. Earlier in her career, she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California where she concentrated on a broad range of youth issues, education, LGBTQ and immigrant rights, and advocacy for housing and homelessness issues. Sophie serves on the Boards of Grantmakers for Education, the Philanthropic Collaborative for Education, and the National Center for Youth Law.