Deborah Bielak

Debby Bielak is a partner in Bridgespan’s San Francisco office. Her core work focuses on advising nonprofit and philanthropic leaders on strategy and field-level change. Alongside team-based advisory engagements, she has led funder learning cohorts, one-on-one executive advisory projects, multi-day strategy design sessions, and knowledge projects that inform the field. Debby is a coauthor of the publications titled, "Why Gender Matters for Funders in Any Issue Area" (Bridgespan.org, 2024), "Using All the Tools in the Toolkit: Funding Advocacy for Social Change" (Bridgespan.org, 2024), "Lighting the Way: A Report for Philanthropy on the Power and Promise of Feminist Movements" (Bridgespan.org, 2022), "Race and Place-based Philanthropy: Learnings from Funders Focused on Equitable Impact" (Bridgespan.org, 2021), and "‘Billion Dollar Bets’ to Create Economic Opportunity for Every American" (Bridgespan.org, 2016).

Her work spans multiple domains, including pathways to careers and economic opportunity, place-based transformation, democracy, advocacy, and gender equity. She brings deep experience in helping leaders navigate choices, align diverse stakeholders, and advance bold strategies that move the needle on complex social challenges.

As the daughter of educators and a former high school teacher herself, Debby has maintained a longstanding interest in education and skill development. As a member of the Latin American Jewish diaspora, she has worked to understand and combat hate, advance human rights, and address inequities that shape people’s lives.