Brittany Collins: Building a More Inclusive World
Brittany Collins is a passionate changemaker dedicated to building a more equitable and inclusive world. As Executive Director of the Fitzgerald Foundation, she leads efforts to improve education and mental health across Georgia, ensuring that resources reach the communities that need them most. With a heart for service and a gift for bringing people together, she believes in the power of collaboration to create lasting change. Her mission? To make opportunity and equity a reality for all.
What strategies have you found most effective when helping nonprofits?
The focus, values and capacities of nonprofit organizations vary widely, from early-stage startups to well-established institutions. Understanding where a nonprofit falls on this continuum is essential for providing meaningful support. I have found several strategies to be consistently effective when leading or supporting nonprofits:
- Leveraging cross-sector partnerships – True impact occurs when public, private and nonprofit sectors collaborate. I have successfully brought together funders, policymakers, and practitioners to align resources, reduce duplication and streamline service delivery to better serve target populations.
- Embedding equity into decision-making – Ensuring that funding structures and leadership reflect the values and priorities of the communities being served is critical for long-term sustainability and meaningful impact.
- Investing in capacity building – Effective funding extends beyond programmatic support. Nonprofits need strong infrastructure, leadership development and financial sustainability to scale and sustain their work over time.
What impact do you aspire to have with your work?
A core focus of my work is addressing concentrated poverty, which is often the result of systemic racial segregation, disinvestment and exclusionary policies. Addressing this issue requires more than direct services—it demands coordinated investments across multiple sectors, from education and mental health to workforce development and housing. Communities need both immediate, localized investments and long-term policy shifts to create sustained impact. That is why my approach integrates philanthropy with public funding, ensuring that resources are used not just to fill gaps but to drive innovative, scalable solutions.
Ultimately, my goal is to redefine philanthropy’s role—not as a stopgap measure, but as a strategic partner in building equity.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In the long term, I envision myself continuing to work in philanthropy while refining my leadership to serve as a “funder organizer”—building deep relationships with aligned institutions to mobilize resources, leverage influence and expand investments in the American South and beyond. My goal is to facilitate a coordinated approach among local, regional and national funders to drive systemic change in philanthropy and social impact efforts.
