William Foster

Head of Consulting, The Bridgespan Group

William Foster is a Bridgespan partner, head of the consulting practice, and active thought leader on issues of philanthropy and social change.

Since joining the firm in 2002, William has supported the success of some of the sector’s leading nonprofits such as Youth Villages and Communities in Schools. He has a particular focus on the diligence, structuring and supports required for philanthropic “Big Bets.” William has helped Blue Meridian, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a number of individual donors to craft some of the sector’s largest gifts.

Since 2013, William has worked closely with Bridgespan’s Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Mumbai offices to guide the overall consulting practice.

Based on his clients’ experiences, William has dedicated himself to research on the topics of philanthropic “Big Bets” and nonprofit funding models. At the end of 2016, William collaborated with Forbes to publish its first ever list of “Big Bets for Social Change.” Additionally, in November of 2015, the Stanford Social Innovation Review published “Making Big Bets for Social Change.” Among his other publications are: “When You’ve Made Enough to Make a Difference” (Harvard Business Review, 2011), “Ten Nonprofit Funding Models” (Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2009), “How Nonprofits Get Really Big” (Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2007), and “Should Nonprofits Seek Profits?” (Harvard Business Review, 2005).

William has served as the executive director of the Jacobson Family Foundation, an outcomes-oriented funder making grants to support educational excellence, equality, and Jewish continuity in the United States and Israel.

Prior to joining Bridgespan, William worked at Bain & Co. He received his BA from Harvard College and his MBA from Stanford University where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He lives outside of Boston with his wife Rachel and their four wonderful children.


Related Sessions

View full schedule