Caroline McCoy

Strategist · Resource Mobilizer · Relationship Builder

“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” — Toni Morrison

Caroline McCoy is a philanthropy practitioner and strategic advisor who has spent nearly two decades helping organizations and leaders navigate questions of capital, power, and change. Her work is grounded in the belief that communities and leaders already hold what they need to grow, and her role is creating the conditions where capital, trust, and leadership capacity can move more freely.

Through Red Soil Strategies, Caroline advises foundations, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations navigating capital, strategy, leadership, and organizational change. She helps organizations align their resources, values, and practices to strengthen partnerships, support community-led solutions, and advance racial justice. She also coaches leaders stepping into new roles or expanded responsibility, supporting them as they navigate growth, complexity, and the demands of leadership.

Caroline’s career has spanned philanthropy, consulting, and community-based work. As Vice President of Programs at Woods Fund Chicago, she led grantmaking strategy centered on racial and economic justice. At the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, she supported place-based investments in Chicago’s South Side. At Arabella Advisors, she advised philanthropic institutions on strategy, organizational effectiveness, and values-aligned giving. Across these roles, Caroline has helped direct multi-millions of dollars toward community-led work and developed a deep understanding of how capital can either reinforce existing systems or support more equitable approaches.

Born in Kenya and raised in the United States, Caroline brings a cross-border perspective to her work. Her understanding of philanthropy, leadership, and systems is shaped by navigating multiple cultural contexts and seeing how resources move across communities.

Caroline is the architect of Nyumbani, a restorative initiative and emerging capital platform supporting Black women transitioning from extractive systems into new models of leadership and livelihood. She also serves as Board Secretary for Stephen Mbuvi Global, a family nonprofit partnering with youth and communities in rural Kenya to expand opportunity and strengthen pathways to mobility. She is an alumna of the Just Economy Institute, where she joined a global cohort of practitioners working to shift the flow of capital and power toward more just outcomes.

Caroline holds a Master of Science from the School of Public Service at DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in African American Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When she is not working, Caroline is usually planning her next trip, discovering African fashion designers and music, exploring new restaurants, or finding her way outdoors in nature.