Cassandra McKee, Senior Program Officer, Economic Justice, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
EOF Steering Committee member since 2015
Cassandra McKee is a Senior Program Officer of the Economic Justice Program at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. During her eight years at Wellspring, she has curated a grantmaking portfolio to advance a strategy to increase family’s economic security through federal and state-based policy change, such as the historic expansion of the Child Tax Credit.
Cassandra believes in the power of leaders to transform their communities. She is a steering committee member of Economic Opportunity Funders, an affinity group for U.S. grant makers, where she is a frequent advocate for collaboration between policy experts and grassroots organizers. A trained organizer herself, Cassandra has expertise in field strategy and coalition building, and has led campaigns on issues and civic engagement. Her policy experience includes direct and grassroots lobbying on issues including the protection of Social Security, expansion of health care, fair taxes, and federal budget priorities. In 2008 Cassandra helped launch Health Care for America Now, a $40 million campaign that led to the passage of the Affordable Care Act. In 2009 she received an award for her organizing from the Midwest Academy, a national organizer training institute.
Cassandra received her BA in Women’s Studies from Drew University where she studied the intersection of gender and economics. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. Cassandra lives and works in Washington, DC where she is a board member of CREATE Arts Center and co-chair of the DC Modern Quilt Guild’s Social Justice Committee. In 2021, the DCMQG launched Wrapped in Love for Justice, a project to make quilts for social justice leaders and organizers.