Public Impact Accelerator Workshop
Scholars from around the country convened in Seattle from November 15-18, 2025, as the first step in building the Public…
Leadership, Faculty
David Suarez
Associate Dean for Research; Colleen Willoughby Endowed Professor in Philanthropy & Civil Society
Participatory grantmaking, collaboration, and advocacy, issues that link social sector organizations to public sector governance.
David Suárez, Ph.D., is a professor at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington. His current research focuses on social sector organizations (nonprofits and foundations) and explores: how management strategy shapes organizational performance; the relationship between service-provision and social change activity; and the consequences of professionalization. He is particularly interested in cross-sector collaboration, advocacy, and civic engagement—issues that link social sector organizations to public agencies and the policy process. Ongoing projects include research on: the emergence and development of participatory grantmaking in foundations; and the Civic Life of Cities – a multi-team project exploring how nonprofits contribute to the communities they serve.
His research has been supported by the Surdna Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council. His work has been published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, the American Review of Public Administration, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Administration & Society, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Voluntas, Sociology of Education, and many additional outlets. He teaches courses on public management, organizational theory, philanthropy, and leadership in the nonprofit sector.
Prior to pursuing a career in academia, David worked briefly as an elementary school teacher for dual language learners in California (Spanish-English) and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.
Available for Ph.D. advising
Research Expertise
Governance
- Collaborative Governance
- Institutional Change
Nonprofit Sector
- International Development Management
- Nonprofit Management
- Philanthropy
Public Sector
- Civic Engagement, Advocacy & Lobbying
- Performance & Strategic Management
Publications
Cynthia Gibson, Chris Cardona, Jasmine McGinnis Johnson, and David Suárez, eds. 2025. Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy: How Democratizing Decision-Making Shifts Power to Communities. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press
Gibson, Cynthia, Chris Cardona, Jasmine McGinnis Johnson, and David Suárez. 2025. “Participatory Approaches to Philanthropy: The Distinct Role of Participatory Grantmaking.” In Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy, edited by Cynthia Gibson et al., 1-31. Georgetown University Press.
Finchum-Mason, Emily, Kelly Husted, and David Suárez. 2025. “Institutional Change or Shooting Star? Foundations and Participatory Grantmaking.” In Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy, edited by Cynthia Gibson et al., 35-61. Georgetown University Press.
Cardona, Chris, Cynthia Gibson, Jasmine McGinnis Johnson, and David Suárez. 2025. “Future Directions for Participatory Grantmaking Research and Implementation.” In Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy, edited by Cynthia Gibson et al., 354-364. Georgetown University Press.
Park, Gowun, and David Suárez. 2024. “The Publicness of Private Foundations: Internet Presence and Web-Based Accountability.” Nonprofit Management and Leadership 35(2): 307-327.
Brandtner, Christof, Krystal Laryea, Gowun Park, Wei Luo, Michael Meyer, David Suárez, Hokyu Hwang, and Walter W. Powell. 2024. “Organizational Practices for Community Integration in Five Global Cities.” Nature Cities 1: 853-860.
Jennifer Mosley, David Suárez, and Hokyu Hwang. 2023. “Conceptualizing Organizational Advocacy Across the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector: Goals, Tactics and Motivation.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 52(1S): 187-211.
David Suárez and Gowun Park. 2022. “Resilient But Frayed: The Civic Threads of the Puget Sound Nonprofit Sector.” Global Perspectives 3(1): 36342.
Christof Brandtner and David Suárez. 2021. “The Structure of City Action: Institutional Embeddedness and Sustainability Practices in U.S. Cities.” American Review of Public Administration 51(2): 121-138.
Emily Finchum-Mason, Kelly Husted, and David Suárez. 2020. “Philanthropic Foundation Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 49(6): 1129-1141.
David Suárez and Hokyu Hwang. 2020. “Collaborations and Networks.” In Routledge Companion to Nonprofit Management, edited by Helmut Anheier and Stefan Toepler, 317-334. Routledge.
David Suárez. 2020. “Advocacy, Civic Engagement, and Social Change.” In The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook, 3d. Ed., edited by Walter W. Powell and Patricia Bromley, 487-506. Yale University Press.
Professional Service
- Coordinating Committee: Public Impact Research Network (Member, 2026-)
- Research Advisory Committee: Independent Sector (Member, 2025-)
- Associate Editor: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART) (2019-2023)
- Editor Search Committee: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (Chair, 2023)
- Governing Board: Association for Research on Nonprofits and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) (2013-2019)
- Editorial Board: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART) (2024-); Public Administration Review (2013-2018); Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (2020-)
AY 2026–27 Courses
- PUBPOL 550 Managing Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations Offered Autumn
- PUBPOL 552 Philanthropy and Society Offered Spring
Past Courses
- Perspectives on Institutions (PPM 504)
- Managing Organizational Performance (PUBPOL 512)
- Management of Nonprofit Organizations (PUBPOL 550
- Philanthropy, Inequality & Policy (PUBPOL 552)
- Collaboration and Management Across Sectors (PUBPOL 558)
News & Mentions
Theory to Practice: Addressing Inequalities in the Philanthropic Sector
Theory to Practice is an ongoing series of discussions hosted by the Evans School that brings together academics and researchers…
David Suarez receives grant from Surdna Foundation
Evans faculty member and nonprofit scholar David Suarez received a research grant from the Surdna Foundation for a project entitled,…
Sharing Power?
The Landscape of Participatory Practices & Grantmaking Among Large U.S. Foundations The COVID-19 pandemic and fights for racial justice highlighted…