We help young professionals make a positive social impact in their communities through partnership with local nonprofit organizations.
Join a community of socially engaged professionals
Support local initiatives
Make a difference
Highwind Impact Fund’s mission is to provide impactful project-based grants to grassroots nonprofits and to empower young professionals to utilize their skills, resources, and energy for meaningful philanthropic engagement.
For Young Professionals
HOW IT WORKS
Contact Us
Reach out to learn more
Become a Partner
Join Highwind’s venture philanthropy fund Board
Multiply Your Impact
Use your business skills to expand your impact
For Nonprofit Organizations
RECEIVE FUNDING
We provide small, project-based or core-need grants, ranging from $4,000 – $6,000. Over a four month grant cycle, we will work together to identify areas of need and partner with you to develop a grant application.
Reach Out
Send us a short description of your work and your desired area of support
Work with Our Team
A local team member will reach out, learn about your organization, and work with you on a grant
Make an Impact Together
We will work toward funding your organization and building your nonprofit together
MEET OUR TEAM
Highwind Impact Fund brings together a diverse group of young professionals from across the nation who are passionate about tangible engagement with their communities
Executive Board
Niko Martinovic, Co-President
Niko is an Associate at Francisco Partners in New York. He formerly worked at Shamrock Capital and Goldman Sachs. Niko earned his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame in 2019.
Alex Pereira, Co-President
Alex is an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners in Chicago. He formerly worked at Greenhill & Co. as an investment banking analyst. He earned his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame in 2022.
Will Alexander
San Francisco Chapter Head
Will is an Analyst at 2717 Partners in San Francisco. Will earned a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jean Paul Balzac
New York Chapter Head
Jean Paul is a Senior Consultant at FTI Consulting, working in the Corporate Finance & Restructuring practice. He earned his B.A. in Economics from Boston College.
Sunint Bindra
Boston Chapter Head
Sunint is a Consultant at McKinsey. He earned his B.A. in Computer Science and Economics from Dartmouth College.
Kyle Gardner
Austin Chapter Head
Kyle is the Chief Operating Officer at Way, a hospitality technology company based in Austin. He earned a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Rice University.
Morgan Grosch
New York Chapter Head
Morgan is a Senior Associate on General Atlantic’s BeyondNetZero team in New York. Morgan earned her B.B.A. and B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin.
Huilai Gu
Boston Chapter Head
Huilai is an Associate at Ara Partners. She earned dual B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Finance from Lehigh University.
Darius Hong
Head of Fundraising
Darius is an Associate at TPG in San Francisco. He earned his B.A. in Economics and B.A. in Statistics from the University of Chicago.
Holden Hyde
Head of Recruitment
Holden is an Associate at L Catterton in New York. He formerly worked at Houlihan Lokey. Holden earned his B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University.
Ayato Kobayashi
San Francisco Chapter Head
Ayato is an Associate at Sunstone Partners in the San Francisco Bay Area. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Amar Kothary
New York Chapter Head
Amar is an Associate at General Atlantic in New York. He earned his B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University.
Catherine Lee
Head of Membership Strategy
Catherine (Cat) is a Senior Associate at General Atlantic. She holds a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she studied International Political Economy.
Peter Murray
Nashville Chapter Head
Peter is an Analyst at Brentwood Capital Advisors. He earned his B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Emily Nguyen
Dallas Chapter Head
Emily is a Senior Solution Engineer at Microsoft in Dallas, TX. Emily earned her B.B.A. in Management Information Systems from The University of Texas at Austin.
Jules Ong
Head of Non-Profit Engagement
Jules is the Finance Associate at Girls Who Invest, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the number of women in investment management. He earned his B.S. in Business from New York University.
Joe Orecchio
Milwaukee Chapter Head
Joe is a Principal at Northwestern Mutual Capital. He received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Gustavo Rossello
Chicago Chapter Head
Gustavo is an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners in Chicago. He earned his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Brandon Roberts
Los Angeles Chapter Head
Brandon is an Analyst in the Legacy Credit Suisse group at Santander LA. He earned his B.S. in Finance and B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Denver
Claire Wang
Houston Chapter Head
Claire is an Associate at The Sterling Group in Houston. Claire earned her B.A. in Applied Math from Rice University.
Lucia Winton
New York Chapter Head
Lucia is an Associate on the BeyondNetZero team at General Atlantic. She earned her B.A. in Economics and Public Policy from Brown University.
SUPPORT
Thank you for your interest in supporting Highwind Impact Fund. Please click the donate button above or email highwindimpact@gmail.com for additional information.
GET INVOLVED
Interested in joining Highwind Impact Fund?
Email highwindimpact@gmail.com for additional information.
© 2025 Highwind Impact Fund, Inc.
Highwind Impact Fund 