Mari Eva Mendes

With over two decades of international and U.S. experience in philanthropic enterprise, training, and program development, Mari Eva Mendes (she/her) collaborates with NRDC’s environmental justice partners to strengthen their organizational fundraising capacity, while managing NRDC’s equitable fundraising practices.

Prior to joining NRDC, Mendes held leadership roles in NYC community-based organizations such as Harlem United, where she was responsible for communications and development operations for a $50 million public health portfolio of services to benefit BIPOC New Yorkers. She currently serves on the Community Centric Fundraising’s global council steering committee, a coalition of BIPOC-led and centered fundraisers and philanthropists, and NTEN’s session advisory and community equity committees, a nonprofit with a focus on democratizing technology. Mendes is also the founder and former executive director of Maya for Women in India, one of the few registered NGOs advocating for equitable inclusion of Indian lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women.

Mendes is a fluent Arabic speaker and holds a triple-major bachelor of arts degree from Bangalore University (India) in sociology, economics, and South Asian history, with certifications in counseling psychology, sexuality and gender, professional fundraising, women of color in leadership, and restorative justice circles. She is based in the New York office.