Katrin Wilde

As Executive Director of the Channel Foundation, Katrin Wilde has designed and led its grantmaking, advocacy, and partnerships to promote women’s human rights and gender equality worldwide for more than 15 years. Over the course of her tenure, she developed Channel’s strategy, oversaw a quadrupling of its grantmaking in size and in scope, and leveraged its impact through global networks and convenings.

As a dynamic bridge builder and connector, Wilde serves on multiple boards and committees for organizations focused on human rights, humanitarianism, international development and philanthropy including Front Line Defenders USA Foundation, the Mize Family Foundation, the Global Fund for Women, the University of Wisconsin’s 4W Initiative, and the Center for Human Rights at the University of Washington.

Previously, Wilde was a member of the Board of Directors of Engaged Donors for Global Equity (EDGE) and Grantmakers Without Borders. She was a co-founder and helped lead the Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference for five years, as well as the Seattle chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). She served on the Grantmaking Committees of the Social Justice Fund Northwest and the Women’s Funding Alliance.

She has conducted research for UNDP Nepal, the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, and the International Rescue Committee. Previously, Wilde worked as a journalist in Thailand and edited books at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. She received her Master of International Affairs from Columbia University where she studied human rights.