People

Andrea FRITSCH

Andrea has over 15 years of experience in the philanthropic and non-profit sectors. She approaches funding and advocacy work with the lenses of equity, economic justice, and ecosystem health.

After working in the nonprofit housing sector for five years, Andrea sought an M.S. in Cultural Anthropology to document and directly connect the lived experiences of real people with the social and economic policies that shape their lives. Andrea combines her policy, funding, and research expertise in her work with Spring After Winter.

Recently, Andrea led operations and grants management during the launch of Mosaic—a pooled-fund grant making nonprofit designed to amplify the power of the environmental field by strengthening movement infrastructure. She prepared the Mosaic project for a transition to fiscal sponsorship and developed a Salesforce CRM to support inclusive and equitable outreach. She administered an initial fundraising round to support Mosaic’s first three years of programming and organized participatory virtual events with volunteers, grantees, and funders.

Andrea also served as Operations Manager and Program Assistant at the Pisces Foundation. In that role, Andrea oversaw Foundation Operations and served as a key interface with grantees and others, undertaking research and other grant-related projects during the start-up phase of the Foundation. During her tenure the Pisces Foundation grew from 2 to 10 employees, completed a strategic plan, and established strategic grantmaking portfolios in three program areas.   

Before joining the Foundation, Andrea held a number of positions in the non-profit sector and in secondary and higher education. As Program Manager at Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago, Andrea organized free home repairs for low-income families and seniors, recruited and organized volunteers from companies, community groups, and labor unions, and the led promotion of material reuse, weatherization, and sustainable building practices.

Andrea earned a B.A. from Oberlin College and a M.S. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she studied effective local and regional collaboration in watershed restoration and urban river corridor redevelopment planning.