The Painful Things: A Conversation with Eileen Heisman

Eileen Heisman is one of philanthropy’s most influential leaders. As the founding President and CEO of National Philanthropic Trust, she grew it into a global powerhouse, facilitating over $63 billion in charitable giving. A ten-time honoree on the NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50, she’s advised world leaders, taught at Penn, and shaped the future of donor-advised funds. In this conversation, we trace her journey—from childhood lessons in inclusion and innovation to her early years in politics, and through more than three decades at the helm of one of the nation’s leading engines of giving.