About - Grapevine

Solving the world’s problems is complicated.
Your giving doesn’t have to be.

Purposeful giving should be easy and effective for everyone.

At Grapevine, we believe “people give to people.” We've seen this through years of experience as nonprofit staff and grantmakers. And we do this ourselves as donors.

So, we came up with a very simple idea to connect you with people you can relate to who also have the knowledge and expertise to effectively guide your giving.

We make it easy for donors to give more strategically with access to expert guidance and philanthropic tools. We owe a huge thanks to our expert community for joining us on this journey; we hope you’ll continue to be a part of our story.

Our team

Emily Rasmussen

Co-founder & CEO

Emily brings 10 years of financing for impact and social enterprise leadership experience to Grapevine.

She was the founding Executive Director of NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, launched the Lincoln Center at the Movies global media initiative, and developed innovative financing models for impact at Enterprise Solutions to Poverty. Emily has consulted on event cinema for Disney Theatrical Group, taught Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at SUNY Purchase, and spent two years developing microfinance and fair trade programs in India. Emily is a member of the LISC Emerging Leaders Council, holds a B.A. from Occidental College in Diplomacy, World Affairs, and Economics and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Jessan Hutchison-Quillian

Co-founder & CTO

Jessan combines engineering leadership with seven years experience in the nonprofit space, including chairing Social Justice Fund NW.

After graduating Summa Cum Laude in Computer Science at 20, he helped build Google’s video chat products. He went on to co-found Google’s Giving Week, lead their giving platform, and launch their Donate button.

Chloe Moon

Principal software engineer

Chloe has over 6 years of engineering experience in financial, donation, and nonprofit spaces.

Before joining Grapevine, she worked on the Google Cloud Billing platform and the OneToday donation app. She later led frontend development for Google's donation platform and the Google for Nonprofits program.

Emily Schaefer

Content and Community Manager

Emily has worked in communications and marketing for over 7 years. She brings her experience to Grapevine as the content and community manager. Before joining Grapevine, she worked at JPMorgan Chase promoting their new digital products and features. She also worked at Teachers Pay Teachers, where she developed communication programs for their educator community of over 5 million.

Contact us

Email info@grapevine.org

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Grapevine and its network of grantmakers have been instrumental in connecting our giving circle with high quality nonprofits in line with our values

Chris Chan

Co-founder of VocalMinority

One of the most inventive approaches to contemporary philanthropy

Ruby Lerner

Founder of Creative Capital

A promising platform to reach everyday philanthropists that want to make an impact with their donations, large or small

Veyom Bahl

Managing Director of Survival, Robin Hood

FAQs

Can't find what you are looking for? Email us at info@grapevine.org and we'll get right back to you.

Does it cost money to join Grapevine?

It’s completely free to create your account and make donations on Grapevine. You can sign up here.

Is my donation tax deductible?

Yes! All donations on Grapevine are to verified nonprofits in good standing with the IRS. You’ll receive a tax receipt after you complete your donation, which is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

How are donations on Grapevine processed?

Grapevine has partnered with Social Good Fund, a 501(c)3 public charity (EIN 46-1323531), to facilitate all donations. This is a Donor Advised Fund that will distribute your donation to the nonprofits you selected. This allows you to easily make a donation to any U.S. nonprofit.

Does Grapevine have any fees?

We don’t charge any platform fees, but our payment processor charges the standard credit card fee of 2.9% + 30¢ per donation. If you’d like, you can leave an optional tip on your donation that supports Grapevine’s work.

How do you select expert changemakers for Grapevine?

We work with professional grantmakers and other thought leaders (e.g. professionals, academics, researchers, nonprofit senior staff, policy makers) in their given area of expertise. They have deep knowledge in the areas that they’ve worked in for many years and serve as an important resource for our donors. If you’re interested in applying to be a changemaker or would like to recommend someone to be a changemaker, email us at info@grapevine.org.

Can I create my own fund of nonprofits to support on Grapevine?

Yes! People create funds for their birthdays, special events, and more. Log in (or sign up for a Grapevine account) and head to “Create a Fund” in your account menu to get started.

How can I create a Giving Circle?

If you’re an individual donor, giving circle, foundation, company, or nonprofit interested in setting up your own Grapevine Giving Circle, email us at info@grapevine.org.

Can I make a donation with a check?

The easiest and quickest way to make a donation is on Grapevine.org with a credit card, but we can certainly facilitate donations with a check. Email us at info@grapevine.org for instructions.

How is my donation payment secured?

All Grapevine donations are secured by bank-level, 256-bit encryption. We utilize SHA-256 RSA Encryption verified and signed by Let's Encrypt Authority X3.

Solving the world’s problems is complicated. Your giving doesn’t have to be.