Alison Corwin, Co-Founder & Principal, COTA Collective

Growing up in a working class family in New York, Alison learned early on about the trade-offs between health and a paycheck. While she did not have the language to describe what she felt and saw, she would later understand the systemic injustices of an economy that prioritizes productivity over humanity and well-being. Both of her parents developed terminal illnesses due to their exposure to toxic chemicals, a familiar story for many people and one of the driving forces behind her lifelong commitment to environmental justice. Alison’s practice is informed by her lived experience and deep understanding of interdependence, the 25 years she has spent in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, and the incredible teachings of many organizers, movement leaders, colleagues and friends.

As Co-Founder and Principal of COTA Collective, Alison focuses on environmental and climate justice with an unwavering commitment to centering racial and economic justice. She spent the past 10 years at the Surdna Foundation where she helped to lead the Sustainable Environments program, alongside a team of brilliant and courageous women, most recently as its Program Director. Together they built a body of work that centered race and power and mobilized resources in service of frontline leaders and communities. Alison has also spent over a decade advancing funder organizing and disrupting extractive and harmful practices in philanthropy. She captured the essence of her approach in an article titled Philanthropic Leadership Means Following the Frontlines published by the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Alison is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and Tufts University, holding a Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. Alison loves group learning experiences and is a proud Rockwood and PLACES Fellow. She has served on the boards of the Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG), the Environmental Leadership Program, as a Trustee of The Solutions Project, and as Co-Chair of the Climate Justice Table for the Greater New Orleans Funders Network. She currently serves as a board member of Just Futures Impact and as a Strategic Advisor for the Initiative for Energy Justice. Outside of COTA Collective, she spends time with her family in New Rochelle, NY and enjoys various creative pursuits, spending time with friends and experiencing the joys and challenges of her new role as a mama.