Patricia Varela

Patricia Varela joined the Foundation in 2022 as a Grants and Compliance Specialist within the Office of General Counsel. Serving as the compliance lead for the Invest in Families and Communities/Local and CFC teams, she advises program teams on grantmaking compliance policies and procedures throughout the grant lifecycle. She brings deep compliance and programmatic experience to this role. Previously, Patricia was a Grants Specialist with Paragon Philanthropy working with U.S. private and donor-advised funds sponsoring foundations on high-functioning compliance and due diligence in cross-border grantmaking. Prior to her move back to the Bay Area, she was based in Washington D.C. where she managed the implementation of Department of State funded youth development programs in South America and Iraq. Patricia holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Sociology from UC Davis and a master’s degree in International Studies from the University of San Francisco.