Laura Tomasko

Laura Tomasko is a Senior Policy Program Manager at the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy.12 With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors, Tomasko focuses on several key areas:

1. Social sector infrastructure
2. Charitable giving
3. The philanthropic sector
4. Impact investing3

Professional Background

Prior to her current role at the Urban Institute, which she has held since 2019, Tomasko's career included:

• Associate Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2017-2019)
• A position at the White House National Economic Council (2014-2017)5

Areas of Expertise

At the Urban Institute, Tomasko oversees work related to charitable giving and plays a crucial role in various research and policy initiatives.6 Her work contributes to the institute's efforts in:

• Helping social impact investing become more effective
• Identifying new social service innovations
• Advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity in the social sector
• Examining ways to increase and democratize giving
• Measuring local and global philanthropic giving and investments
• Building the capacity of nonprofits to use data and evidence1

Involvement in Projects

Tomasko is actively involved in various projects and initiatives. For instance, she serves as an advisor to a Common Future project aimed at changing state or federal policy to address burnout in the social sector.4 This demonstrates her commitment to addressing critical issues affecting the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

Through her role at the Urban Institute, Laura Tomasko contributes to the organization's mission of providing data-driven insights and research to inform policy decisions and improve communities.12