Char Chang
Director of Strategic Communications & Policy
Char leads strategic communications and policy engagement, helping translate the Foundation's vision into clear and meaningful public dialogue.
View ProfileAbout Demhez
Opportunity Should Not Depend on Where You Begin.
The Demhez Foundation is a global foundation and opportunity platform built on the belief that meaningful potential can exist anywhere — and that the difficulty is often finding the pathway, not deserving one.
Our purpose
Connecting Potential With Pathways.
We work to make opportunity discoverable, understandable and reachable — for individuals, ideas, organizations and communities alike.
Demhez was formed around a simple observation: many people never apply for the opportunities that would have fit them, because they never learned those pathways existed or could not tell whether they qualified.
Our response is both a foundation and a platform. The foundation defines the areas of work we care about. The platform makes it possible for someone, anywhere, to search, understand and prepare for what might come next.
We work in public. Our focus areas, eligibility criteria, application processes and governance principles are all published openly, so that anyone can judge for themselves whether a pathway is right for them before they invest their time.
Our values
Six Principles That Shape Decisions.
Possibility
We begin with what could be, not with what has been proven.
Access
Pathways should be findable and understandable by anyone.
Integrity
We publish our criteria before decisions, and our reasoning after them.
Curiosity
We look for potential in places it is rarely sought.
Respect
Applicants are treated as capable people, not as risks.
Long-Term Thinking
Progress is measured in years, not announcements.
Our approach
We prioritise clarity over volume: fewer, better-explained pathways, written so a first-time applicant can act on them.
Our governance
Decision-making structures, oversight and the responsibilities that come with acting globally.
Our transparency
What we publish, how decisions are recorded, and how we report on the work we fund.
Our people
The Team Behind the Work
Casey Littlefield van der Stricht
Director of Impact & Strategic Investments
Casey helps guide the Foundation's approach to identifying opportunities and initiatives with the potential to create meaningful and lasting impact.
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Libby Smiley
Director of Strategy & Global Initiatives
Libby provides strategic leadership across initiatives designed to expand access to opportunity and support meaningful progress.
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Barry Elkus
Director of Operations & Organizational Development
Barry helps strengthen the operational foundations that enable the organization to work effectively and grow responsibly.
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