Food Systems & Animal
Philanthropy
Jessika Ava, MS, MPA (Choctaw) has worked in international philanthropy since 2010 in food systems, animal welfare, and community health using a trust-based philanthropy, decolonization, and race and gender equity approach.
Her grantmaking spans 80+ countries and 6 continents and her work has led to significant expansion in the plant-based food justice movement worldwide.
Jessika is an international speaker and workshop leader and has presented across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
She holds a Master’s degree in Biostatisics, a second Master’s degree in Program Evaluation and Nonprofit Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Evolutionary Biology from University of Arizona, Portland State University, and University of Oregon.
Jessika is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation tribe and one of the first Native Americans to sit in a leadership position in the vegan food systems philanthropic space.
She has won numerous awards and Indigenous fellowships. She is the CEO of Thrive Philanthropy and sits on the Board of Directors of multiple organizations.
Expertise
Leadership
-
CEO of Thrive Philanthropy, a women and BIPOC-majority global grantmaker that builds equitable funding access
-
CEO of Thrive Africa, an initiative that led to exponential growth in Africa's plant-based movement
-
Developed multiple grantmaking departments from the ground up, including funding strategy and processes
-
Her leadership has led to significant growth in the plant-based movement worldwide, particularly across the African continent.
Africa Equitable Food Systems Movement-Building and Funding
-
Founder of Thrive Africa - exponentially growing the plant-based food systems movement across 70% of African countries through grants and capacity.
-
Founder of Thrive Africa Accelerator reaching over 900 Africa-based advocates
-
Founder Thrive Africa Vegan Restaurant Week andThrive Africa Vegan School Lunch Campaign, the world's first and second pan-Africa, domestically-led initiatives to advance plant-based eating .
-
Founder of Thrive Africa Vegan Women's Initiative, founded after observing a significant lack of women-identified leadership in the Africa plant-based food systems space.
Board of Director Leadership
-
Board President of A Just World, an organization that strengthens India food justice organizations. Board Chair of Out to Pasture Animal Sanctuary.
-
Board member of Animal Alliance Asia, Animals Unbound, Black Indigenous Medical Apprenticeship (BIMA), A Just World, Out to Pasture Animal Sanctuary, and is the Advisory Board of multiple organizations within Asia and Africa.
International Speaker
-
30+ presentations across USA, Europe, Africa, Asia, reaching thousands of advocates, organizational leaders, and academics.
-
Topics include equitable funding approaches, high-impact food systems change tactics, race and gender equity in movement-building, program evaluation, and more.
Asia - NGO Management, Elephant Conservation, Animal Welfare , Halting India Industrial Dairy Farms
-
Asian elephant conservation in India
-
Managed street dog care NGO in Nepal
-
India street animal welfare grantmaking
-
50+ site visits to SE Asia animal shelters, facilitated multiple partnerships with SE Asia animal shelters and dog sterilizations programs
-
Foundational work to halt the entrance of India’s first intensive dairy factory farm
Awards, Fellowships, and Publications
-
Certificate of Appreciation handed by the Nepal Environmental Minister for her longstanding work across Nepal
-
Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership SSMN Professional of the Year Award
-
Rockwood Leadership Equity in Philanthropy Fellow
-
Sloan Indigenous Scholar Fellow
-
American Indian Graduate Fellow
-
Author of Brighter Green’s policy paper, Beyond the Pail: The Emergence of Industrialized Dairy Systems in SE Asia.
Academic Degrees
-
Master of Science (MS) in Biostatistics from the University of Arizona
-
Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Nonprofit Management and Program Evaluation from Portland State University
-
Bachelor of Science (BS) Evolutionary Ecology and Biology from University of Oregon.
Indigenous Leadership
-
Jessika is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation tribe and one of the first Native Americans to sit in a leadership position in the vegan philanthropic space.
Impact
Watch Jessika share the impact of grantmaking and movement-building
at Thrive Philanthropy's Global Impact Celebration.
"Jessika doesn't just offer grants, she changes lives."
"Jessika's grants program is one of the best globally, supporting organizations and activists in the global south for developing regionally relevant campaigns suited to local contexts. Our programs are strengthened by the mentorship we receive from Jessika and her team. "
"Jessika has built a robust global network and developed innovative and timely programs that respond to gaps in the animal protection movement. I especially appreciate her commitment to equity and to prioritizing the needs of grantees. She is a true asset to the movement."
"Jessika brings a deep knowledge of animal protection organisations across the globe, and an objective sense check on the state of civil society affairs in many countries across the world. She's an amazing networker who has extensive experience in quantitative evaluation, research design, impact assessment, and international leadership."
"Jessika has a competent cross-cultural lens and appreciates how the grantees she supports employ their activism with consideration of their socioeconomic, political, and cultural orientation. For these reasons and many more, I wholeheartedly recommend Jessika for any nonprofit or international projects."
"Jessika is one of the most professional, kind, and intelligent people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I was so impressed with her knowledge that I asked her to join the board of an organization where I was an Executive Director. I have collaborated with many board volunteers throughout my career and Jessika is hands-down the most reliable, engaged, and valuable board member I have ever worked with. Jessika brings her A-game to every task before her and does so with the utmost diligent professionalism. She is thoughtful, mindful of being inclusive, and very proficient in her craft."
"I sit on a Board of Directors with Jessika and we have worked together closely for over a year. Jessika is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and sincere individuals, that I have worked with over the course of my professional career. Jessika possesses a broad range of unique and valuable skills. She is proficient in organizational development, strategic planning, and nonprofit legal compliance. Due to her vast international network, she's able to ascertain need gaps in her sector and build cross-sector bridges to fill these gaps."
"Your grant has enabled us to expand from a community to a business non profit organisation, working with local plant-based groups and international companies looking to enter the Singapore market. This has been instrumental in providing a platform for these companies and positioning plant-based as mainstream. "
"Your help...has allowed us to shift from a volunteer-run group to an established and nationally recognized organization."