Rory Neuner

About Rory Neuner

I am the Senior Learning Officer at the Boston-based Barr Foundation. With nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofits and philanthropy, I\'m a passionate champion of the power of the social sector to change lives and better communities. In my dual role at Barr, I serve on our Learning & Evaluation team as the liaison to our Climate program, helping them assess impact, engage in strategic learning, and advance equity. I am also a senior program officer on our Sector Effectiveness team, managing a grant portfolio that bolsters nonprofit and philanthropic infrastructure across New England and the US. This work includes targeted investments to transform the capacity building ecosystem across Greater Boston and New England. I am a former co-chair of the Infrastructure Funders Group (20••••24), and am currently honored to serve in national roles designed to strengthen our nonprofit and philanthropic infrastructure, including the advisory boards of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Listen4Good, and Expanding the Bench. credit to the wonderful PVD-based photographer, Jonathan Pitts-Wiley.

Experience

1. Senior Learning Officer

   Barr Foundation

   Nov 2023 — Present · Boston, MA, US

   In this dual role, I support the work of the Foundation\'s Learning and Evaluation team (serving as the primary liaison to our Climate program) and serve as a senior program officer in Barr\'s Sector Effectiveness program, where I manage a grantmaking portoflio to support the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. These investments include organizations working in Massachusetts, New England, and at the national level. I also manage our regional and national grantmaking to support Evaluation Capacity Building. I am a former co-chair the Infrastructure Funders Group (20••••23) and participated in the 2022 Emergent Learning Cohort with the Emergent Learning Community Project. In 2025, I am pursuing Emergent Learning Advance Practice certification. Finally, I am honored to be serving as a co-chair of the 2026 Grantmakers for Effective Organizations National Conference in Boston.

Education

• University of Pennsylvania

  City and Regional Planning

  2005 — 2006

• Yale University

  B.A., Political Science (American Government)

  1999 — 2003

• University of Chicago

  Master of Public Policy, Organizations, Institutions, Management

  2006 — 2008

Skills

• Placemaking
• Complete Streets
• Active Transportation
• Sustainable Communities
• Smart Growth
• Social Equity
• Green Economy
• Sustainable Cities
• Sustainable Infrastructure
• Neighborhood Planning
• Food Systems
• Nonprofits
• Public Policy
• Land Use Planning
• Fundraising
• Grant Writing
• Transportation Planning
• Community Outreach
• Policy Analysis
• Sustainability
• Economic Development
• Policy
• Urban Planning
• Community Development
• Research
• Program Management
• Public Speaking