Rebecca Thomas

Rebecca Thomas is Principal of Rebecca Thomas & Associates (RTA), a consulting firm that partners with nonprofit and philanthropic leaders to align societal aspirations with business realities. Rebecca assists nonprofit leaders in making choices that build organizational health and adaptability. She collaborates with philanthropies to design and implement grant strategies that better align resources to organizational needs. With more than two decades of consulting experience, Rebecca brings field-tested perspective about what it takes to build resilient institutions in the service of their missions.

Nationally, Rebecca leads Grantmakers in the Arts’s capitalization effort to educate foundations and cultural institutions on the importance of investing and managing for sustainability, while addressing racial inequities and the distinct needs of organizations of color. Rebecca’s regional nonprofit capacity-building initiatives are strengthening the strategic and financial planning capabilities of organizations in cities such as Pittsburgh and Omaha. Rebecca speaks and writes about the relationship between nonprofit finances and mission success, and she advocates for improvements in the way money flows to the sector. She is a long-time advisory board member of SMU DataArts, and President of her local nonprofit school board.

Previously, Rebecca was Vice President at Nonprofit Finance Fund, where she led NFF’s arts strategy, national consulting services, and product development efforts. At NFF, she directed a $15 million program, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, to invest in the business model transformation of leading performing arts organizations. Before joining NFF, Rebecca was Senior Economics Correspondent for Smartmoney.com, where she appeared as a commentator on CNNfn, MSNBC, and Fox. She received her MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and graduated with honors from Yale University.