Barbara E. Pierce

Founder, Women with Capital

In addition to her roles as an individual investor and founder of Women with Capital, Barbara has 25 years’ experience facilitating partnerships between top philanthropists and nonprofits.

As the founder and principal of Transformative Giving, she has worked with The Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Northern California, among many others.

Barbara is an member of Portfolia, investing in the Rising America Fund where people of color or LGBTQ community members see opportunity for returns and market impact. It is the first fund of its kind to be led by world-class investors who are Latina or African-American women. She is also a member of Pipeline Angels, a network of angel investors working to create capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs.

Her philanthropy is focused on supporting women’s rights. Barbara is a member of the Women’s Donor Network, the International Women’s Forum and was a long-term member of the Women’s Catalytic Fund, a giving circle focused on gender equity. A cum laude graduate of Wellesley College, Barbara received her M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin with an emphasis on human rights.