About my work

I’m Kandace Vallejo (she/her), and I live in Texas. I’ve worked in social movement organizations, philanthropies, and movement formations in Texas, Florida, and across the US, for over 20 years. 

I’ve got a soft spot for doing the work in difficult places like Florida and Texas because there’s a sense of futurism when we organize in these conditions. In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of working in and with climate philanthropies focused on the South, writing think pieces, Theories of Change, and impact studies on how money moves in the region.

I’m a child of the South. Raised in Florida,  I cut my teeth as an organizer working alongside the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. I moved to Texas in 2009, earning a Masters in Education from University of Texas Austin. My matrilineal side has been in Texas and northern Mexico since before there was a border, so I think of it as moving home.

In Austin, I continued organizing for racial and economic justice, helping Workers Defense to build their flagship Better Builder Program. I founded Youth Rise Texas, served as founding Board Chair for the Jolt Action c4 board, and co-founded the Texas Youth Power Alliance. 

I also served as the inaugural Gulf South Program Officer for the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice. I had the privilege of earning a few awards along the way, too:

• Kellogg Food and Community Fellow

• Soros Justice Fellow

• Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader

• Hispanics in Philanthropy Líderes Fellow

• Austin Under 40’s Nonprofit Leader of the Year

I am honored to have earned such deep investment in my leadership. My practice incorporates the tools and perspectives I’ve gained through the combo of hard knocks, experimentation, successes and failure over the years. It’s my work now to share what I’ve learned to help leaders grow and make money move in aligned ways.