We live in a big, beautiful, imperfect world. The Blackbird Foundation is committed to building partnerships that accelerate social change.
We are dedicated
We created The Blackbird Foundation to encourage solutions to our planet’s most pressing problems. By increasing access to education and listening to individuals most impacted by socio-economic and environmental injustices—and collaborating with those who hold power to make a change—we hope to leave the world better than we found it.
To People
Whether helping to create opportunity for women impacted by social and economic injustice or creating access to high-quality education for children and young women, educating and creating opportunity has been at the core of who we are since our founding.
And Planet
With the global implications of climate change becoming increasingly dire, we have decided as an organization to dedicate the majority of our resources to strategies that care for our shared home, including: educating girls/young women, supporting Indigenous peoples, and reducing food waste. Through small actions that lift up the most vulnerable, we can work towards a more just world and healthier Earth.
Meaningful progress happens when we work together.
Our Team
Julie, Founder
Julie’s love for mothering her three daughters instilled in her a passion for educating and empowering women. Through the Blackbird Foundation, Julie has continued to help other women lift themselves up so that they can support themselves, their families, and future generations. One of the most rewarding parts of founding Blackbird has been her work with The Women’s Bakery, an initiative that allowed her to directly impact the lives of women—and their families and communities—in East Africa. Julie’s passion for hiking and the outdoors led her to the proud accomplishment of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro alongside her daughter, Natalie. Closer to home, she enjoys staying active, reading murder mysteries, and spending quality time with her daughters and grandchildren.
Natalie, Founder
Natalie is the former Vice President of Marketing and Spokesperson for Cepia LLC. Her success in brand and crisis management led to various industry accolades including the 2010 SABRE Award for Brand Reputation Management and the 2010 American Business Award for Crisis Management PR. Natalie now operates Coepto Consulting, a strategic communications and brand management consultancy that shepherds businesses and non-profits through critical periods of change and growth. Committed to blending the strategy of the for-profit sector with the heart of the non-profit sector, she helps clients build integrated businesses that bring fulfillment to those within it, while also making a positive impact on those around it. Natalie founded The Blackbird Foundation with her mom with the core beliefs of affirming worth and dignity. Whether at home or in her converted rock climbing adventure van, Natalie can be found most mornings sipping coffee with her beloved husband and kitty.
Danielle, Research Associate
Danielle studied Environmental Policy at Washington University in St. Louis and received a Master of Studies of Environmental, Natural Resource, and Energy Law from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. She joined the Blackbird Foundation in 2019 to advocate for environmental justice and sustainability initiatives. Danielle is also passionate about protecting public lands, which stems from her love of rock climbing and the outdoors.