Jordana Barrack, Executive Director of the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation: Empathy and the Learning Journey in Philanthropy

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In this episode, Jordana Barrack, Executive Director of the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, offers a compelling perspective on how funders can rethink philanthropy by centering empathy, trust, and long-term relationships in their work. The foundation, established by Kim Jordan, co-founder of New Belgium Brewing Company, is a family-led philanthropy focused on climate change, food systems, land and water stewardship, and social justice. With an annual disbursement of approximately $3.5 million and a planned sunset in 2040, the foundation aims to deploy its resources intentionally and meaningfully during its limited lifespan.

A central focus of the conversation is the foundation’s recent initiative, the Mighty Partners Report, which reflects a deep learning journey undertaken to better understand the lived experiences and needs of its grantees. Rather than adopting standard philanthropic norms, the foundation opted for direct engagement and honest dialogue with its partners. Through surveys and interviews, they uncovered high rates of burnout and a strong desire among grantees to connect and collaborate with one another—insights that shaped the launch of two new grant programs.

The first, Nurturing Leadership Grants, offers flexible capacity-building support specifically focused on people, rather than projects, within grantee organizations. The second, Transformational Capacity Grants, is structured around referrals—grantees are invited to nominate other organizations that might benefit from similar support. This peer-referral model not only decentralizes the application process but also broadens the foundation’s network in a way that is organically diverse and mission-aligned.

Barrack emphasizes the value of proximity to grantees and fostering candid, human connections. Simply asking nonprofit leaders how they’re doing on a personal level, she notes, can often be unexpectedly powerful, especially in a sector where funders rarely engage with grantees as whole people. The foundation’s approach underscores the idea that genuine partnership requires both trust and a willingness to step away from traditional, transactional funding models.

About Jordana Barrack

Jordana Barrack is the Executive Director of Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, the grant making and impact investing vehicle for the founding family of New Belgium Brewing. Jordana spent 7 years in the agricultural industry as a manager of Cargill’s plant breeding facility for their Specialty Canola Oils unit, and 10 years in the beer industry as New Belgium Brewing’s Corporate Secretary while also studying local water scarcity impacts and establishing the Mighty Arrow Family Office for New Belgium’s founder.

Now, Jordana spends most her time building networks with other funders and deepening the Foundation’s relationships with their non-profit partners as the Foundation works to create change in regenerative agriculture, climate change, land & water stewardship, and social justice issues.

In her spare time, Jordana volunteers locally as a Larimer County Planning Commissioner, and with Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed as a Board Member. Nationally, Jordana is a Board Director for American Rivers. Water has always been a common thread through Jordana’s career and personal passions. If not in the office, she can be found exploring rivers on a whitewater raft with her family.