Manuela Arciniegas is the Director of the Andrus Family Fund. She manages AFF’s overall grantmaking portfolio of 65+ organizations addressing gun violence reduction, trauma-informed care, divesting from prisons, and the intersection between immigration and justice systems.

Prior to her role as Director, Manuela was a Program Officer at AFF. She designed and managed the S.O.A.R. capacity building initiative and launched the AFF Webinar Learning Sessions, which highlight our nation’s most innovative leaders promoting highly effective strategies that support youth impacted by the youth justice system — including African-American, Latinx, Native and LBGTQ youth.

Manuela serves as the co-chair of the Funders for Justice/Neighborhood Funders’ Group, the Fund for Women and Girls of Color, the Youth First State Advocacy Fund, the Youth Engagement Fund Advisory Board, the Funder’s Collaborative on Youth Organizing Advisory Board, the New York City Youth Funders, the New York City Capacity Building Funder’s Collaborative and the Steering Committee for Funders for Criminal Justice Reform at Philanthropy New York.

Jennifer Kaizer is the Senior Program Associate for the Andrus Family Fund. She provides programmatic and operations support to the team and our partners.

Over the past eight years, Jennifer has provided fundraising and program support through various roles in the nonprofit sector. She worked at The Posse Foundation, focusing on youth leadership development and the International Institute of New England in Boston, assisting immigrants and refugees prepare for and transition into American life.

While abroad in Ayacucho, Peru in 2009, Jennifer volunteered at Finca Peru, a nonprofit organization integrating women into the community’s economy.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from Boston University and Masters in Public Administration in Public & Nonprofit Management & Policy from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service & Policy.

Outside of work, Jennifer loves Vinyasa yoga, running marathons and biking. Every now and then you can find her wandering museums in New York City or searching for new places to visit.

Zaira Cedano is a temporary Administrative Assistant for the Andrus Family Fund. She provides additional programmatic and administrative support to the team and our partners.

Prior to working at the Andrus Family Fund, Zaira worked for Technical Traffic Consultants on auditing, generating reports, data analysis and coordinating new client account set-ups. Though she satisfied her intellectual side while working there, she always longed to return to work that was more rewarding and fulfilling. The shift from accounting to philanthropy is a welcomed change.

Brianna is a National Urban Fellow at the Andrus Family Fund. She is a values driven leader, community mother, educational leader, and a powerful voice for many systems-impacted youth of color.

A former foster youth herself, Brianna founded the organization Black Girls Rise with her 17-year-old daughter in 2018. Black Girls Rise is a space aimed to empower and mentor Black female-identifying teens. 

Brianna is currently a graduate student at Georgetown University, where she is studying public policy management. After earning her Master’s degree, she plans to continue her career in philanthropy with hopes of becoming a foundation president one day. 

Bari Katz is an educator, facilitator and curriculum designer who works with organizations and schools across the country to develop programs, trainings and custom curricula around equity, diversity and inclusion, and social justice. Bari has worked in leadership roles with local and national non-profit organizations and co-founded a charter high school in Brooklyn, NY.

Bari now serves as a consultant working with organizations like Andrus Family Fund, City Year, Let’s Get Ready, the American Conference on Diversity, iMentor, and City University of New York designing curricula and programs, facilitating professional development workshops, and coaching school and program staff to most effectively work with their students. Bari is committed to supporting and empowering youth and those working with young people to understand the dynamics of oppression and privilege and how to work toward social justice.