PFS Staff Spotlight: Sahar Petri

10 Questions for Sahar Petri, Senior Grants Manager at Pacific Foundation Services

1. You’re a Grant Manager at Pacific Foundation Services. What inspired you to get into philanthropy? 

I grew up having a lot of lived experience in proximity to many of the issues that we address and support. In fact, my parents have always instilled the importance of service throughout my life, and a family foundation even funded my college tuition. I’d say that I have firsthand experience with seeing how family philanthropy can change and impact someone’s life. Now, I get to do a lot of that work myself. It’s very full circle for me.

2. Is there a topic or trend in philanthropy that is top of mind for you?

Something that’s become more prominent in philanthropy is ensuring that funders are held accountable to their values and mission. Over the last few years, many of the values and mission statements that funders have put out are being observed, and there is more pressure for philanthropists to show the deeds behind their words. In the past, “accountability” was really only held at the grantee level, and “results” only looked one quantitative way. Now, people are asking important questions like, “Is the foundation supporting BIPOC-led organizations, making grant applications less burdensome, and overall being a good partner to the community they are trying to serve?”

3. How does equity show up in your work at PFS?

What we’ve seen is there’s a whole spectrum of things that can be done to bring more equity into our work. It can be anything from a funder committing to providing support to BIPOC-led small budget organizations, or grantees having agency to pick if they want to create verbal or written reports. There are many ways that we can support our clients to think about strategies and plans to move towards equity as a whole.

Sometimes we get in our own way because we limit our imagination to only big ideas around equity, but forget we can move the needle in small ways too. For example, on the grants administration side, if we remove a word limit on an application so that a grantee is not spending unnecessary time editing down, it helps remove the burden of time and resources that we’re asking of grantees and allows for more equity in who can apply for funding.  

4. In the Bay Area, the region is changing rapidly in both positive and challenging ways. As you consider the changes, what’s your greatest hope for the Bay Area?

My greatest hope is that we continue to evaluate and practice what true partnership is with our grantees, and ultimately learn how we can get out of the way. If we trust organizations and know that they are the experts because they are the ones doing the work in the community, we should practice humility and find ways to not be a barrier or bottleneck to the resources that could amplify their impact.

5. How has your work changed your outlook?

There’s this expression that I’ve heard: we can hold both critique and care of philanthropy. On one hand, the critique is that this proximity to wealth, privilege, power, and decision making is really concentrated to a small group of people. And at the same time, we at PFS are exposed to a lot of diverse, amazing people who fill these gaps in our community by using the power of collective action. So I continue to be honest about both the realities and dualities of this work while striving for a healthy balance.

6. Our world has benefitted from the leadership of so many change-makers, past and present. Who do you especially admire?

My family is Iranian-American and in the last few years we’ve seen a lot of the women in Iran risking their lives to protest for basic human rights. I have a lot of admiration for the women who choose every day to fight for justice in a way that is very unique from the other movements we’ve seen in Iran. 

7. Which PFS organizational value would you say shows up in your day to day work the most? (generosity, respect, integrity, inclusion, commitment, humility).

In grants administration, specifically, commitment comes up when we’re presented with two paths: one which can be administratively more easy or helps us move our work along more quickly, and then the other is one of greater service to the grantee—which involves deeper commitment to partnership, thought, and time. I’m grateful that PFS’ values guide us to pick our path towards commitment to the community.

8. What’s something unexpected that you like to do outside of work?

I’ve been getting more into art, like calligraphy and scrapbooking. Anything that helps me get away from my screen and be creative is what I have been drawn to outside of work. 

9. As you look to the future, what issue in our society feels especially urgent?

When we look at a lot of the issues that our funders are trying to address, racism is at the root of them. Many of the problems in the program areas we fund, like climate, housing, health care, education, you name it, are exasperated by systemic racism. Traditionally in philanthropy, BIPOC-led organizations have been the most underfunded, and if we want to see real movement and change in these big issues, it feels really urgent that we’re addressing the root of the issue first before we tackle all the other symptoms.

10. And lastly, what are you reading or listening to?

Recently I’ve been listening to an Iranian pop star named Googoosh, who was at the height of her career in the 70s and 80s. I’ve always heard about her popularity, but recently I’ve been going through her whole discography.