We exist to make sure progress includes everyone.

Founded in 2022 with support from GSR (crypto's capital markets partner), the GSR Foundation is an independent grant-maker partnering with teams who use technology to reduce exclusion, and who share learning openly.

Our Origins

Driven by purpose,
powered by GSR.

The GSR Foundation was created using donations and pledges from GSR, crypto’s capital markets partner.

We make all of our funding decisions independently of GSR, but are deeply connected over a shared belief: technology should expand opportunity, not limit it.

Our journey

A few moments that shaped us.

2022

The GSR Foundation was registered as a CIO with the Charity Commission of England & Wales; formalising GSR’s long legacy of effective corporate philanthropy.

Our mission

We fund partnerships that remove barriers to participation and share learning openly so communities can thrive.

Our propositions

Enable

Our standard grant programme, awarding flexible multi-year, unrestricted grants to help partners test, implement, and scale their work.

Empower

Larger partnerships to scale proven approaches and broaden delivery.

Expert

Our brand of thought leadership; research, reports, convenings, and tools to help others go further, faster.

The team

Our Board is made up of 5 trustees, each selected on the basis of practical, professional, and lived-experience in the areas we work.

Day-to-day operations are handled the Executive Director, and we are further supported by relevant staff within GSR.

James Newell

Executive Director

James has been working in and around charities for nearly two decades. In his career before GSR, he has served as executive and non-executive director for a range of causes. In addition, he built a thriving consultancy practice as a wholly owned subsidiary of Moore Kingston Smith, providing strategy, fundraising and governance advice to hundreds of charities. He has the ICAEW’s Diploma in Charity Accounting, and the Bayes Business School MSc in Grantmaking, Philanthropy and Social Investment.

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Roxane Ballew

Trustee

Roxane is Legal Counsel at GSR, a global cryptocurrency trading firm. Prior to GSR, she was at Virtu Financial doing public company and broker-dealer advisory work and White & Case LLP as a capital markets and derivatives associate. Roxane is a proud alumna of Mahindra United World College of India, and earned a BA from the University of Chicago and a JD from NYU School of Law. She ran a profit-sharing program during COVID called House Tiana where she made jewelry for free to individuals who donated to select organisations funding issues like abortion care, gender-affirming surgeries, and bail support. Roxane lives in New York City, the homeland of the Lenape people, with her husband and two loving pitbulls.

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Nadia Gil

Chair of Trustees 

Nadia started her career in management consultancy before moving to investment management at Goldman Sachs. Her passion for the industry led her to pursue a career in executive recruiting for financial services. She joined GSR in 2017 as their first Director of Human Resources. Fueled by a growing interest in corporate philanthropy, Nadia launched the firm’s first CSR program in 2020. Nadia is active in local social impact projects and is President of Fundación Kareema and a Board Member of Thaki. Nadia holds a BSc in Management Science from MIT and an MSc in Organisational & Business Psychology from the University of Liverpool.

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Eva Sanchez

Trustee Emeritus

Eva is the Chief Legal Officer of GSR and oversees the firm’s legal, compliance and regulatory policy affairs. Prior to joining GSR, she was at AQR Capital Management and led the firm’s international legal and compliance teams and at Citadel where she oversaw the growth of Citadel’s hedge fund and securities business in Europe at a time of significant market structure and regulatory change. Eva started her legal career at Clifford Chance and obtained a First Class Business & Law Degree from City University, London.

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Jhumar Johnson

Trustee

Jhumar is the Chief of Staff to the Chief Commercial Officer at Global University Systems. Prior to this, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Vice-Chancellor, and the Director of Development, for the Open University. She was responsible for delivering the University’s first fundraising campaign, surpassing the target and raising £60m, and running a year-long integrated campaign to celebrate The Open University’s 50th anniversary in 2019 across the four UK nations and internationally. She has a background in major gifts consulting and practice in the not-for-profit sector, and advising individuals and families on shaping their philanthropy. She is an alumna of the University of Oxford - Said Business School, the University of Westminster, The Open University and the University of Mumbai, and is a member of the Chief of Staff Association, Chief, CASE and Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

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Qasim Iqbal

Trustee

Qasim works within mergers and acquisitions for the technology sector at PwC. As a qualified accountant, brings extensive experience in external audit, corporate governance and data analysis to his role as trustee. His career journey began as an apprentice at RSM, and he has founded the charity Almalia to help disadvantaged students break into the financial services sector.

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Oliver Whitehead

Trustee

Oliver Whitehead is the Chief Operating Officer of the Legal and Compliance team at GSR. His focus is on enhancing efficiency and resilience of GSR from a L&C perspective. Prior to his role at GSR, Oliver spent 16 years at Orbis Investment Management serving on the UK Board, and with various positions across Technology, Operations, and Investment Research.  Oliver holds a BSc in Computer Science and Physics from Lancaster University.

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Jakob Palmstierna

Patron

Jakob is the President and Chief Business Officer at GSR. Prior to joining GSR, he was Head of EMEA business at Two Sigma Investments and a board director of Two Sigma International. He has over a decade of experience developing business and investment solutions in systematic investment management, including roles at Winton Capital Management and Barclays Global Investors (BGI). Jakob earned a BSc in Economics from Lund University where he also completed the MSc coursework in Economics (without dissertation). He also holds a Ships Officers Degree, Class VIII from Chalmers University of Technology.

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Image credits:

1) Tiny Totos
2) The Wonder Foundation
3) The Wonder Foundation
4) Yiya AirLearning
5) Tiny Totos
6) GSR Foundation