Our Vision
Ellis Island was once the gateway for millions of aspiring Americans hoping for a better life. Inspired by this legacy, Ellis Impact serves to empower ambitious and generous Americans to give back and help create a better and more hopeful life for those in need.​
Our Team
Fernando Martin-Gullans
Co-Founder
Fernando leads the outreach efforts at Ellis Impact, combining his passions for connecting with people and empowering them to drive positive change in the world. He previously founded Artists of Impact, a philanthropic community for creatives, building a global artist roster spanning five industries and a 300,000+ audience reach. Fernando has a background in professional ballet, studying at the Royal Ballet School in London and dancing at Houston Ballet.
Helene Kortschak
Co-Founder
Helene manages Ellis Impact's operations and partnerships with our network of charities, charity evaluators, and grantmakers.​ She has a background in data science with two years of experience in tech start-ups. Most recently, Helene worked in non-profit research, assessing the effectiveness of global health interventions as part of Ambitious Impact's Research Program as well as monitoring the impact of the animal advocacy charity Hive.
Our Advisors
Jack Lewars
As the founder of Ultra Philanthropy, Jack advises major donors on their philanthropic strategy. He has 13 years of nonprofit experience, previously leading One for the World, focused on effective giving in global health and poverty, and helping grow the School of Hard Knocks, supporting at-risk children in the UK complete their education. He holds an MA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Crystal Chiu
Crystal is the Community Director at Founders Pledge, which brings together entrepreneurs to learn about and fund the world’s most effective solutions. She heads a global team of community experts, aiming to deliver up to $10 billion in funding for impactful change. Crystal held senior and leadership roles in major gift fundraising at Christian Aid, Teach First, and RNIB and holds a BSc in Geography from UCL.
Marcus Daniell
Marcus is an Olympic bronze medalist tennis player from New Zealand with 5 ATP titles as well as the founder of High-Impact Athletes, bringing together over 200 athletes advocating for high-impact charities. Marcus holds a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Massey University and has received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his work with High-Impact Athletes.
Vaidehi Agarwalla
As the Senior Product Manager at Momentum, Vaidehi builds software to help nonprofits strengthen donor relationships. She has a diverse background in consulting, marketing, and recruiting. Vaidehi holds a BA in Sociology from Haverford College.
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Jacintha Baas
Jacintha is an entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience in founding and scaling organizations. She leads the Founding-to-Give Program at Ambitious Impact, supporting founders in building high-growth companies and donating their exit proceeds to high-impact charities. Previously, she co-founded a sustainable tech scale-up. Jacintha has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and holds a Sociology degree from LSE.