Matilda Andrews

Matilda Andrews continues to be passionate about working with nonprofits after more than 40 years with a range of Kentucky and national organizations. Her work has encompassed leadership roles in the arts, education and social services. It has included serving as the Director of a national grants program at the Smithsonian that supported professional development and technical research needed by zoos to art museums, serving as Director of the Kentucky Science Center, and leading grants and development programs for various area nonprofits. She is especially fond of her work on programs with the Blue Apple Players helping children and families deal with tough issues in the classroom and beyond. At Blue Apple, Matilda guided its growth from a new nonprofit to its merger with Walden Theatre (now Commonwealth Theatre Center). Through the exceptional merger facilitation by Ashley|Rountree, a prestigious national funder identified this as one of the best planned mergers they had seen.

The highlights of her career center on bringing together resources to make lives better. Matilda sees grants development as an especially effective tool to do this – and to build organizational capacity. She served as the grant-writer and project director for an invitation only, three-stage project review by the Wallace Foundation – one of only 21 awarded nationwide for three-year funding. Matilda’s advocacy also resulted in the Shubert Foundation (NY) awarding first time, and continuing support for children’s theatres in Louisville and nationwide. At the Science Center, she guided the establishment of the Friends group and Foundation, cornerstones of the Center’s transition from a government agency to a private non-profit. She also restructured staff and finances to accommodate the end of federal funding (CETA) that had financed almost half of personnel costs.

During her career, she has served as a consultant and grants reviewer to local, state, and national funding programs – both government and private. She is honored to have served on the founding board of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence. Matilda was elected to the Boards of the American Alliance of Museums and the International Council of Museums.