WHO IS
WAYFARER
FOUNDATION?

WHO WE ARE

Wayfarer Foundation launched in 2021 and was inspired by Bahá'í principles, which are universal in nature. Steve Sarowitz, a Bahá'í philanthropist and founder and chairman of Paylocity, started Wayfarer Foundation to be the philanthropic engine for his spiritually rooted giving. Wayfarer Foundation partners with nonprofits to co-create a unified world where all people work together for peace, justice, and prosperity. Within these broad areas, we are especially interested in partnering with spiritually rooted and justice-oriented organizations whose missions include promoting: Economic Prosperity • Gender Equality • Racial Justice and Unity in Diversity • Religious Harmony • The Arts • Universal Education • Youth Empowerment.

We commit to being the kind of foundation that does things differently; that is focused on society-building efforts, centering those who have traditionally been left out, and operates with love. As we build our organization from the ground up, we commit to the four pillars that together make up what we call the Wayfarer Way:

Advancing Justice • Nurturing Spirituality • Embracing Community • Cultivating Resilience

$33M IN GRANTS

Since our inception, the Wayfarer Foundation has given approximately $33M in grants.

In 2023, 39% of our grantee partners received multi-year funding.

From 2022 to 2023, Wayfarer doubled its grant giving from approximately $9.5M to $19M.

In 2023, 88% of grantee partners served communities that are 50% or more BIPOC.

THE WAYFARER WAY

Advancing Justice

We work with others on an independent search for truth to shine a light on justice, craft and implement root-level solutions to our world’s most complex problems, and bring us closer to appreciating the oneness of humanity.

Nurturing Spirituality

The Bahá’í Faith and a variety of spiritual traditions animate our work and bring us closer to the oneness of humanity. We are committed to personal and team spiritual practices and to embodying deep wisdom in our external work as we build deep connections to self, others, creation, and the Divine.

Embracing Community

Deep and mutual relationships with communities and organizations that we support are vital to the work we all do together. We strive to operate with a humble posture of learning, which means recognizing that we don’t have all of the answers, consulting with and trusting the wisdom of our partners and the Divine, and being aware that we never do this work alone.

Cultivating Resilience

Throughout history and the present, we see examples of steadfastness during tests, reliance on God for perseverance amidst trials, and strong relationships that offer mutual sustenance and solidarity during crises. We seek to build the structures needed to navigate trials as an organization and support our partners in cultivating their resilience, too.

WAYFARER STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Nurturing capacity and inviting new talents 

Since the launch of Wayfarer Foundation (WF) in 2021, our scope of work has expanded significantly, and we’ve tripled the number of grantee partners from approximately 50 at our inception to more than 150 partners today. As we’ve expanded our grantee partner community, we have also grown Wayfarer staff, adding full-time members as well as interns recruited through our Fellows Program. As a result, we have expanded our capacities in several skill areas to support our priorities in diverse representation and in supporting the transformative work of our partners.

Following are the new colleagues we were proud to welcome to the WF team:

  • Annie Cullen is Wayfarer Foundation’s Grants Administrator. Annie has over a decade of experience working in the arts and humanities, with expertise in collaborative cultural programming and arts grantmaking.

    Prior to joining the Wayfarer Foundation, Annie held roles at the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Newberry Library, and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. She lives in Chicago with her partner and their three cats.

  • Luthando Mazibuko is Wayfarer Foundation’s Senior Communications Manager. He has over 16 years of experience as a communications storyteller, graphic designer, illustrator, and content creator. Luthando previously served in the Fund Development side of the Office of the Treasurer at the Bahá’í National Organization. Born and raised in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), South Africa, he views his approach to art as an integral part of his life. Having been born into the Bahá’í Faith, art/creativity has become a lens he uses to deepen his connections to the rest of humanity -and a way to serve others.

  • Alex Oishi is Wayfarer Foundation’s Program Assistant, joining the team in a full-time role after being a previous WF Fellow in the summer of 2022. Originally from Seattle, in the cloudy Pacific Northwest, he moved to the Midwest to attend college. A community builder by nature, he loves to spend his time surrounded by friends, family, and community, working to help foster a more equitable world for those around him, with specific passions in the areas of LGBTQIA+ justice and racial equity.

  • Carmen Patlan is Wayfarer Foundation’s Director of Impact and Operations.

    She is a profoundly spiritual individual whose faith fuels her deep sense of conviction and compassion. As an advocate and activist focused on critical issues such as racial justice, violence against women, gender equality, and immigrant rights, Carmen centers her work around transforming inequities, bridging the gap between disparate communities, ensuring equitable opportunities and resources for all, and increasing access for the most vulnerable members of society.

    With an impressive and respected 17-year tenure in the non-profit sector, Carmen has been pivotal in establishing vital services and access points for various underserved groups, including immigrants, survivors of domestic violence and their families, and communities of color that struggle with mental health challenges.

    As Executive Director of the Highwood (IL) Library & Community Center, Carmen’s outstanding community service work earned her the distinction of being a two-time recipient of the prestigious Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS) Gold Medal, an accolade awarded to just three libraries nationwide each year. In December of 2023, she was recognized by the City of Highwood for her outstanding work at the Highwood Library & Community Center with a Mayoral proclamation naming December 6, 2023, as “Carmen Patlan Day.”

  • Yolanda Santiago is Wayfarer Foundation’s Foundation Assistant. She formerly served as a Program Director/Supervisor for Casa Central. Yolanda joined Wayfarer because of her dedication to creating a career path of being of service to others. “As an alumnus of DePaul University, one must demonstrate that with the privilege of higher education must also come the ‘Vincentian mission’ to societies and communities. As a people, I believe it is our duty to come together and approach solutions for dismantling societal injustices and promoting empowerment.”

  • Celeste C. Smith is Wayfarer Foundation’s Director of Programs. Celeste is a cultural leader with her finger on the pulse of race, culture, and social discourse. She works to advance racial justice, centering humanity and the voices of people most impacted by racism and critical community issues. She is a national 2018 SXSW Community Service Award honoree, bringing to her role deep experience as a celebrated nonprofit and community leader, arts administrator, artist, and co-founder of 1Hood Media, whose mission is to build liberated communities through art, education, and social justice. Most recently, Celeste was named a Bridging Fellow with the Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs.

    Celeste has quickly emerged as a thought leader in philanthropy, as indicated by her appointment to the city of Pittsburgh’s Public Art Commission, the national Grantmakers in the Arts Support for Individual Artists Committee, and participation as an invited panelist and presenter at dozens of events and conferences.

  • Kevin Williams is Wayfarer Foundation’s Director of Communications. Kevin comes to WF after holding the position of  Vice President of Communications for the Bipolar and Depression Support Alliance. Kevin states that he joined Wayfarer because “I’m attracted to the organization's focus on unity and its belief that authentic, lasting change must be accompanied by individual spiritual enlightenment. I am excited to be contributing as part of a team committed to facilitating human transformation in communities across the country.”  

WAYFARER FELLOWS PROGRAM

At Wayfarer Foundation, relationships matter. We want to know you and for you to know us. 

Every school semester, the Wayfarer Fellows Program seeks three social justice-driven college undergraduate and graduate students to join Wayfarer in Chicago and work alongside our team to learn about philanthropic best practices and faith-based giving.

This past year, the Wayfarer team worked with two cohorts for the Fellowships — the first group came in the summer, and the second group joined us for the fall semester. Each of the Fellows offered a special contribution towards advancing the work of supporting and maintaining relationships with our partners.

Here is a listing of the passionate souls who joined the Wayfarer Foundation Fellows Program this year and, in their own words, their reasons for joining:

  • Julia Fanta Camara: “The work and mission here bring me hope. As a student with a great passion for combating injustice in this world, it can be hard to stand strong in your belief that things WILL and CAN get better. The Wayfarer Foundation makes that easier than anywhere else, giving me hope that the work we do is worth it and makes a difference. My faith is what guides me. I love that the Wayfarer Foundation has found a way to make change while leaning into spirituality. I believe this community, team, and foundation is the best place to ground me as I exit the educational realm and enter the professional realm in hopes of contributing to the justice, peace, and equity of our world.”

  • “I joined the Wayfarer Foundation team because I was drawn to Wayfarer’s mission and values. I felt that Wayfarer’s commitment to create a more hopeful world aligned with the work I was doing in college. One of my goals is to inspire others to create change and I loved that Wayfarer strives to support nonprofits in creating change. I also wanted to broaden my skill set and learn more about philanthropy.”

  • "I joined Wayfarer because it is a spiritually-oriented and justice-seeking organization that wishes to make social change in the lives of those who have been pushed to the margins of society. Three of the foundation pillars align with my value system of racial justice, gender equity, and religious harmony."

  • “I joined the Wayfarer Foundation team because I am passionate about racial justice and the oneness of humanity found through true reconciliation and justice. Ultimately, my belief is that through Wayfarer, projects that focus on racial justice, economic justice, harmony among mankind, and healing bring the world closer to a greater understanding of one another.”

  • "I joined the lovely Wayfarer Foundation in hopes of learning how they strive for unifying communities and advocating for equality. Their foundation in the Baha'i faith is a grounded root that I admire spiritually. It's welcoming and encouraging to see the values the team is built on. It's been a pleasure to see the work Wayfarer Foundation has started, especially their work partnering with minorities.”