Sydney Sakharia

Sydney Sakharia (she/her/hers) joined MPC as Grants Manager in September 2024. In this role, Sydney leads efforts to secure and manage institutional funding that fuels the organization’s mission-driven programs and initiatives. Sydney has over 7+ years of nonprofit experience, bringing a deep understanding of the grantmaking landscape and a proven track record of building and nurturing relationships with institutional funders.

Before MPC, Sydney was the Program Manager at Impact for Equity, a public interest law and policy organization focused on housing, police accountability, and the criminal legal system. In that role, Sydney utilized her project management and fundraising skills to deepen the organization’s impact. Prior to that, Sydney worked at IFF, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to providing leadership, capital, and real estate solutions to nonprofits across Chicago.

Sydney holds a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Financial Economics from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. In 2023, Sydney completed her Master’s degree in Community Psychology at National Louis University. Her studies focused on community-centered approaches to helping communities heal from trauma rooted in mass incarceration, inequitable housing, and community over-policing. She also participates in the Reentry Resource Program, an initiative of the Education Justice Project at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where she participates in different aspects of guide production–including research, writing, editing, outreach, and distribution.

Sydney lives in Andersonville/Uptown and, in her free time, enjoys cooking, traveling, reading comics, and constantly adding to her Chicago Public Library holds list.