Cindy Mercer

Cindy Mercer is an impact investor, philanthropist and collaboration enthusiast. Mercer’s passion is connecting systems thinkers to resources and expertise in order to build breakthrough solutions for environmental and health challenges. Mercer began her early career as a research assistant to former President Jimmy Carter, supporting him in the establishment of the Carter Center. She went on to serve as development counsel for a variety of international charities focused on health, environment and education. In 2008, with entrepreneur and investor Addison Fischer, Mercer co-founded Planet Heritage Foundation (PHF), an impact investing foundation focused on funding solutions to improve environment and health. One landmark project initiated by PHF is Ocean’s 5, a global funders’ collaborative focused on marine protection, with collaborating partners such as the Oak Foundation, Waitt Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Packard Foundation, Moore Foundation, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. Cindy Mercer has served as a board member of Ocean’s 5, Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite Constellation, Kimbal Musk’s BIG GREEN, The Jane Goodall Institute, The Philanthropy Workshop, The National Center for Family Philanthropy, and as an advisor to several donor education initiatives including the Raikes Foundation Impact-Driven Philanthropy Initiative. She earned her JD from Stetson College of Law and her BA in Political Science from Emory University. As a result of her 30+ years in hands-on NGO experience, Mercer prioritizes authentic, wholehearted strategic collaboration as the single most important component in building and funding teams that produce spectacular results.