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Michelle Shevin - Former Senior Program Manager at the Ford Foundation
S01:E02

Michelle Shevin - Former Senior Program Manager at the Ford Foundation

Nov 3, 2025 • 38min 09s

Episode description

Michelle Shevin’s understanding of power took shape in an unlikely place—a graduate program run by the U.S. military—where she first learned to see how institutions build and justify control.

As a former Senior Program Manager at the Ford Foundation, she talks about wicked problems that can’t be solved, only lived with; the arrogance of solutionism; and the trap funders fall into when they confuse speed and scale with progress. She reflects on how technology both concentrates and exposes power, why relationships—not efficiency—are the real measure of impact, and how humility functions as a discipline, not a personality trait.

It’s a grounded conversation about power, responsibility, and what thoughtful practice inside big institutions can still make possible.

Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer

For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm

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Funders on Fundraising
Funders on Fundraising @fundersonfundraising Nov 3, 2025
38:09 Michelle Shevin - Former Senior Program Manager at the Ford Foundation
S01:E02 Nov 3, 2025
Michelle Shevin - Former Senior Program Manager at the Ford Foundation
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