Steele Consulting LLC

Impact, built with Steele.

We partner with nonprofits, foundations, philanthropic collaboratives, public agencies, families, and other mission-driven organizations to turn vision into action, bringing clarity to complex challenges and building practical paths forward.

Start a conversation See what we do ↓

Flowering aloe and native garden landscape

We work withOnThrough

Nonprofits & agenciesGrowth, transition, new directionStrategy & capacity building

Foundations & familiesGrantmaking design & strategyPhilanthropic advisory

Boards & leadership teamsGovernance & decision-makingFacilitation & coaching

Our experience spans both sides of the philanthropic relationship. We understand the opportunities and internal realities facing nonprofits, as well as the priorities, practices, and decision-making processes of foundations. This perspective allows us to help funders become more strategic and responsive partners while helping nonprofits strengthen their organizations, communicate their impact, and cultivate authentic philanthropic relationships.

What we do

Four ways we work with you

Every engagement is shaped around the client's goals, culture, capacity, and stage of development.

Strategy & Development

Organizational Strategy and Development

We help nonprofits, foundations, and other mission-driven organizations understand what is happening beneath the surface of an immediate challenge, clarify where they want to go, and build the capacity to move forward.

Organizational assessment and strategic planning
Organizational change and transition
Leadership and executive transitions
Organizational and program design
Staff structures, systems, and workflows
Interim leadership and special-project support

Philanthropy

Philanthropic Strategy and Grantmaking

We help foundations, philanthropic collaboratives, families, and other funders clarify what they want their philanthropy to accomplish and develop the strategies and structures needed to bring that vision to life.

Philanthropic vision and strategy
Foundation formation and management support
Grantmaking program design and implementation
Participatory and community-led grantmaking
Grantmaking operations and decision frameworks
Learning, evaluation, and grantee engagement

Resource Development

Philanthropic Engagement and Resource Development

Drawing on experience inside both foundations and nonprofits, we help mission-driven organizations understand the philanthropic landscape, strengthen their positioning, and build authentic relationships with funding partners grounded in trust and shared purpose.

Philanthropic landscape and prospect research
Funder engagement and relationship strategy
Grant-readiness assessment
Cases for support and funding narratives
Proposal and concept development
Campaign strategy and development coaching

Governance

Governance, Facilitation, and Leadership Support

Strong organizations need clarity, shared expectations, and meaningful opportunities for people to contribute. We help boards, staff, leaders, families, and partners work through complex questions, make thoughtful decisions, and move toward action together.

Governance assessment and board development
Board roles, structures, and decision-making
Board onboarding, education, and engagement
Retreats and strategic conversations
Stakeholder alignment and cross-sector convenings
Executive coaching and leadership development

Who we are

Deep experience, tailored to the work.

Steele Consulting is led by Clara Steele, with Nancy Steele bringing complementary expertise to select engagements. Clients can work with Clara, Nancy, or both depending on the needs of the project.

Clara D. Steele

Founder & PrincipalM.S., Organization Development & Change

LinkedIn ↗Résumé PDF ↗

Clara is an organizational development and philanthropic leader with 15 years of experience helping foundations, nonprofits, executives, trustees, and community partners turn ambitious ideas into clear strategies and effective action.

She spent nearly a decade with the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation, managing a $6–8 million annual grantmaking portfolio and helping it grow from a two-person office into a more strategic, equitable, and systems-oriented institution. She strengthened governance systems, streamlined operations, and facilitated board meetings, retreats, site visits, and learning experiences.

Clara also designed and launched participatory grantmaking and leadership-development initiatives, including a Youth Funding Board and a philanthropy fellowship. She is particularly skilled at bringing clarity to complexity, building alignment, and translating strategy into practical systems and action.

M.S., Positive Organization Development and Change Management, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University · B.A., History, Occidental College

Nancy L. C. Steele

Senior AdvisorD.Env., Environmental Science & EngineeringLinkedIn ↗

Dr. Nancy Steele has spent her career working for the betterment of the planet, humanity, and wildlife. She creates lasting solutions through innovation, collaboration, strategic thinking, and good governance.

Nancy founded Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy and served as its volunteer President and CEO for 11 years. She later led the Council for Watershed Health in Los Angeles for a decade and served six years as the first paid Executive Director of Friends of the Verde River in Arizona.

Her government career focused on reducing the environmental and public-health effects of pollution, including writing the nation's first regulations to reduce diesel emissions from in-use heavy-duty trucks and buses. Nancy brings deep expertise in nonprofit management, organizational transitions, governance, environmental policy, fund development, and executive leadership.

Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles

Our story

Rooted in Altadena.

Clara was born and raised in Altadena, where her family built Chaparral Mountain Honey Company and a life shaped by community, the foothills, and the natural world. She has been part of the business since she was old enough to offer honey samples at local fairs.

The Eaton Fire destroyed the Steele family home, apiary, and decades of beekeeping equipment. The loss made Clara's connection to place—and to the work of building a more equitable future—even more personal.

Through her work at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation, Clara helped fund equitable recovery in Altadena. Today, that experience informs a consulting practice grounded in resilience, practical action, and the belief that the people closest to a challenge should help shape what comes next.

Nancy brings complementary expertise to select engagements, drawing on decades of nonprofit leadership, governance, and environmental work. Clients can work with Clara, Nancy, or both.

Read the family's story in The Guardian ↗

Chaparral Mountain Honey Company botanical artwork

Get in touch

Let's talk about where you're headed.

We welcome customized projects that draw on our experience and help mission-driven organizations or funders move important work forward. Most engagements begin with a conversation about what you're facing.

Email Claraclara.steele@gmail.com Start an inquiry ↗

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