Christopher Percopo serves as the Director of Grants Information and Management at the Helmsley Charitable Trust. As one of Helmsley’s first staff members, he has served in a variety of capacities in collaboration with staff, external consultants, and the trustees, and has seen the organization grow from a staff of three to the philanthropic organization it is today. As Director of Grants Management, Chris oversees the entire lifecycle of Helmsley’s grantmaking, and his team provides technical assistance to internal and external audiences, ensuring that all grants remain compliant and are monitored. This includes managing the online grant process, overseeing the grants database, creating and maintaining policies and procedures, and developing training materials. The grants management team also plays a key role in the grant testing portion of the annual audit, tracking grant-related budgets, and predicting cash needs for the organization. In addition, Chris works across programs and is involved in launching new strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining Helmsley, Chris primarily worked as a fundraiser for various nonprofits. In addition to fundraising, he supported other critical endeavors, such as developing key performance indicators (KPIs) for social service programs, developing and executing strategic plans, facilitating a merger to eliminate duplicative administrative functions for organizations with similar missions, and assisting with the drafting of bylaws and governance for board development.

Chris graduated from the George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services (Nonprofit Management) and has a Master in Public Administration from Baruch College. His passion for public service has led him to present and train on a number of topics, ranging from process development to nontraditional grantmaking, change management, and building efficient practices. He currently serves as a Trustee for the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation and on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Marxe School at Baruch College. Chris previously served on a number of nonprofit boards, including PEAK Grantmaking where he served a two-year term as co-chair. Outside of work, Chris enjoys cooking, skiing, traveling, and is a licensed marriage officiant in New York.