Notes from the Left Coast

Drummond Pike’s Blog

Drummond Pike founded Tides in 1976 and is the chief executive officer of the Tides, which includes Tides Foundation, Tides Center and Tides Shared Spaces. Pike is responsible for the entire Tides enterprise; and through his leadership, Tides has helped increase the capacity and effectiveness of thousands of social change organizations. Awarded as an Outstanding Foundation Professional, Pike helped pioneer the advent of donor advised funds in philanthropy and has supported grassroots and public interest organizations through environmental and social change philanthropy throughout his career.

Over the years Tides has worked in partnership with forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations across the country and around the globe. Drummond established the Tides vision of a world of broadly shared economic opportunity, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Tides works with people who confront issues like global warming, AIDS treatment and prevention, economic disparity, workers’ rights and much more. Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 200 nonprofit projects across the country, launches and operates green nonprofit centers and has granted more than $500 million dollars since 2000 alone.

Prior to founding Tides, Drummond served as executive director of the Shalan Foundation, an organization dedicated to economic change and environmental sustainability. He also co-founded and served as associate director for the Youth Project in Washington, D.C. Pike’s entrepreneurialism has led to the founding of several other organizations as well. He was among the original founders of Working Assets, a telecommunications company dedicated to progressive philanthropy and political activism. He also helped to found Tides Canada, a sister organization to Tides in the U.S., and Groundspring.org, a nonprofit technology service provider which merged with Network for Good in 2005.

Drummond Pike’s extensive public service work includes membership on the Board of Directors for many organizations. Past Directorships include:

• Social Venture Network,
• Sierra Fund, and America’s Charities.

Current Directorships include:

• Tides Canada,
• Endswell Foundation,
• Environmental Working Group,
• Island Press,
• Working Assets,
• Democracy Alliance,
• Network for Good,
• Sage Centre,
• Threshold Foundation,
• and Charity Projects Entertainment Fund.

Pike majored in Political Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz where he became involved in the anti-war movement of the late 1960’s. He was selected as campus representative to the Board of Regents during his senior year in 1969, and graduated with Honors from UC Santa Cruz in 1970. Drummond Pike continued his education at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Political Science.

A fourth generation California, Pike resides with his family in Mill Valley, California. In addition to his work at Tides, Drummond is a licensed commercial river guide in the Grand Canyon and is an amateur wine maker. He is also an avid runner and squash player.