Simona Santojanni

Simona is Director of Strategic Partnerships at the European Climate Foundation, where she leads the team responsible for managing relationships, stewardship, and engagement with existing philanthropic partners.

She is an experienced philanthropy leader with over 20 years’ experience in fundraising and strategic partnerships across the NGO and higher education sectors. Passionate about mobilising philanthropy to address complex social and environmental challenges, Simona has managed and developed major relationships with philanthropic partners supporting work across human rights, social justice, health, education, and climate.

Before joining the European Climate Foundation, Simona held fundraising and leadership roles at Human Rights Watch, Liberty, the NSPCC, King’s College London, and University College London. She has also worked as a consultant with Italian universities and NGOs, supporting the development of fundraising capacity and major donor engagement.

Originally from Italy, Simona holds a degree in Political Science from Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”, an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Philanthropic Studies from the University of Kent.

Simona lives in London with her husband and daughter and is currently on a mission to regain fluency in French and Spanish.