Previously, Patrice was the Founder and Managing Director of Inspire Capital LLC, a venture fund launched in 2015 that invested predominantly in businesses that have historically lacked access to capital. Patrice currently serves as a Venture Capital Financing Representative of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) Board of Directors. She is also a founding investor in WE Capital and a founding member of both the Conscious Leadership Forum and Soul Circle. Additionally, she is a member of TIGER 21 and the Economic Club of Washington, and a minority owner in Monumental Sports, which is home to the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics.
Patrice has served on several nonprofit boards both locally and nationally, including Halcyon, Wolf Trap, Ascend at the Aspen Institute, Children’s National Hospital Foundation, the National Center for Children and Families, Peer Health Exchange, and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. She is a limited partner in numerous funds, most notably, Lafayette Square, Rethink Impact, Black Star Fund, Revolution Growth, Arborview, Razors Edge, NextGen Partners, Sinewave and Halcyon.
Founder and CEO of Inspire Access, Patrice Brickman, is redefining what it means to be a donor. Her model flips the traditional philanthropic mindset, mobilizing capital not just to give, but to grow and give again. In a recent talk, Patrice shared how philanthropic dollars can be activated to fund underrepresented founders and close persistent investment gaps.
Here are some key takeaways from her session:
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are charitable vehicles that allow individuals to donate assets, receive a tax deduction, and distribute the funds over time to nonprofits. But as Patrice shared, the majority of this capital is sitting idle: over $250 billion in 2024, up from $159 billion in 2021.
“If we’re sitting here in two years and we don’t change something, that number will be $400 billion,” she noted. “This is capital meant to do good—and it’s not moving.”
Inspire Access offers a workaround: donors can deploy DAF funds into for-profit ventures led by underrepresented founders, and any returns flow back into the DAF, enabling future charitable giving.
Traditional philanthropy is often “one and done.” You donate, feel good, and move on. Inspire Access introduces a “recyclable grant” model, treating philanthropic dollars as investment capital.
“We’re teaching the world a new behavior,” Brickman said. “It’s not just about giving, it’s about capital stewardship. You’re giving with impact, and if it performs, you can give again and again.”
This approach empowers donors to think like investors without sacrificing their values and allows capital to do exponentially more.
Brickman acknowledged the traditional dynamics where women are often responsible for a couple’s philanthropic giving, while men lead investment decisions. But that’s shifting.
“Philanthropic capital is often already psychologically earmarked for impact, which makes it a safer place to experiment with investing,” she shared. “We’re seeing women get really excited; asking questions about profit margins, doing diligence, and building confidence.”
And for those looking to start? She encourages donors to begin with what they care about – whether that’s education, health, gender equity – and let that guide their capital allocation.
In an investment climate where fundraising is more competitive than ever, donor-backed capital can be a difference maker, especially for emerging fund managers or early-stage founders.
“A $25,000 donation helped one company unlock $2 million in institutional capital,” Brickman shared. “It was the tipping point. That kind of catalytic funding is everything in early-stage investing.”
Inspire Access partners with donor-investors in multiple ways: from direct investments to fiscal sponsorship models that allow for-profits to receive grant capital via a 501(c)(3).
With an estimated $84 trillion in wealth expected to change hands in the next 20 years, the opportunity to shape the future of capital is now. Much of that wealth will flow through women – who, as Brickman emphasized, are increasingly values-driven and impact-oriented.
“This next generation is more concerned with making change than building personal wealth,” she said. “There’s so much hope in that.”
Patrice Brickman left the WIE Suite community with a challenge and an invitation: reimagine your philanthropy. Whether you’re a donor or a founder, there’s power in asking—what if we expected more from our giving? What if we treated capital as a tool for transformation, not just generosity?
“Get your philanthropic capital out there. Create some of your own. It’s more empowering than you could ever imagine.”
