Syman Stevens

In 2019, Syman founded Co-Creative Consulting in Greenville SC to provide operational support and/or strategic counsel to philanthropies.

Syman’s background lends itself to the various responsibilities of building or directing a private foundation, including: - Process Design: Timelines and best practices for open calls, individual proposals, or closed competitions. - Grants Administration: Charter compliance review, grant payment schedules, and budget forecasting. - System Design: Online submission portals, external review portals, MLE dashboards, and progress reports. - Strategy and Partnerships: Fidelity to donor intent, priority setting, and the search for mission-aligned partners. Syman’s career began with the BioLogos Foundation and Trinity Forum Academy, both of which serve as compelling examples of interdisciplinary cultural engagement. As Director of these small teams, Syman learned to balance the management of operational and administrative details with the bigger picture of overall strategic direction. This same combination of technical competence and big-picture insight carried through to Syman’s interdisciplinary academic work. After graduating from Furman University, Syman earned master’s degrees from Cambridge University and from Columbia University, and finally a doctorate from Oxford University. Syman’s philanthropic work began at Templeton World Charity Foundation. As one of the first Program Officers for TWCF, Syman leaned into a multifaceted role that cut across the typical divides between grant proposal development, improvement of operational and administrative policies, and even Board-engaged strategic planning. When needed, Syman also tracked the foundation’s external budget, and implemented continuous improvements to the grant management software used for application intake, expert review, and progress reports. For the past four years, Syman has partnered with philanthropies and non-profits in projects that range from public calls for proposals to expert review of applications, and from writing reports on grant portfolios to planning and facilitating team retreats. Recent clients include John Templeton Foundation, Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation, BioLogos Foundation, and Templeton Religion Trust. Syman regularly juggles a handful of short-term projects with specific deliverables for his clients, but also sets aside time for longer-term, exploratory partnerships with family foundations.