About
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” James Baldwin
Ray Hailey (he/him/his) is a social entrepreneur, educator, researcher, organizer, and experienced advisor. He has worked both domestically and abroad in nonprofits and social enterprise roles. He currently serves as the National Portfolio Manager, Amplify Lead at GreenLight Fund. GreenLight is a national nonprofit providing capacity building and funding to community-based organizations tackling generational poverty. Ray's team oversaw the investing activities, program tools and resources, and portfolio management for the organization. As a trusted partner, he plays a cross-cutting role leading and supporting network sites and their portfolio organization on leadership and governance, revenue and fundraising, program impact, operational and internal capacity, local community engagement, and commitment to racial and economic equity. Ray's secret sauce is in co-developing and power sharing with communities and organizations of color.
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Prior to GreenLight, Ray developed a lecture series titled Beyond Tulsa: Overlooked Stories of America’s Black Wall Streets. The curriculum centered the experiences of stolen Black wealth, opportunities, and wellbeing in the Jackson Ward District of Richmond, Hayti in Durham, Sweet Auburn District in Atlanta, West Ninth Street in Little Rock and Farish Street in Jackson. Scholars were encouraged to develop economic and/or community development social enterprises to address anti-Black institutional racism and structural inequity. As a scholar, his research focused on the Treating Proximity as a First Response—Not a Last Resort—to Dismantling Problematic Systems. Through mixed methods research methods, his analysis substantiated that social entrepreneurs who have had previous interactions with these systemic problems and the communities affected are experts, and their personal experiences and innovative approaches help catalyze meaningful and sustainable change in communities.​
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Ray has a BA in International Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Development and two minors in Economics and Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach. He also has a Master of Science in Social Entrepreneurship and Graduate Certificate in Finance at the Marshall School of Business from the University of Southern California. He recently completed the Financial Success for Nonprofit Certificate from Cornell University.
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Outside of work, Ray enjoys baking, bike riding on the coast, writing, and painting with his partner Ameer and two fur babies Debbie and Kairo.
Guiding Prinicples
Part of our Theory of Change is that when nonprofits are well-led, well-resourced, and well-connected they achieve mission success. As we work toward our mission of fueling the impact and effectiveness of nonprofits with guidance, expertise, and capital, we use these principles as a strategy screen, as accountability markers, and as a handshake, whether you’re new through our door or an old Upscale Capacity friend.
Our Vision
A diverse network of mission-driven nonprofits building a healthy, vibrant, and more just community
Our Commitment to Results
My work focuses on redistributing power in philanthropy to address structural racism and advance Black self-determination. Rebalancing power is essential to reimagining capitalism, building more equitable economies, elevating community ideas, expanding opportunity, and shifting power toward Black-led nonprofits and entrepreneurs.
Our Philosophy
Ray Hailey believes in the idea of Protopia. Protopia is the idea that every day we can actively work toward the world we want to see.
Our Experience
I have more than 10 years of experience catalyzing human and financial capital for good, serving in professional and volunteer roles as a funder, intermediary, advisor, consultant, facilitator, and educator.
