Ramón Valdez

Ramón Valdez is a program officer on the Strategic Initiatives team, where he supports the design and implementation of two key areas of work: Together, We Rise, which focuses on leadership development, civic engagement, community organizing, movement building and field infrastructure; and Our Shared Purpose, which promotes philanthropic and cross-sector collaboration to advance systemic justice.

In this role, Ramón helps implement and shape Meyer’s grantmaking strategies by identifying and cultivating promising projects aligned with initiative goals. He develops funding recommendations, supports grantees and collaborates with internal teams and external partners to foster collective action and advance transformational change.

Ramón was drawn to Meyer because of its deep commitment to equity and systems-level impact. After years of working in grassroots and statewide efforts across issue areas, he saw in Meyer an opportunity to support transformative work across the movements and communities he cares about. His professional background spans community organizing, strategy and technology for social impact.

Before joining Meyer, Ramón served as director of strategic initiatives at Seeding Justice, where he helped design and lead projects and digital infrastructure efforts to streamline funding to community-based organizations. Earlier in his career, he worked at Innovation Law Lab, helping design and manage statewide legal representation and tools to improve legal and humanitarian response systems for immigrants across Oregon.

Ramón is the founder of GrantEater.ai, a tool designed to help nonprofits improve and streamline their grant writing workflows using artificial intelligence. He also serves on the boards of Pueblo Unido PDX, Sana Sana – Centro de Salud y Expresión, and Asylum Clinic KC, where he contributes to governance, strategy and long-term organizational development in service of immigrant and refugee communities.

In his free time, Ramón enjoys hiking, paddleboarding, listening to and playing music, and spending time with his dog, Ollie. He also enjoys cooking, attending live music events and exploring Portland’s food cart scene.

Ramón joined Meyer in July 2025.