Strategy. Community.

Ekstrom, Alley Clontz & Associates—often referred to as EAC—was founded more than 26 years ago by Helmer Ekstrom, a visionary leader in the field of community philanthropy.

Soon after, Helmer invited Angela Powers and Bryan Clontz to join him. Together, they built an international reputation as the premier consultancy for community foundations seeking strategy, planning, advising and assessment services. Over the years, the firm continued to grow in scope and reputation, and Steve Alley became its managing partner in 2015.

Today, EAC is a team of senior-level professionals and partners who work with philanthropic organizations across the U.S. and around the globe.

While best known for its expertise in comprehensive strategic planning, EAC’s services also include consulting and advising on specific areas of business, such as affiliate structure, board development, business planning, field building, and grant strategy. Most recently, EAC is proud to be at the forefront of facilitation, training, and consultancy in DEIJ, branding, marketing and communications, executive and team coaching, and more

Nimble, supportive, knowledgeable–and fun. These are just a few of the adjectives that people have used to describe working with us.

It’s true. We’re passionate about community philanthropy and we bring experience and heart to every engagement. We also pride ourselves on a business model that ensures all clients work directly with our core team because we believe community leadership is too important a calling to take for granted.

Why EAC?

For starters, community foundations are our passion. We believe in the collective power of community and the unique opportunities and capabilities of community philanthropy.

But that’s not all. Here are five more reasons why you might consider working with us.

  • Our client experience and network connections provide a wide-ranging wealth of thoughtful, effective ideas—and practical and tangible solutions

  • All of our partners have experience in community foundations and philanthropy. In other words, you won’t need to educate us on the ins-and-outs of the work you do. We come armed with proven strategies, tools, and approaches.

  • While we are not shy about asking the tough questions—or sharing a perspective on what it means to be a diverse and inclusive organization—-we also respect your aims, your purpose, and your pace.

  • We work with a limited number of clients at once to ensure that you have our full attention and support of our team. We do what it takes to ensure the best outcome and best quality possible—every time.

  • We leverage the diversity of our team’s experiences, training, identities and perspectives to address your organizational misalignments from as many perspectives as possible to give you a 360-view on your work.

  • “The feasibility study and report we received from EAC has been extremely formative to our work. They provided solid advice which has greatly impacted our strategic planning. We still quote the report two-and-a-half years later as we continue to evolve in our efforts to pursue long-term “sticky” assets as gifts to our foundation.”

    Amy Cheney, former vice president for giving strategies
    The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

  • “EAC’s knowledge of the field gave our board a perspective of community foundation operations that they would have otherwise never had. The firm opened a wide range of possibilities and opportunities.”

    Nancy Anthony, former executive director
    Oklahoma City Community Foundation

  • “EAC allowed us to get staff and board singing from the same sheet of music. Their facilitation of our strategic planning process gave focus to the work of the foundation, and stimulated a belief in our ability to become one of the fastest growing community foundations in the country. They were also fun to work with!”

    Terri Lee Freeman, former president
    The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region

  • “EAC’s’ vast knowledge of the community foundation work—coupled with their nimble capacity to facilitate new thinking and thoughtful conversation—made them the perfect managers of our strategic planning.”

    Ronald V. Gallo, former president & CEO
    Santa Barbara Foundation