francisco@adelante.partners

Specialty Areas:

+ Assistance with Board of Directors
+ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
+ Fundraising & Development
+ Branding & Refreshed Images
+ Strategy (Frameworks, Plans)
+ Organizational Structure Executive Director Evaluation
+ Executive Coaching, Thought Partnership & Accountability
+ Meeting Facilitation
+ Community Engagement Strategies
+ Economic Development

Francisco Barajas is a proud first-generation Latino whose lived experience informs his deep commitment to advancing opportunity for historically underserved communities. Inspired by his mother’s migration journey, he is driven to help break cycles of inequity and expand pathways to social and economic mobility.

As Director of Development at Adelante Partners, Francisco leads business development and cultivates partnerships with foundations, nonprofit leaders, and mission-driven organizations. In addition to securing new engagements, he works closely with clients throughout Adelante’s consulting project lifecycle—guiding strategy, coordinating consultant teams, and supporting initiatives related to strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, philanthropic strategy, and organizational capacity building. Francisco plays a key role in translating client goals into actionable work plans, ensuring projects execute with clarity, collaboration, and measurable impact.

Francisco’s career spans both the public and nonprofit sectors. He began his professional journey as an Education Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps in rural South Africa, where he partnered with local educators and community leaders to strengthen access to education.

He later joined the Latino Community Foundation, where he managed a $1.4 million civic engagement grant program that leveraged more than $300 million in federal resources and helped build a statewide coalition of civically engaged Latino community leaders advancing community-driven solutions.

Francisco holds a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from Harvard University, where he served as a Research Fellow contributing policy recommendations for the Ministries of Education in Sierra Leone and Guatemala.

Outside of his professional work, Francisco enjoys photography, hosting gatherings with friends, and creative projects. A former ballet dancer, he brings the same creativity, discipline, and attention to detail to both his professional and personal pursuits.