Since our founding, philanthropic communities have been key to supporting our journalism. To help cultivate these relationships, we’re excited to announce the hire of Poorvaja Rajagopalan as our new development associate for philanthropy. She is based in Chicago and will start with us on October 3.

Poorvaja graduated from the University of Chicago with a double major in history and public policy, writing her undergraduate thesis on laws criminalizing homosexuality in 19th century colonial South Asia. She honed her interest in environmental policy through her time as an intern with the energy transmission company Anbaric, where she studied offshore wind as a renewable energy source.

Prior to joining The 19th, Poorvaja worked as a grant writer and federal liaison with Anthropocene Alliance, a coalition of community-based environmental justice groups. She helped grassroots activists access funding for projects that addressed climate crises while supporting sustainable community development. She also met with environmental nonprofits to develop strategies for mitigating flooding, particularly in coastal communities.

Poorvaja has also worked as a legal writer and editor, focused on immigration law. She has led teams of paralegals and technical writers to assemble cases for scientists and researchers. In her free time, she volunteers with the nonprofit Chicago Books to Women in Prison.

Please join us in welcoming Poorvaja to our team!