Blog Post

Copy of Hero Image Template 1 (1)

Meet the People Behind the Platform | Katie Branch

Welcome to JustFund’s People Behind the Platform series, where we introduce our incredible team! Today, we are thrilled to introduce Katie Branch, JustFund’s Director of Customer Experience.


Before joining the JustFund team in October 2022, I spent the last decade working in philanthropy. I planned national galas at the National WWII Museum, raised funds for reproductive justice in the deep south, and supported organizations in the tech-for-good space to obtain access to capacity-building resources.

As soon as JustFund came onto my radar, I knew I wanted to be a part of the organization! My years of fundraising showed me the unbelievably difficult and inequitable barriers organizations must navigate to obtain essential resources to do their mission work. JustFund is stripping that away, moving millions of dollars with minimal effort on the applicant’s side, so that organizations can focus on what is really important. I was lucky to work for large organizations that had capacity for fundraising, but there are thousands of organizations doing just as important work with only a volunteer at the helm. They should be on an equal playing field, and JustFund gives them the chance to be. I feel so lucky to be sitting in a position to push philanthropy forward in this way.

Outside of JustFund, I’m a true New Orleanian. I believe there is always a need to be in a costume. I love exploring new restaurants and have recently added a daughter to the krewe! Our weekends are full of walking through beautiful City Park, dancing to tunes (something local if possible, Elmo if not), and searching for a cocktail to enjoy al fresco.

Iara Duarte Peng

Iara Duarte Peng

Iara Duarte Peng is the Founder and CEO of JustFund.

Related Articles

May 30, 2023

Measuring Impact Through an Equity Lens

Dear JustFund Community, The JustFund Common ApplicationTM consists of two parts: 1) a common profile that applicants fill out once; and 2) any specific questions and…

Read More
May 24, 2023

Meet the People Behind the Platform | Rose Stump

Welcome to JustFund’s People Behind the Platform series, where we introduce our incredible team! Today, we are thrilled to introduce Rose Stump, JustFund’s Operations Manager….

Read More
April 28, 2023

Time is Power

Dear JustFund Community, Our flagship grantmaking solution: the JustFund Common Application™ is the nation’s first — and only — common application platform  to move money quickly….

Read More
March 31, 2023

Celebrating Our JustFund Community

Dear JustFund Community, I’ve been reflecting on Women’s History Month and thinking about the many women who broke barriers, in particular in the field of technology. As…

Read More
March 6, 2023

We’ve moved 200 million dollars – together!!

“We’ve crossed 200 million dollars moved!” If that isn’t the best message to receive from the team, I don’t know what is.   When I launched…

Read More
February 27, 2023

Funding a BIPOC Future

Dear JustFund Community, When the Stanford Social Innovation Review released their article on Overcoming the Racial Bias in Philanthropic Funding in 2020, it reported what many of us have…

Read More
January 31, 2023

Revolutionizing The Way We Give

Dear JustFund Community, I planned to kick off 2023 with joy and celebration, yet the tragic events from the past three weeks are giving us…

Read More
October 31, 2022

Rewriting the Playbook on Philanthropy

Dear JustFund Community, It takes, on average, 15-25 hours for an organization to apply for funding. That translates roughly into $5,000 spent every time an…

Read More
September 9, 2022

How Access Changes the Game

Dear JustFund Community, Philanthropy and its systems and structures have a racial bias that results in the chronic underfunding of multiple communities, including groups that…

Read More