Lisa Sullivan Bet on Herself and Started LS Ventures

Lisa Sullivan has sat on both sides of the check. She started in nonprofit programming, moved into fundraising, stepped into leadership, and eventually became a grantmaker deciding where money went. Every seat showed her the same gap: Organizations doing essential community work were getting funded in ways that left them fragile. She is closing that gap with her business.

Lisa Sullivan is the founder and CEO of LS Ventures, a Colorado consulting practice serving funders, foundations, nonprofits, and community-rooted organizations. She describes herself as a Black woman, speaker, consultant, and founder, with over 15 years across the corporate and nonprofit sectors. A member of the Entreprenista League, she works on power, capital, alignment, and organizational durability.

“In many ways, my journey has been about moving from being underestimated inside systems to helping redesign how systems prepare, fund, and sustain impact,” Lisa says.

Both sides of the check

Programming put Lisa close to the daily work. Fundraising taught her what it takes to resource a mission. Leadership pushed her into strategy, culture, and sustainability. Then she became a grantmaker, and the view widened again.

“Sitting on the other side of the check gave me a broader view of how funding decisions are made, how power shows up in those relationships, and how much opportunity there is for philanthropy to become more accountable,” she says.

Her fundraising record is specific. Lisa led a $2.5 million COVID-19 relief fund for nonprofits serving older adults and launched the first young professionals program focused on aging initiatives. She serves on the Creative Ideas Fund Council, supporting inclusive projects for people with developmental disabilities, and sits on a board devoted to bereaved mothers.

She was also often the only Black woman in the room, and the only person naming certain dynamics. “It taught me the difference between being invited into a room and actually being supported, trusted, and heard in that room,” she says.

Choosing herself

Lisa did not plan on being a founder. She expected her career to stay inside established nonprofits and foundations. Then she experienced discrimination and left a workplace culture that harmed her.

“I took the leap because I reached a point where staying was costing too much of me,” she says. “I could keep trying to survive inside systems that were not built to honor my full humanity, or I could take a risk on myself.” The risk itself is what she is proudest of. She gave herself room to build something that reflected her values and the kind of impact she actually wanted to have.

A building year and a rebuilding year

The first year did double duty. “I wish I had known that the first year could be both a building year and a rebuilding year,” she says. “I wish I had given myself permission earlier to move at the pace of healing required.”

She marketed the business while rebuilding her confidence, holding on to one reminder that she was starting from experience, wisdom, and relationships.

“One of my biggest wins from last year is finding my voice again,” she says. “Standing more fully in my story, my expertise, and my leadership feels like a major win.”

Readiness as an act of care

Lisa serves 2 audiences. Funders come to her to examine power dynamics, trust, decision-making, and how capital creates impact. Nonprofits and community-rooted organizations come earlier, before they pursue larger funding, to look honestly at leadership capacity, internal systems, program clarity, and board alignment.

When an organization is not ready yet, she treats that as a starting point. “My role is to help them understand what needs to be strengthened so they can become more durable, better resourced, and prepared to hold the opportunities they are working toward,” she says.

“I do not want to see another organization that has been deeply valuable to a community have to close its doors because it lost funding,” she says. For Lisa, readiness is a form of care, a way of making sure organizations are not pushed toward money before they can hold it well.

What raising capital taught her

Lisa has raised capital for LS Ventures, and the learning lessons mirror the advice she gives nonprofits. Readiness matters as much for founders as it does for organizations. Before seeking capital, you need clarity on what you are building and what infrastructure you need to hold it. “My best tip is to know your numbers, know your story, and know your ask,” she says. “Raising capital requires confidence, relationships, and the ability to communicate your vision clearly without shrinking it.”

What’s next for LS Ventures

The speaking side of the business is growing. Her keynote, Leading Without Losing Yourself: Building Sustainable Leadership in a Culture of Burnout, brings together her lived experience and the message she most wants leaders to hear: Exhaustion is not a badge of honor.

Consulting, workshops, and thought leadership on funding readiness are all expanding. The work may grow into a venture fund or another funding vehicle for the social enterprise side of the business.

You can follow Lisa on LinkedIn, and you can find her consulting, speaking, and alignment sessions at lisas.me.

Lisa built LS Ventures alongside a community of women founders doing the same. No one should ever have to build a business alone. Consider this your official invitation to join us.