Sonja Swift hails from coastal foothills in the homelands of the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash, California. She co-directs Windrose Fund of Common Counsel Foundation, is board chair of the Community Agroecology Network and also serves on the boards of the Colorado Plateau Foundation and Swift Foundation.
In traversing between the halls of economic influence and the courageous work of communities protecting lifeways and territory, she has consistently advocated for more accountability and coherency within the field of philanthropy. She has a BA in Cultural Ecology from the University of California Santa Cruz, an individualized MA from Goddard College and a MFA in creative writing from California College of the Arts.