efraín gutiérrez
hello dear one.
I’m Efraín Gutiérrez (he/they), a poet, gatherer, and facilitator exploring queerness, liberation, and the beauty of transformation.
I move through the world as a companion in change, an artist of liberation, and a witness to moments of becoming. My practice spans many forms, co-creating strategy with institutions, walking alongside individuals navigating transition, and crafting social practices and creative offerings that speak to our shared humanity. What ties it all together is presence, softness, and a belief in the transformative power of authenticity.​
I’m currently animated by one guiding question:
What becomes possible when we embrace our true selves—and each other—beyond fear, beyond binaries, and beyond what we've been told is possible?
I was born in Capilla de Guadalupe, a small town in the Los Altos region of Jalisco, Mexico. Though I now live in the United States —a place that feels like home— I carry with me the values I grew up with: honesty, community, and a deep responsibility to those around me. These roots shape how I hold space, how I listen, and how I build trust.
I hold a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington, where I learned to navigate systems and power with integrity. But it’s in the in-between spaces—poetry and conversation, reflection and ritual—where I’ve done my most meaningful learning.
For nearly a decade, I worked at FSG, advising foundations and nonprofits on equity-centered strategy and evaluation. I then joined the Obama Foundation, where I led the creation of its first learning and evaluation strategy, helping the organization reflect, adapt, and deepen its impact.​
Since 2021, I’ve run my own consulting practice, partnering with mission-driven organizations and high-net-worth individuals to support strategy, evaluation, and cultural transformation with intention and care. I’ve also helped shape Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy, a collaborative imagining new possibilities for the social sector through justice, imagination, and relationship.
Alongside this work, I create spaces for personal and collective liberation through art, storytelling, and embodied inquiry.
These experiences taught me and continue to teach me how to hold complexity, listen deeply, and design with clarity. They also reminded me that change work, at its best, is always human and personal.
“Efraín doesn’t just do meaningful work—he leads a meaningful life filled with care and generative ideas. While he's the real deal and isn’t afraid to tell the truth, he’ll also hold my hand after that truth is told and help me find my way.”
– Principal, Philanthropic Family Office