Thomas Hilbink

Tom Hilbink is the director of the Grant Making Support Group, leading the group's efforts to foster a shared culture of grant making across the Open Society's global network of programs and foundations, through policy, training, and knowledge development.

Prior to joining the Grant Making Support Group in 2014, Hilbink spent seven years as a program officer and senior program officer with Open Society U.S. Programs, overseeing portfolios on constitutional and legal advocacy, political corruption, transparency, and LGBTI rights. He also developed and led a portfolio on civic engagement and government reform in New Orleans.

Hilbink came to Open Society from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he was assistant professor of legal studies. His scholarly work looked at how different sources of funding for legal activities influenced lawyers’ engagement with social movements in 20th century U.S. Tom’s work has been published in Cause Lawyers & Social Movements, Law & Social Inquiry, and Law & Society Review.

Hilbink's work with government and civil society also includes positions at the U.S. Court of Appeals (10th Circuit), the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the UN International Law Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union, and SOS Racisme-Catalunya.

Born in Portugal, Hilbink has also lived in France, Spain, and the United States.