Biography
Phuong Tran Nguyen, M.A., joined the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy research team in 2024 as Associate Research Innovator. Her primary research focuses on the ways philanthropy impacts the economy – both nationally and globally. She is also interested in behavioral economics, game theory, philanthropy behaviors, and enhancing the learning experience for scholars and practitioners.
Her previous life experience has shaped her into a person who is deeply committed to translating research into practice, which led her to a graduate school research internship with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. After grad school she accepted the position of Organizational Scholarships Program Manager at Scholarship America, an organization that had awarded her their Scholarship America Dream Award. The Program Manager position included managing two national scholarship programs delivering over $774,550 in scholarship dollars to undergraduate students.
Since joining the research team at the school, she has led projects such as The 2025 Study of Philanthropy Charitable Giving by Affluent Households (funded by Bank of America), and The LGBTQ+ Index: Measuring Giving to LGBTQ+ Organizations, and the Black Philanthropy Dashboard.
Within the community, she volunteers as a mentor for Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis; as a Philanthropic Advisor for nonprofits, foundations, and startups; as a mentor for high school to post grad students; and as a previous board member for North Dakota Dollars for Scholars and Global Friends Coalition.
Phuong Tran earned her B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of North Dakota, and her M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.