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Fund for a Safer Future Names Rob Wilcox as First President & Chief Executive Officer

Former Co-Deputy Director of White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to Lead National Funder Collaborative at Pivotal Moment of Growth and Impact

[Washington, DC] – [December 8, 2025] – The Fund for a Safer Future (FSF), the nation’s largest donor collaborative dedicated to preventing firearm injury and death, today announced the appointment of Rob Wilcox as its first President and Chief Executive Officer. Wilcox, who served as co-deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the Biden-Harris Administration, brings a track-record of turning evidence-informed strategies into real world results, including helping drive recent, historic decreases in gun injury and death nationwide. He joins FSF at a time when coordinated, evidence-informed approaches have helped drive significant declines in homicides nationwide and stemmed an increase in firearm suicide, offering a clear playbook for continued progress. 

Wilcox assumes his new post at a watershed moment for FSF, which recently received a five year $25 million grant commitment from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, a transformative investment in the Fund’s grantmaking capacity and reach. With the addition of Wilcox, FSF’s capacity to enlist even more philanthropic partners and deepen the work of firearm homicide and suicide prevention will grow exponentially. Talia Wright, who currently serves as the Fund’s executive director, will now be able to focus more deeply on member engagement and outreach, and the Fund plans to expand its staff and capacity in the coming years. 

“Rob Wilcox is the ideal leader to guide FSF into this exciting next chapter,” said Tim Daly, Chair of FSF’s Executive Committee and a Senior Advisor to the Joyce Foundation. “His experience at the federal level, combined with his deep relationships across the gun violence prevention movement and his track record of turning policy into results across the full spectrum of firearm injury and death prevention, makes him uniquely qualified to lead us at this next phase of growth.”

Since its founding in 2011, FSF has expanded from five members to more than 35, directly investing more than $25 million to prevent firearm injury and death. Aligned grantmaking by members has now surpassed  $250 million. The recent Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation grant, in addition to other fundraising growth, will enable FSF to significantly expand its grantmaking in 2025 and beyond.

“I’m honored to build on the strong foundation that Talia Wright and the FSF team has created, and excited to help philanthropy turn today’s progress into lasting, life-saving change,” said Rob Wilcox. “For more than twenty years, I’ve seen real progress on gun violence when communities, researchers, policymakers, health systems, law enforcement and funders move in the same direction. We are now witnessing historic reductions in homicides because proven strategies were supported and coordinated, and we are taking action to address the unacceptably high levels of firearm suicide. Stepping into this role at FSF feels like a natural next step in that work. ”

While acting as co-deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Wilcox led the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant federal gun safety legislation enacted in 30 years. The law expanded and enhanced background checks, enacted a federal gun trafficking law, funded the implementation of red flag laws, and invested $15 billion in violence intervention, mental and school safety programs. The White House Office also coordinated an unprecedented all-of-government response to gun violence that helped drive notable decreases in gun deaths, including substantial reductions in homicides over the past several years. 

Prior to his White House service, Wilcox served in senior policy roles at Everytown for Gun Safety, where he worked on state and federal legislative efforts, including advising Senator Chris Murphy during the negotiation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. His personal connection to the issue—his cousin Laura was killed in a workplace shooting in 2001—has driven his commitment to evidence-informed solutions for more than two decades.

“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the anti-gun violence movement that fueled it simply wouldn’t exist without Rob Wilcox,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). “Stopping gun violence and saving lives is personal to Rob, and we need fierce advocates for solutions that work now more than ever. His experience, expertise, and deep relationships make him uniquely qualified to lead the Fund for a Safer Future and I look forward to continue fighting alongside him as we work to stop gun deaths and make all of our communities safer.” 

With an influx of funding and Wilcox at the helm, FSF grantmaking priorities remain clear: policy and legal strategies, research, communications and narrative change, and field building and infrastructure. These priorities reflect FSF’s commitment to addressing firearm injury and death in all its forms. Current focus areas include Community Violence Intervention, firearm suicide prevention, and support for state-level advocacy. 

“Rob’s appointment represents further evidence of our growth and deepening impact,” added Daly. “We’re not just hiring an exceptional leader—we’re signaling that FSF is positioned to be an even more powerful force in the gun violence prevention movement. Our members can be confident that their investments will be guided by someone who understands both the urgency of this crisis and the strategies that work.”

Wilcox will begin his role as Chief Executive Officer for FSF in January 2026. This appointment follows a national search led by Cooper Coleman LLC, an executive search firm specializing in leadership recruitment for social impact organizations. Talia Wright, who has served as Executive Director since 2022, will continue with the Fund in a senior leadership role. 

About the Fund for a Safer Future

The Fund for a Safer Future is the only national donor collaborative exclusively focused on reducing gun violence in America. Composed of more than 35 foundations and philanthropists, FSF pools expertise and financial resources to support advocacy, research, education, and community-based organizing strategies designed to reduce gun injuries and deaths. The Fund will grant $9 million in 2025 and its funding partners have made more than $250 million in aligned grants since 2011. Find out more at www.fundforasaferfuture.org. 

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