New York City-based investment executive William Harnisch established Peconic Partners after he completed a distinguished career with Forstmann-Leff Associates. In addition to his role as the chief investment strategist for Peconic Partners, William Harnisch oversees grant-making and strategic planning for his family charitable foundation, the Harnisch Foundation.
To achieve its mission of empowering young girls to lead, the Harnisch Foundation (HF) developed the Funny Girls program through a partnership with New York City’s Magnet Theater and the performing arts-focused nonprofit Pilobolus. Funny Girls is an out-of-school program designed to help preadolescent girls develop self-confidence and leadership skills through improv games and activities.
According to the foundation's website, improv emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and spontaneity, making it a great medium for encouraging third- to eighth-grade girls to test their limits and reach their potential.
HF and its partners developed and tested the Funny Girl curriculum with input from the young participants in their New York City-based pilot program. Since 2017, HF has launched the Funny Girl program at partner organization sites across the country, including in New York and Virginia.
