TechnoServe Celebrates $5 Million Gift from Tierney Family
Country projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America to benefit from revitalized TechnoServe Tierney Fellows Program
NEW YORK, October 20, 2026--TechnoServe announced a landmark $5 million gift from Paul and Susan Tierney's family foundation —the biggest gift of its kind in the organization's history—to benefit the newly renamed TechnoServe Tierney Fellows Program.
"This gift is an investment in the futures of hardworking smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia and Latin America who deserve the opportunity to change their lives and communities for the better," said Paul Tierney. "My family is proud to fund the TechnoServe Tierney Fellows Program, an initiative that began with my son, Matt Tierney, and Eric Sillman thirty years ago, which continues to deliver real impact today."
Matt Tierney and Eric Sillman were TechnoServe's first Fellows, travelling to Peru in 1996 to help implement a monitoring and evaluation framework. Paul Tierney's leadership over nearly three decades as Chair of TechnoServe's Board of Directors helped scale the initiative from a local pilot into a global talent engine.
In the past 30 years, more than 1,300 TechnoServe Tierney Fellows have completed over 1,600 strategic advisory projects, contributing donated expert services valued at nearly $2 million in 2025 alone.
Tierney Fellows serve as a pro bono advisory pipeline of top management consultants and corporate strategists who work as volunteers alongside TechnoServe country teams. They undertake three- to 12-month advisory assignments conducting market systems analysis, supply chain evaluation, and growth strategy.
"The highly selective TechnoServe Tierney Fellows Program has always been about bringing extraordinary people into the work of ending poverty," said Will Warshauer, TechnoServe's CEO. "Paul and his family have been part of that story since the very beginning. Renaming the program in their honor is a small way of recognizing the extraordinary contribution that he has made in bringing business skills to bear on fighting poverty around the world."
These analytical engagements directly inform core TechnoServe initiatives, including entrepreneurship programs that generate over $10 in local economic benefit for every $1 invested.
The Tierney family's $5 million commitment provides critical funding that ensures that the TechnoServe Tierney Fellows Program can continue to grow and be a source of top tier talent for years to come.
Today, many program alumni hold leadership roles across business, philanthropy, and international development, with several serving on TechnoServe's senior management team.