Ricky Benavidez is a philanthropic strategist, cultural organizer, and narrative practitioner based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has spent over a decade working at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and systems change, helping funders, organizations, and communities imagine and invest in more liberated futures.

He currently serves as Director of The Carmack Collective and Associate Director at Ktisis Capital, where he advises donors and movement leaders on values-aligned giving strategies rooted in equity and imagination. His work spans climate justice, racial justice, and cultural power-building, with a deep belief in storytelling as essential infrastructure for change.

He is the founder of The Real Story, a live storytelling series and narrative platform designed to hold space for truth, memory, connection, and collective care. Through events, workshops, and public storytelling, Ricardo works to amplify real stories from real people, especially those too often left out of dominant narratives.

He believes that witnessing each other is an act of love, and that stories — told with care — can change the world.