Science, Arts and Philanthropy
Cadencia Advisory brings private sector discipline to science and arts philanthropy. We operate where philanthropic capital, public research funds and early stage funding converge.
What We Do
For founders and institutional leaders in science and the arts whose ambitions require more than one kind of capital, Cadencia works at principal level on capital strategy and institutional relationships, advising on the full capital stack available to science and arts organisations, the sequencing of those relationships, and how philanthropic credibility and private capital reinforce each other at every stage.
For individuals, families and aligned communities of donors who understand that a philanthropic portfolio deserves the same careful construction as a financial one. Every client arrives with a different vision: a desire to shift policy, to honour a life, or to galvanise a scientific discovery. Our role is to ensure that when a donor gives, they give with clarity, confidence and conviction.
For arts and science organisations ready to move beyond conventional fundraising. The most significant philanthropic capital of this generation is held by donors who think like investors: they understand capital stacks, family office strategy, donor advised funds and the tax landscape around giving. Most institutions do not yet speak that language fluently.
Founder
Four years studying neuroscience and a studentship at the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King's College London led Michelle Crowe Hernandez to a practice working across science and arts philanthropy and the institutional relationships that bridge these worlds. She attended the inaugural Daphne Awards in Copenhagen in May 2026, whose founding thesis, that music and science are expressions of the same human endeavour, is one she has long held. A Certified Public Accountant by formation, her career spans Big Four tax, major donor fundraising at London Business School, and fourteen years of advisory practice across human rights, the performing arts and the sciences. Her cross-border perspective, born in Texas and based in London for two decades, informs an approach that treats philanthropy, capital strategy and family governance as parts of the same conversation.
She serves as Non-Executive Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is a member of the London Committee of Human Rights Watch, and supports the Francis Crick Institute. She writes at On Capital and Cause.
New Clients
Cadencia Advisory works with a small number of clients at any one time.
michelle@cadenciaadvisory.com