Nick Cunningham is the Chief Financial Officer of the National Policing Institute (NPI). He oversees NPI’s accounting, payroll, grant budgeting and reporting, contracting, and IT functions and leads a team of qualified accounting and grant management professionals.

Nick has worked with nonprofits in finance for more than a decade. Prior to becoming CFO, he served as NPI’s Senior Director of Finance. Before joining NPI, he was the Finance Director of a nonprofit with significant grant funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and some funding from the Department of Justice. Previously, Nick worked for a national public accounting firm that almost exclusively served nonprofit organizations. He also has experience guiding nonprofits funded by the US Agency for International Development, AmeriCorps, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Nick holds various professional licenses and certifications. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in South Carolina and North Carolina. He is also a Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP^®), a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC^®), a Project Management Professional (PMP^®), a Certified Plan Sponsor Professional (CPSP^®), and a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP). In addition, Nick has completed the Not-for-Profit Certificate II issued by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and the Nonprofit Management Certificate program through Winthrop University. He is a member of the National Grants Management Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Institute for Management Accountants. He also has an extensive background in accounting automation, process improvement, and system migrations.

Nick received his MBA from Georgia Southwestern State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in Accounting and Finance from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Outside of his professional work, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife, Shelby, and son, Nathan. He is deeply committed to his community and serves as a volunteer board member for a local nonprofit.