Location: Boston

One Family, Inc. was founded in 1999 by Paul and Phyllis Fireman and family, with a mission to end family homelessness in Massachusetts. Over the past 10 years, One Family Inc. has created a two-pronged, replicable and measurable approach to ending family homelessness in Massachusetts which includes systems change and the One Family Scholars program. One Family believes that no parent and child should be homeless in this state, and that the long-term solution lies in strategies that promote economic independence and create affordable housing.  As such, One Family engages in policy work to shift state government from managing homelessness to ending it. 

The One Family Scholars program is a one-of-a-kind scholarship program that breaks the cycle of poverty by supporting low-income single parents on their journey to economic self-sufficiency through higher education.  Unlike traditional scholarship programs that focus solely on tuition, the One Family Scholars program focuses on four core building blocks for success: college, career, financial, and leadership.  For more information, please visit http://www.onefamilyinc.org. 

Location: Boston, MA

The District Management Council (DMC) is a fast-growing, entrepreneurial organization that supports CEO’s of public school districts as they seek to dramatically improve public education through helping them identify and implement management best practices.  DMC’s work falls into three major buckets:  consulting, leadership events and best practices.  Utilizing these three avenues, we serve primarily the largest 2,000 school districts in the nation, some of whom serve more than 1 million students and manage over a billion dollars in annual budgets.  Additionally, District and Community Partners, which is a division of DMC, is recognized as being on the leading edge in improving achievement of students with special needs.

The District Management Council is the nation’s premier network of public school district leaders and believes in creating lasting, positive change by focusing the best strategic and analytical consulting minds in the country on solving the most urgent questions facing public school districts in the United States.

Location: Ipswich, MA

The mission of the Trustees of Reservations is to preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts. The organization cares for over 100 properties that comprise more than 24,000 acres and monitor 285 Conservation Restrictions protecting another 16,700 acres.  In 1891, the Trustees of Reservations was founded by a small band of visionary volunteers.  Over the past ten years, the organization has evolved into a dynamic $20M operation with 180 year-round employees who are led by a volunteer governance structure and supported by over 45,000 member households.  A recent strategic planning process strengthened the core organizational goals and set an ambitious plan in motion to increase the organization’s impact and visibility through 2017.

Location: Boston, MA

Currently the nation’s largest search firm working specifically with social entrepreneurs and growth-oriented nonprofits, Commongood Careers is committed to providing best-in-class search services to organizations such as New Profit, Inc., Playworks, Project HEALTH, BUILD, Share Our Strength and KIPP.  Founded in 2005 by a group of nonprofit professionals, we are celebrating our 5th anniversary and are poised for exciting growth.  We are leveraging and expanding our networks, continuing to innovate and improve upon our service delivery model, and have recently re-launched an exciting new career advising practice for socially-driven job seekers.  Commongood Careers is a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven work environment guided by the values of Purpose, Diversity, Respect, Innovation, Accountability, and Fun.  To learn more about us, please visit our website at http://www.cgcareers.org

Location: Cambridge, MA

New Profit is a nonprofit venture philanthropy fund that exists to help innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations bring about widespread and transformative impact on critical social problems.  We work to fulfill this mission with two approaches: 1) providing multi-year financial and strategic support to help a portfolio of innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations realize their full potential for social impact; and 2) helping to build an environment in which all innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations may realize their full potential for social impact.  New Profit believes that just as entrepreneurship and invention have driven our nation’s progress, so too can we harness America’s spirit of innovation, vision, and optimism to help solve our most pressing social problems.

With the support of individual investors and our signature partner, Monitor Group, New Profit works with social entrepreneur-led organizations tackling persistent social problems in education, workforce development, public health, and other areas.  In addition, we bring together social innovators from across sectors at the annual Gathering of Leaders, and also drive other initiatives to release the potential of social entrepreneurship.  Included among these is America Forward, a nonpartisan initiative that connects social sector innovators and their partners with policymakers, legislators, and thought leaders to advance an infrastructure for innovators and government to act together to scale the impact of proven and promising solutions. 

Location: Boston, MA

BUILD, a social venture headquartered in Northern California with offices in the Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Boston, is a four-year, entrepreneurship-focused college preparation program.  Our mission is to provide real-world entrepreneurial experience that empowers youth from under-resourced communities to excel in education, lead in their communities, and succeed professionally. By helping students develop and run their own small businesses, BUILD supplements traditional school with real-world business experiences and critical skill-building for the future. For more information about the organization, please visit our website at http://www.build.org.

Location: Cambridge, MA

New Profit is a nonprofit venture philanthropy fund that exists to help innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations bring about widespread and transformative impact on critical social problems.  We work to fulfill this mission with two approaches: 1) providing multi-year financial and strategic support to help a portfolio of innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations realize their full potential for social impact; and 2) helping to build an environment in which all innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations may realize their full potential for social impact. 

With the support of individual investors and our signature partner, Monitor Group, New Profit works with social entrepreneur-led organizations tackling persistent social problems in education, workforce development, public health, and other areas.  New Profit also drives other initiatives to help scale social innovations, including the annual Gathering of Leaders, America Forward, and Urban Assets Initiative.  We believe that just as entrepreneurship and invention have driven our nation’s progress, so too can we harness America’s spirit of innovation, vision, and optimism to help solve our most pressing social problems.

Location: Boston, MA

EdVestors is an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization dedicated to driving change in urban schools through smart, strategic private investment.  EdVestors seeks to close the opportunity gap for children by identifying and shaping the most effective school improvement initiatives and partnering with donors to invest in those efforts while supporting the project leaders with hands-on expertise.  Since its launch in 2002, EdVestors has raised over $9 million in funds for urban school improvement.  For more information, please visit http://www.edvestors.org.

Location: Cambridge, MA

New Profit is a nonprofit venture philanthropy fund that exists to help innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations bring about widespread and transformative impact on critical social problems.  We work to fulfill this mission with two approaches: 1) providing multi-year financial and strategic support to help a portfolio of innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations realize their full potential for social impact; and 2) helping to build an environment in which all innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations may realize their full potential for social impact.  New Profit believes that just as entrepreneurship and invention have driven our nation’s progress, so too can we harness America’s spirit of innovation, vision, and optimism to help solve our most pressing social problems.

With the support of individual investors and our signature partner, Monitor Group, New Profit works with social entrepreneur-led organizations tackling persistent social problems in education, workforce development, public health, and other areas.  In addition, we bring together social innovators from across sectors at the annual Gathering of Leaders, and also drive other initiatives to release the potential of social entrepreneurship.  Included among these is America Forward, a nonpartisan initiative that connects social sector innovators and their partners with policymakers, legislators, and thought leaders to advance an infrastructure for innovators and government to act together to scale the impact of proven and promising solutions. 

Location: Boston, MA

Founded on the belief that young people have the power and responsibility to change the world, Peace First (formerly Peace Games) builds effective school climates by focusing on two major efforts within a school: teaching children the skills of cooperation, communication, conflict resolution, and civic engagement; and providing educators with the critical skills and knowledge to integrate social-emotional learning into the school’s curriculum and culture.  Combined, these efforts strengthen schools’ social and academic environments, leading to stronger schools and more successful students.  An innovative, weekly curriculum taught by young adult volunteers, and reinforced by intensive coaching for principals and a cohort of teachers engages whole school communities in transformative experiential education.  Since its founding in 1992, Peace First has worked with over 64 schools in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York.  We have promising data from our schools:  a USC study found a 60% decrease in disruptive incidences at the school, 36% decrease in physical aggression, and 81% of students reporting they can walk away from a fight.  A recent strategic planning process strengthened the core program model and set an ambitious plan in motion to triple the organization’s reach in three years.  For more information, please visit http://www.peacefirst.org.

Location: Brighton, MA

Cradles to Crayons (C2C) was founded in 2002, with the mission of providing children with the basic essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn and valued. These essentials include clothing, shoes, school supplies, and much more. By partnering with social-service organizations in the Boston area, C2C connects communities that have surplus resources—new or gently used items in good condition—with communities that desperately need access to those resources.

While meeting the immediate needs of low-income children, C2C also sets a foundation for lasting change by providing meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities to thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations each year. This innovative and highly effective model has led to C2C receiving the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator. Headquartered near Boston, MA, C2C also opened a Philadelphia location in 2006. In 2009, C2C-Boston served 45,000 children through its Everyday Essentials and Ready to Learn programs. With a current operating budget of $1.5 million and a staff of 21, C2C-Boston plans to double the number of children served to 90,000 within the next three to five years.