A relatively new Cincinnati nonprofit — tapped earlier this year to be part of a prestigious national accelerator — has won $300,000 in funding over three years and more attention from the national sponsor organization.
Nearly a year ago, Found Village was named one of 14 nonprofits to join the Stand Together Foundation’s Catalyst Program, a management training and peer-learning program to help nonprofits grow, scale and replicate their success. Found Village was started in 2017 to help teens from difficult backgrounds find success. Billionaire Charles Koch in 2003 began hosting annual meetings of business leaders and philanthropists to support various education and policy initiatives — work that in 2019 became Stand Together.
Now, Found Village is one of the first 25 catalysts to have been selected to join the Stand Foundation’s Catalyst Impact Grant Program, which officially kicks off in January.
Nonprofits selected have the key ingredients to break the cycle of poverty. The grant program is designed to provide resources for increased effectiveness, including management training and customer feedback tools to help nonprofits grow, scale, and replicate their success.
“We here at Found Village are energized by this opportunity and grateful to receive access to innovative ideas, generous funding, and an incredibly robust suite of resources. Stand Together is an audacious force for good in this world, and we are honored to be Catalyst Impact Partners,” said Katie Nzekwu, co-executive director of Found Village.
By 2025, the Stand Together Foundation’s goal is to invest in up to 100 Catalyst partners who have successfully completed the Catalyst Program, committing up to $30 million to accelerate nonprofit impact and transform how society thinks about addressing poverty and social barriers.
Found Village was selected through an extensive vetting process and accepted into the program after a
rigorous evaluation focused on impact, customer surveying, reach, and principle alignment.
“Our Catalyst partners take a unique approach to helping people overcome barriers that is anchored in a
strong belief in people,” said Evan Feinberg, executive director at Stand Together Foundation. “This initiative is about deepening our partnership so that Catalysts can scale their reach, better understand their impact, and ultimately transform the way society thinks about addressing social barriers. If these organizations continue to grow in their effectiveness, and everyone in the country hears about what they are doing, we can transform the entire social sector in America.”
Stand Together Foundation is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in America. Since 2016, it has committed over $120 million to fuel the innovation of nonprofits throughout the country to build stronger, safer communities where all people can learn, contribute and realize their full potential.