Call for Discovery Submissions: Economic Mobility Catalyze cohort
New Profit, through its Catalyze cohort in Economic Mobility, will provide $100,000 of one-year unrestricted funding, $10,000 of funding for leadership development, and strategic advisory support to a cohort of innovative nonprofit organizations expanding access and opportunity in America.
The Economic Mobility cohort will provide funding to organizations with transformative strategies that advance employment outcomes, pathways to income generation, and financial health.
To be considered for the 2025 grantmaking cycle for the Catalyze Economic Mobility cohort, New Profit invites interested organizations to complete this Discovery Form by Friday, May 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET / 8:59 pm PT.
Invitations to complete a full application to this year’s cycle will be sent in June to organizations considered a strong fit based on alignment to New Profit’s portfolio investing strategic priorities – see below for more information.
Submitting a New Profit Discovery Form
New Profit will also continue to accept Discovery Form submissions on a rolling basis throughout the year for grantmaking cycles taking place in 2026 and beyond.
Submitting a Discovery Form communicates that you are interested in funding from New Profit and gives us baseline information to help assess strategic alignment to a given grantmaking cycle before inviting organizations to invest the time in applying. Submitting a Discovery Form does not mean you are submitting an application. Learn more about our Discovery Form here.
If you are interested in being considered for the upcoming Catalyze Economic Mobility cohort grantmaking cycle, select “Cycle-specific submission” in the “Submission Type” section of the Discovery Form. Otherwise, select “General Submission.”
If you have submitted a Discovery Form within the last 12 months or have previously applied to the Economic Mobility cohort, please reach out to [email protected] and we will send you a unique link to review and edit your prior submission. Otherwise, please fill out a new form.
You can download an editable version of the Discovery Form to draft your responses. Discovery Forms must be submitted via the link above by the due date for consideration.
Catalyze Support Model
Catalyze cohorts are at their best when cohort members are fully engaged. Selected Social Entrepreneurs are expected to participate in the Catalyze support model and peer learning community in the following ways:
- Social Entrepreneurs attend three in-person convenings, each of which are held across three to four days. Convening dates for this cohort will be shared with organizations invited to complete a full application.
- Social Entrepreneurs attend three virtual learning sessions, each lasting 1-2 hours. Webinar dates for this cohort will be shared with organizations invited to complete a full application.
- Social Entrepreneurs engage with the New Profit Cohort Team via strategic advising sessions (e.g. 60-minute strategic advising calls every other month).
Programming requires a commitment of 6-8 hours per month on average. New Profit covers travel, accommodation, and meal expenses for each in-person convening.
Catalyze Cohort Eligibility Criteria
Organizations interested in being considered for the Catalyze Economic Mobility cohort must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Focus on the United States: Organization operates in and primarily serves communities in the United States and its territories.
- 501(c)(3) status: Organization or its fiscal sponsor is an independent 501(c)(3).
- Annual expenses: Organization’s annual expenses for its most recently closed fiscal year are between $250,000 and $2 million.
- Led by a full-time Social Entrepreneur(s): Organization must be led by at least one Social Entrepreneur employed on a full-time basis (~30 hours/week).
We define a Social Entrepreneur (often the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, or equivalent title) as both the leader and final decision-maker of an organization’s internal/external strategy, daily operations, and financial decisions. Organizations with co-leadership models will be considered.
- Programmatic operation for at least two years: Organization has operated its program or impact approach for at least two years.
We are looking to fund organizations that have operated the core elements of their programming for at least two years. Legal structure over that time period is less important – an organization does not need to have had 501(c)(3) or fiscal sponsorship status for two or more years, as long as they have it at the time of submission.
- Not a previous New Profit grantee: Organization has not previously received investment from New Profit’s Build or Catalyze portfolios.
New Profit’s Portfolio Investing Strategic Priorities
At New Profit, we believe in an evolution of America, one that enables access and opportunity for all to thrive. We invest in organizations with a range of impact models that seek to transform the intertwined systems of opportunity in education, economic mobility, and democracy. We are driven by the belief that those who are closest to the communities they serve are those with the most effective solutions.
Economic Mobility: To align to New Profit’s investment strategy in Economic Mobility, the following needs to be true:
- An organization must center and measure economic opportunity as a primary focus in its mission and the core outcomes it is working toward.
- The organization’s core approach must focus on at least one of the following priority areas:
- Pathways to Income Generation: Creating opportunities that lead to gainful employment because good jobs lead to economic stability and the opportunity to accumulate wealth for future generations. Examples include innovations to increase access and opportunity in the labor market, such as developing solutions that promote skills-based hiring, living wage jobs, and worker power.
- Social Drivers of Economic Opportunity: Enabling conditions that play an essential role in labor market participation and economic advancement because addressing these conditions is not only good for people – it’s good for business and the broader economy.
Examples include increasing access to high-quality, affordable childcare, transportation, and housing. At this time, we are not considering organizations with a primary focus on K-12 populations or college success programs that do not hold a strong focus on economic outcomes.
- Financial Health & Wealth Creation: Advancing strategies to build long-term wealth because wealth enables people to weather financial shocks and affords people the agency to invest in the future of their families and communities.
Examples include driving reparations and guaranteed income solutions, increasing access to capital for entrepreneurship, and exploring ideas of community ownership.
For any questions, please contact [email protected].
About New Profit
New Profit is a venture philanthropy organization that catalyzes the impact of social entrepreneurs who are expanding access and opportunity in America. We provide capital, capacity, and community to a portfolio of organizations to increase their impact, scale, and sustainability. And we partner with social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and cross-sector leaders to shift how the philanthropic sector pursues social change and ensures that everyone in America can thrive. Since 1998, New Profit has invested over $350M in 275+ high-impact organizations serving more than 35 million people in all 50 states.
Learn more at www.newprofit.org.