Community is Medicine: How Social Entrepreneurs Are Building an Ecosystem of Interdependence

Lessons of Connection, Collective Voice, and Collaborative Healing from New Profit’s EERI Cohort

When we launched the catalyze cohort, Equitable Education Recovery Initiative (EERI) in 2022, we weren’t just investing in 24 proximate leaders reimagining education across California, Colorado, and Tennessee.  We were investing in a belief—community is medicine. America was only starting to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and these organizations were aiming to address inequities in education—one of the systems most disrupted by the pandemic. Additionally, these SEs and their organizations were operating amidst an “epidemic of loneliness” exacerbated by the pandemic.

Each social entrepreneur in the EERI cohort leads a nonprofit organization working to provide math/ELA tutoring, whole child supports, and/or postsecondary advising to K-12 students in their community.

Our cohort convening model—a core component of our Catalyze investment strategy—created the conditions for this belief to come alive. Centered on shared experience, community-building, and peer-to-peer learning, these convenings invited leaders to connect across geography and background to identify common needs and opportunities. Through this experience, leaders began to see their individual impact as part of a broader collective effort.

In California, where the third-largest wealth gap of any state in America exacerbates the systemic inequities that often show up acutely in schools and neighborhoods, EERI leaders named how trust and proximity fostered by the Catalyze model transformed their sense of isolation. “I no longer feel alone or isolated,” Asha Vitatoe of Mentoring in Medicine & Science (MIMS) shared. “The relationships we’ve been able to build are completely invaluable.” Through the EERI community, the California-based social entrepreneurs began to see themselves not as solo actors but as a pack—stronger together, grounded in a shared vision.

In Tennessee, leaders reflected on the transformative power of shifting from isolation to connection and from parallel work to shared movement. Ebralie Mwizerwa, of  Legacy Mission Village (LMV) shared, “Over the last three years, I really learned about the power of collectivity and how we come together—like-minded people—to empower each other and to be heard and to be seen, but also to really grow our work.” That spirit echoed across conversations, revealing how the cohort created space not only to align on values and voice but to integrate wellness and joy into the work. Through this process, Tennessee leaders found clarity in purpose, community in process, and power in their shared narrative.

In Colorado, leaders shared how the EERI community offered something rare: a space to be deeply seen and genuinely supported across lines of difference. It wasn’t just a convening—it was a long-term, intentional container that fostered vulnerability, strengthened leadership, and built confidence. Bre Dòvez, formerly of Joy as Resistance (now led by co-EDs Rafa Veintimilla and Janei Maynard), reflected on how it changed their leadership: “I never have had an opportunity to build relationships with other leaders across that length of time and in this organized way.” Others spoke about how competition often characterizes nonprofit work—but in this space, they felt like family. That sense of lasting connection reshaped their approach to the work and reminded them of what’s possible when the field is aligned not just around mission but around care. As Convivir Colorado’s Tania Chairez shared, “It really feels like putting all of us together in a space has made the Colorado ecosystem stronger.”

Together, these regional efforts demonstrate that New Profit’s support isn’t just about capital and capacity—it’s also about community. That’s what sets our approach apart: we create the conditions where leaders can be seen, affirmed, and supported as full humans—not just grantees. That’s the medicine. That’s the multiplier.

So what does this mean for the field?

• Investing at the ecosystem level—not just in individual organizations—yields outsized returns. The cohort’s collective clarity and aligned messaging illustrate how shared space can amplify impact and strengthen advocacy.
• Funders must do more than write checks. The leaders in this cohort spoke candidly about the power of trust-based philanthropy that shows up with intention, consistency, and care. This is the power of proximity: when those closest to the issues are deeply invested in each other, transformation follows.
• Finally, community must be seen as strategy. The M.I.C.™ method—multiracial, intergenerational, cross-sector collaboration—is not just aspirational, it is essential. When proximate leaders convene across differences, they don’t just scale their work—they strengthen our systems.

As we reflect on this regional investment approach within our Catalyze portfolio, we remain inspired by what emerged: a cohort of social entrepreneurs grounded in purpose, connected by experience, and united by the belief that community is, and always has been, medicine.

To learn more about each of the incredible organizations in the EERI cohort, explore our investment announcement.

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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 all people can thrive. Since 1998, New Profit has invested over $350M in 275+ high-impact organizations serving more than 30 million people in all 50 states.