New Profit at SXSW EDU & SXSW
Earlier this month, several New Profit team members attended SXSW EDU and SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas. Below, you’ll find a recap of both events, along with a few takeaways and learnings.
SXSW EDU brings together a global community of educators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and students to explore and advance teaching and learning. It is an annual event that is attended by several New Profit grantee partners, funders, and network nodes. This year, New Profit Managing Partners Molly O’Donnell and Max Polaner attended EDU. Selected for the fourth year in a row by EDU organizers and attendees, Molly co-hosted an official EDU meetup that provides a space for sector leaders to discuss timely issues in small groups:
Getting Closer: Social Entrepreneur & Funder Mixer: New Profit and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation host a meetup for funders to discuss how they are ‘practicing proximity’ in their work. Join us to explore how funders and social entrepreneurs can co-design solutions, influence policy, shift resources, and advance a new era of trust, shared power, and innovation in education. This meetup is for anyone who understands that breakthrough solutions most often come from leaders grounded in the communities they serve.
- Molly O’Donnell, New Profit
- Maurice McCaulley, Gates Foundation
- Nicole Jarbo, 4.0
- Michael Iyescas, Fossil Foundation
- Aaron Miller, Tulsa Community Foundation
As the end of SXSW EDU transitioned into the beginning of SXSW, New Profit co-hosted a welcome reception with McPherson Strategies on Friday evening. The curated gathering increased visibility for NP while deepening relationships with 100 guests including folks from Jobs for the Future, Center for Reproductive Rights, Stanford d.school, Lumina Foundation, Planned Parenthood, MCE Social Capital, Rural Opportunity Institute, Omidyar Network, The Emancipator, Justice Funders, Landmark Ventures, The CAFE Group, Kapor Foundation, Siegel Family Endowment, The Texas Tribune, Camelback Ventures, CHIEF, Echoing Green, and Big Picture Learning. The desire for collaboration and community was palpable, with several folks sharing that we created a space where connections felt meaningful, restorative, and even joyful. It was a very welcome moment in a very complex season.
SXSW celebrates the convergence of technology, film, music, education, and culture. The event attracts global innovators, artists, and industry leaders to showcase new ideas, trends, and creative projects. SXSW is known for its role in fostering discussions on emerging technologies, media, and social impact. On Saturday, Tulaine participated in a session alongside Susan McPherson (session notes and audio recording):
The Antidote to a Divided America: Some polls tell us America is divided, others find that we agree on more than we think. Regardless of which polls you believe, the pervasive narrative of political polarization has had a deep impact on civic and social life and work. Let’s break the hold this narrative has on us with insights from leaders who prioritize connection as a radical path to social change and culture shifts. Hear fresh perspectives on making meaningful connections across lines of difference and the role each of us can play in healing America’s divides from a storyteller, a movement-builder, and a social entrepreneur.
- Susan McPherson, McPherson Strategies
- Tulaine Montgomery, New Profit
- Paola Ramos, Telemundo News & MSNBC
- Shannon Watts, Moms Demand Action