New Profit Welcomes Six New Build Organizations

March 06, 2025

New Profit is thrilled to welcome six organizations to our Build portfolio. Through these investments, each organization will receive $1.5M in unrestricted funding, coupled with strategic advisory support through a four-year term. The organizations below are expanding access and opportunity in America across one or more of our three core issue areas:

Democracy: We invest in a powerful and diverse set of organizations that, together, strengthen daily practices of democracy and help us paint a new vision of what’s possible in our democracy. Through our financial and strategic support, we aim to strengthen civic capabilities and power-building, increase belonging and trust in our communities, and build bridges that highlight our interdependence.

Economic Mobility: We invest in transformative strategies that advance employment outcomes, pathways to income generation, and financial health. We invest in leaders with deep connections to the people they serve, who use human-centered approaches that appreciate the intersections of the various systems that drive economic mobility, and who seek to influence and reimagine those systems through their work.

Education: We support organizations and practices that are reshaping the American education system to better serve all students and educators. These organizations are led by entrepreneurs who have experience working in and with all levels of school systems in communities across the country.

Meet the organizations:

City Bureau
City Bureau is an innovation lab reimagining local journalism, civic media and participatory democracy. They envision a world where all communities have access to the information, tools and resources they need to actively shape their futures and cultivate a more responsive and just democracy.

City Bureau believes that equipping local residents with civic skills and resources and training emerging journalists in sustained impact reporting will foster transparency, civic engagement, and greater community well-being. By creating spaces for civic involvement, deliberative dialogue, and community-driven reporting, they aim to rebuild trust in local journalism and promote democratic participation beyond election cycles to help everyday people shape the future of their communities.

In a time when trust in news sources is declining, City Bureau’s innovative model offers a fresh approach to civic education and local journalism. Their focus on supporting local communities with the resources and tools they need to make change in their neighborhoods and training emerging journalists from underrepresented communities align with New Profit’s Democracy strategy and interest in investing in impact models that cultivate deeper civic capabilities and daily practices of democracy.

Founded in 2015, City Bureau has deep roots in Chicago and leads a national network active in 20+ communities across 14 states, engaging thousands of residents in direct civic participation.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Morgan Malone, City Bureau has evolved into a national leader in participatory democracy, civic education, and journalism innovation, reinforcing its infrastructure and business model for sustainable growth.

Impact Highlights:

City Bureau has equipped and paid over 4,000 residents in civic processes, helping to expand transparency across 14 states and produce local information resources for an estimated 29 million people. .
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative series “Missing in Chicago” exposed patterns of mismanagement in Chicago police’s handling of missing person cases–leading to policy change at local and state levels.
Trained 150+ emerging journalists in community-driven sustained impact reporting and reached 10,000+ with practical guides and resources. .

Future Caucus
Future Caucus aims to bridge America’s growing political divides by empowering young state and federal elected leaders to work across partisan lines and advance effective, bipartisan policy solutions.

Future Caucus believes that fostering trust and collaboration among next-generation lawmakers will drive effective governance and reduce political polarization. Young legislators are proven to be more effective at working across the aisle, introducing more bipartisan bills and achieving higher passage rates than their older counterparts. By building these cross-partisan relationships, accelerating evidence-based policy action, and amplifying stories of good governance, they seek to inspire trust and confidence in democratic institutions.

Future Caucus stands out for its unique focus on uniting young legislators from both sides of the aisle at the state and federal levels. Their trust-based, non-transactional approach to governance aligns with New Profit’s Democracy strategy and focuses on investing in innovative models that envision what is possible when we build a thriving multicultural, multiracial, intergenerational democracy.

Founded in 2013, Future Caucus has established caucuses in 35 states and Congress, serving over 1,900 young elected leaders and representing 23% of young lawmakers in the U.S.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Layla Zaidane, Future Caucus has expanded its impact through a strong focus on innovative policy solutions and building cross-partisan relationships.

Impact Highlights:

Since 2013, Future Caucus has served over 1,900 lawmakers across 34 states and Congress. 23% of all lawmakers 45 and under are Future Caucus members, up from 13% in 2023.
In 2024, Future Caucus lawmakers passed 2,059 bills, 452 of which were bipartisan.
Future Caucus aims to serve 51% of all young state and Congressional lawmakers by 2028.

Generation Hope
Generation Hope is a nonprofit providing direct support, national advocacy, and research for student parents in college, helping them achieve success, transform their economic futures, and secure generational success for themselves and their children.

Generation Hope believes that providing intensive wraparound support to teen parents in college and their children, building higher education capacity through their FamilyU model, and influencing systems through research, policy, and advocacy can drive equitable outcomes for student parents. By aligning direct service, capacity building, and policy advocacy, they aim to advance economic mobility and generational wealth for systematically underserved communities.

Generation Hope’s innovative, multi-pronged model goes beyond traditional college success programs by addressing economic outcomes for student parents post-college. Their unique blend of direct service, capacity building, and advocacy aligns with New Profit’s Economic Mobility strategy and amplifies the voices and experiences of student parents to create systemic change.

Founded in 2010, Generation Hope operates nationally, providing direct services in the Washington, D.C. region, Greater New Orleans, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. More than 30 colleges and universities have partnered with Generation Hope, and its work has reached over 150,000 student parents.
Led by Founder and CEO Nicole Lynn Lewis, an award-winning author, speaker, and advocate, Generation Hope is driving bold efforts to support student parents and advance racial equity and generational wealth building.

Impact Highlights:

Generation Hope Scholars graduate at twice the rate of low-income college students and seven times the rate of single mothers nationwide.
They successfully co-sponsored and advocated for AB 2881, groundbreaking legislation in California addressing the needs of student parents.
Generation Hope has demonstrated strong post-graduation outcomes, including higher job placement rates and wages for their program participants relative to their peers.

The Georgia Resilience and Opportunity (GRO) Fund
The GRO Fund builds bold, evidence-based, and community-led solutions to address poverty and narrow the racial wealth divide in Georgia.

The GRO Fund believes that investing in Black rural, urban, and suburban communities through innovative financial programs like Guaranteed Income and Baby Bonds can disrupt cycles of poverty and build generational wealth. By improving participants’ financial stability, generating evidence to inform policy, and reshaping narratives around poverty, they aim to drive systemic economic change nationwide.

The GRO Fund’s innovative programs, such as the south’s largest Guaranteed Income initiative, “In Her Hands,” and their accelerated Baby Bonds program, “Freedom Futures,” set them apart in addressing systemic inequities. Their commitment to evidence-based approaches and community-driven solutions aligns with New Profit’s Economic Mobility strategy and focus on transformative impact models driving financial health and wealth creation.

Founded in 2021, The GRO Fund operates in Black rural, urban, and suburban communities across Georgia, with plans to expand their programs’ reach and impact.

Founder and Executive Director Hope Wollensack brings a clear and compelling vision for systemic change, informed by her experiences as an educator and community organizer. Her leadership prioritizes innovative approaches to economic empowerment and rigorous evaluation to ensure effectiveness.

Impact Highlights:

“In Her Hands” participants are 20% less likely to skip housing payments, 20% more likely to cover a $400 emergency, and 15% less likely to overdraft.
“Freedom Futures,” the accelerated Baby Bonds program launching in 2025, will generate learnings within four years, significantly faster than traditional models. The pilot will provide participants with a Baby Bond of up to $40,000, a $500/month guaranteed income, and support services like financial advising to those eligible.
Early evaluations of In Her Hands demonstrate increased housing security, fewer evictions, and greater financial stability among participants.

Inclusive Action For the City (IAC)
Inclusive Action for the City (IAC) builds thriving local economies in underinvested communities by combining access to transformative capital, community-driven policy advocacy, and innovative economic justice solutions.

IAC believes that providing affordable capital, fostering community-led advocacy, and prototyping innovative financial models can drive systemic change in underinvested communities. By empowering low-income entrepreneurs and advancing policies that promote equitable economic opportunities, IAC is aligned with New Profit’s Economic Mobility strategy and focus on building pathways for wealth creation.

IAC’s integrated approach to economic justice, combining direct support for entrepreneurs with community-driven advocacy, aligns with New Profit’s vision of transformative systems change. Their success in scaling capital access and influencing equitable policies, such as legalizing street vending for over 50,000 vendors in California, showcases their ability to drive meaningful impact.

Founded in 2008, IAC serves Los Angeles County and beyond, working closely with local communities, institutions, and policymakers to foster economic growth and opportunity.

CEO Rudy Espinoza, who has led IAC for over a decade, has built trusted relationships across sectors and driven innovative approaches to economic justice. Under his leadership, IAC has more than multiplied its operating budget and staff size, and earned national recognition, including the inaugural Emerging Growth CDFI Award from the Opportunity Finance Network.

Impact Highlights:

IAC has supported 2,250 low-income entrepreneurs with $3.35M in microloans and $3M in small business grants.
They have also provided over 7,000 hours of tailored business coaching and workshops.
IAC has achieved significant policy wins, including the legalization of street vending for 50,000+ vendors in California.

The Oakland REACH
The Oakland REACH’s innovative approach is grounded in building multigenerational education solutions that take Black and Brown parents and caregivers off the sidelines and onto the frontlines to increase academic outcomes for their children. REACH invests in the technical and behavioral skills parents need to be liberated educators and empowered customers for their children and communities.

REACH’s in-system solution, the Liberator Model, launched as a partnership with their local district in Oakland, CA, to recruit and train parents and caregivers from their lowest-performing communities to be paid literacy and math tutors. REACH has recently replicated this model in Denver, CO.

REACH has also launched an innovative out-of-system model: The REACH Certified Virtual Tutoring and Family Success Coaching Pilot. This tech-enabled solution certifies the best high-impact virtual tutoring providers and brings them directly into the homes of low-income Black and Brown families. Families also receive success coaching to ensure they optimize the tutoring partnership to increase their child’s academic outcomes. REACH aims to reach thousands of families across the country with this solution over the next few years.

By listening to families’ aspirations and building solutions rooted in their needs, REACH is creating a scalable and sustainable model for educational success that sets it apart. This aligns with New Profit’s Education strategy and commitment to investing in initiatives that recognize the invaluable expertise of families, youth, and community and leverage their insights to co-create solutions that are responsive, relevant, and inclusive.

Founded in 2016, The Oakland REACH began in Oakland, CA, and is scaling their work to more communities across the country.

Founder and CEO, Lakisha Young, has launched nationally recognized initiatives like the Virtual Family Hub and the Liberator Model. These solutions have been featured in local, national, and international media, including Today.com, TIME Magazine, CNN, and The 74.

Impact Highlights:

The Oakland REACH supports the training and retention of 135+ parents/caregivers to deliver high-dosage tutoring to over 4,000 students across 38 schools.
Their Liberator Model, which integrates parents into classrooms, was found by the Center For Reinventing Public Education to be as effective as teacher-led tutoring.
Created the Virtual Family Hub, a nationally acclaimed platform supporting families’ educational and economic needs.

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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.