New Profit Names Max Polaner as Managing Partner of Investor Relations
New Profit introduced Max Polaner as the Managing Partner of Investor Relations today. Since joining New Profit in 2022 as a Deal Partner on the organization’s Portfolio team, Polaner has provided strategic advice and support to portfolio organizations and served on the boards of English Learners Success Forum, TalkingPoints, Teaching Lab, and Surge Institute.
In his new role, Polaner will lead New Profit’s development efforts, applying his extensive experience in cultivating and stewarding relationships with prominent philanthropic leaders. His leadership will help redefine the investor experience and drive New Profit’s mission to create an America where everyone can thrive.
Polaner joins on the heels of a banner fundraising year at New Profit during which the organization raised over $70M. His leadership comes at a critical moment of growth for New Profit as the organization has doubled the number of portfolio investments over the last three years, currently supporting 79 grantees in its efforts to expand access and opportunity in America.
Prior to New Profit, Polaner spent over 15 years in the nonprofit education sector. He was most recently the Executive Director of iMentor NYC, a former New Profit grantee that provides mentors to 4,000 public high school students in New York City. Before that, he served as CFO of Achievement First, another former New Profit grantee that operates 32 charter schools serving over 12,000 K-12 students in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
“As someone who believes deeply in the power of relationship-building, I could not be more excited to support the vision of our incredible CEO, Tulaine Montgomery, to drive an evolution of America by leveraging the power of multiracial, intergenerational, and cross-sector coalitions,” said Polaner. “I’m honored for the opportunity to advance the New Profit community’s incredible work with funders and partners who are similarly working tirelessly to bring about the change we all seek in our country.”
Polaner’s passion for social justice was sparked during his time as a public middle school math teacher in Hayward, California. Since then, his career has spanned roles as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, a serial entrepreneur, and head of quality control at Polaner Preserves, a family business founded by his great-grandfather.
He earned an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA in Philosophy from Yale, and a secondary teaching credential from San Francisco State University.