Collaboration, meet strategy
Introducing a better home for high-impact collaboration
ABOUT US
Convergent Impact is a home for initiatives that need more than just a home. We help complex multi-stakeholder initiatives get started on the path to scale by surrounding them with the flexible, expert support they need.
WHY WE EXIST
Some social problems can’t merely be disrupted by innovation, solved through policy change, or resolved with better coordination.
They require organizations and people addressing the problem to work in new ways to share information, build new tools, design new business models, and chart new paths to scale.
The leaders launching these efforts face unique challenges. They need a dedicated home and targeted support to address them. Convergent Impact is that home.
We specialize in supporting impact initiatives that have one or more of the following characteristics:
-
Multiple stakeholders with significant operational interest in the initiative that require a deeper form of collaboration.
-
Shared assets that require careful stewardship, such as technology tools, valuable data, trademarks, and/or branded practices and processes.
-
Blended funding models that require capital from multiple sources including grants, PRIs, impact investments, government funds, and earned revenue.
-
Operational needs that require expertise that doesn’t live under one roof.
-
Unique path to scale that requires business model innovation, spin-off, merger, or intentional sunsetting.
OUR SERVICES
We combine competitively priced fiscal sponsorship services with targeted supports tailored to the needs of each initiative, including:
COLLABORATIVE SUPPORT
and strategic project management through a unique partnership with Redstone, using a proven model to advance impact goals in complex systems
ASSET STEWARDSHIP
of intellectual property and shared assets through our nonprofit structure, experience, and relationships with legal advisors. From contracting to strategy, we bake asset stewardship into the entire incubation process
CUSTOM TEAM BUILDING
through a network of relationships with leading service providers and flexible recruiting capabilities
FUNDRAISING SUPPORT
aligned with the needs of the initiative through our experience working across grants, PRIs, impact investments, and other types of funds
EXIT
PLANNING
through our commitment to transition all our initiatives to an independent path to scale within one-to-three years
OUR TEAMS
We use a project-based model to staff all initiatives, resulting in custom-designed incubation teams guided by explicit milestones and objectives. To assemble these teams, we draw from Redstone consulting and operations staff, a deep network of expert service providers, and recruiting in local and national markets. A board and executive director oversee our entire portfolio of initiatives.
OUR APPROACH
We design each initiative to meet the needs of our partners and the context of the problem. After an initial process of discerning the initiative’s fitness for Convergent Impact, initiatives typically follow a four-stage path.
ENGAGE
An ambitious leader has funding and a concrete idea for impact. We decide together whether to develop an incubation roadmap to house the initiative at Convergent Impact based on mission alignment, capacity to implement, willingness of necessary participants, and timing.
-
Is Convergent Impact a nonprofit organization?Yes. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
-
Is Convergent Impact a fiscal sponsor?Yes. To fulfill its mission, Convergent Impact provides traditional fiscal sponsorship services, including accounting, grant reporting, human resources, and compliance. However, given our mission and focus, we prioritize multi-stakeholder initiatives that are often not a good fit for traditional fiscal sponsorship.
-
Is Convergent Impact different from impact incubators and accelerators?Yes. While we are big fans of the work of social impact incubators and accelerators, we are different in several important ways: Target audience: Many incubators and accelerators focus on identifying and supporting startup founders as they launch and scale their organization. We support funders who seek to invest in promising impact opportunities, whether or not they eventually become an independent organization or currently have operational leadership. Revenue model: Many incubators and accelerators are tied to investment funds and/or take equity positions in startups to fund their operations. We support our operations by taking a percentage of the funding for the initiatives we support and collecting membership fees from funder partners - we do not take an equity position in initiatives or operate an investment fund. Support services: Many incubators and accelerators offer a standard program of support to cohorts of organizations, often in a light-touch format. We tailor a set of deep supports to fit each of our initiatives’ unique needs. Ownership: Most organizations participating in impact incubators or accelerators maintain independent control and ownership of their assets and intellectual property (except for in some venture studios). As a fiscal sponsor, we steward the assets and intellectual property of our initiatives on behalf of the original funders’ impact goals.
-
Do Convergent Impact’s partners have any common characteristics?Yes. We support ambitious, systems-oriented impact leaders. Our ideal partner brings with them a platform (i.e., is not an independent social entrepreneur), potential resources (i.e., is a funder or has good relationships with funders), and a clear vision for driving social impact (i.e., is an effective, strategic change agent). Most often, these leaders are philanthropists, impact investors, public sector leaders, and nonprofit executives.
-
Is my project or organization a good fit for Convergent Impact?Convergent Impact is best fit for initiatives that have at least one of the following: Multiple stakeholders with significant operational interest in the initiative’s activities and require a deeper form of collaboration. Shared assets, such as technology products, data, trademarks, and/or branded practices and processes. Blended or braided fundraising models that require multiple forms of capital (e.g., grants, PRIs, impact investments, government funds) or collaborative fundraising. Operational needs that require expertise that doesn’t live under one roof A unique path to scale that requires business model innovation, spin-off, merging into incumbent organization, or intentional sunsetting. A traditional fiscal sponsor is a better fit for standalone nonprofit organizations with established objectives, donor collaboratives with no operational oversight, prizes, or competitions.
-
Does Convergent Impact specialize in specific sectors or topics?Yes. We focus our support in sectors where we have access to deep expertise and networks, including education; climate; economic mobility and shared prosperity; environment; health; human services; and inclusive impact.
-
Is Convergent Impact part of Redstone?No. Convergent Impact is an independent, nonprofit organization. It partners closely with Redstone for strategic support services, expertise, and relationships. An independent board of directors is responsible for ensuring Convergent Impact’s activities align with its mission.
-
Can Convergent Impact accept grants?Yes. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization we are happy to accept grants.
-
Can I contact you to learn more?Yes. Email us at info@convergentimpact.org