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About New Profit > Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for information about New Profit, or our definition of social entrepreneurship? The list below contains answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
ABOUT NEW PROFIT GIVING TO NEW PROFIT INVESTMENT SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT VENTURE PHILANTHROPY AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP About New Profit
When was New Profit founded?
New Profit was founded in 1998. To learn more, read about our history. Back to top

What does New Profit do?
We provide support to innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations, and pursue a set of social innovation strategies to improve the environment in which all social entrepreneurs operate. Visit What We Do to learn more. Back to top

What is New Profit's ultimate goal?
Our ultimate goal is to create an environment in which innovative social entrepreneurs and their organizations have the necessary strategic and financial resources to grow their solutions to scale and achieve sustainable, transformative social impact against some of the biggest problems facing our country in education, public health, poverty alleviation, and workforce development. Visit About New Profit to learn more. Back to top

What is the relationship between Monitor Group and New Profit?
Since 1998, Monitor Group has served as New Profit's strategic partner, working closely with us and our portfolio organizations to address many of the key strategic issues facing nonprofits today. Read more about this partnership. Back to top

How can I get a job at New Profit or with one of the organizations that New Profit funds?
  • Individuals who are interested in working for New Profit should visit Jobs at New Profit.
  • Open positions with portfolio organizations can be found on each organization's profile page, in addition to Jobs with our Portfolio, where we profile a set of job openings monthly and provide links to each organization's website.
  • To further help individuals who are looking for employment at a high-impact nonprofit, our Career Resources profile selected hiring firms, internships, fellowships, and service opportunities.
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How can I contact an individual at New Profit?
We encourage you to visit Contact Us and use the form provided to contact New Profit. Through this form we are able to correctly field inquiries across the Team, ensuring that you will receive more prompt and relevant answers to your questions. Most inquiries receive a response within a week. Back to top

Who should I contact at New Profit with a press/media inquiry?
For detailed information on press or media inquiries, please see media resources. Back to top

I'm doing a research project and would like to interview or survey New Profit. Who should I contact?
Please email impact@newprofit.com with research requests. Back to top

Is New Profit on Facebook or Twitter?
Yes, in addition to maintaining www.newpprofit.com, www.gatheringofleaders.com, and www.americaforward.org, New Profit has a presence on both Twitter and Facebook. You can find and follow our updates using the links below:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/newprofit

Facebook: www.facebook.com/newprofitinc

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What is New Profit's mailing address?
New Profit Inc.
2 Canal Park
Cambridge, MA 02141
Please refer to Contact Us for driving directions. Back to top

Giving to New Profit
Who invests in New Profit?
Our investor community is made up of individuals and families who are passionate about creating the greatest possible social impact with their philanthropy. Visit Investor Community to learn more. Back to top

In addition to investing in New Profit, how do individuals support New Profit's work?
Our investors are passionate about creating high social impact with their philanthropy, often seeking engagement with social entrepreneurs and their strategic challenges, as well as with New Profit itself. Read more about our investor engagement opportunities. Back to top

How does an investment in New Profit differ from a donation directly to an organization?
An investment in New Profit differs from one made directly to an organization in that it is significantly leveraged. Investments in the New Profit fund are leveraged in at least a 2:1 ratio by the intellectual capital and strategic resources contributed by New Profit, Monitor Group, and other partners. Visit Advantages of Giving to New Profit to learn more. Back to top

Investment Selection and Management
What is New Profit's selection process for portfolio organizations?
New Profit's investment selection cycle is a six-month process that meaningfully engages candidate organizations to best determine which ones fit both our investment criteria and fund priorities. Please visit Investment Selection for more detailed information. Back to top

Is my nonprofit organization a good fit for New Profit's portfolio?
New Profit seeks to identify innovative social entrepreneurs leading path-breaking organizations that change the lives of the people they serve and effectively tackle some of our nation's most urgent problems in education, workforce development, public health, and poverty. Please see Investment Selection for more detailed information. Back to top

What happens after I submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI)?
When you submit your letter of inquiry using our online form, you will be given immediate confirmation that we received your LOI submission. Please note that you will not receive a confirmation email. Our team will notify you regarding the status of your LOI within three months of submission. The LOI is part of a three-round investment selection cycle, and we encourage you to refer to Investment Selection for more details on each round. Back to top

How does New Profit support organizations in its investment portfolio?
Once an organization becomes part of our investment portfolio, we provide multi-year financial support to increase organizational capacity and intensive strategic support to anticipate and plan for the challenges organizations face as they grow. To learn more about how we support our current investments, visit Portfolio Management. Back to top

Does New Profit invest in for-profit, socially responsible organizations?
Presently, New Profit is committed to working only with organizations with nonprofit, 501(c)(3) status. However, we are always interested in hearing about good ideas in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors that have the potential to create large-scale social change. Back to top

How many organizations has New Profit invested in?
To date New Profit has invested in 25 organizations, 17 of which are current investments while eight are past investments. Back to top

Venture Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship
What is Venture Philanthropy?
Venture philanthropy is a set of related approaches developed by individuals from the private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors across the United States in the 1990s, and more recently in Europe and beyond. It is characterized by a focus on performance and impact, investor engagement, and the financial support of strategies and organizations rather than programs.

Responding to an array of challenges associated with more traditional forms of philanthropy, venture philanthropy models vary along many dimensions: some focus their support on an issue area (e.g., education or workforce development) or a region (e.g., New York or Washington, DC); others are issue-neutral and national; some focus more on investor engagement, while others emphasize the relationship with their portfolio of organizations; still others focus on seed-stage organizations and their leaders, while others focus on replicating scalable models; and so on.

Some examples of other venture philanthropy funds include Acumen Fund, Echoing Green, NewSchools Venture Fund, REDF (Roberts Enterprise Development Fund), Robin Hood Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Social Venture Partners International, and Venture Philanthropy Partners. Back to top

What is a social entrepreneur? What is social innovation?
Please visit On Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation for detailed answers to these two questions. Back to top
Action is the catalyst that creates accomplishments. It is the path that takes us from uncrafted hopes to realized dreams.
Thomas Huxley
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