SVP Full Circle Seeks Applicants for Spring Accelerator Cohort

Through a competitive application process, a cohort of five innovative nonprofits will be selected to engage in an intensive 14-week accelerator program that combines consulting, workshops, seminars, networking and pitch event. The program is designed to grow their impact and financial sustainability. SVP Full Circle manages both a fall and spring cohort to work with a total of 10 nonprofits annually. During each cohort the five nonprofits in Full Circle, are each matched with teams of SVP Partners who serve as coaches. During the accelerator coaches work hands-on with each nonprofit throughout the program. SVP Partners are integral to the Full Circle accelerator model. Their coaching complements the accelerator curriculum by adding a layer of support to the nonprofits in the form of advanced social capital, new ideas, knowledge capital, skills-based human capital and private sector financial capital.

Nonprofits that successfully complete the program also receive $3000 unrestricted award. For more information about the program. Join us for an info session or contact leigh@svppittsburgh for more information.

 

Info Session Dates

Monday February 11th from 6-7pm

Wednesday February 27th 1-2pm

Register for an Info Session

Complete your Application Now

 

Eligibility Criteria

  • Organizations that apply must be designated as 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations operating in Allegheny County or have a Fiscal Sponsor
  • Organizations that apply must designate at least two leadership staff who will participate consistently throughout the duration of the 14 week Full Circle program.
  • Organizations, if selected, will be asked to submit their most recent annual report and/or year-end financial statements.

 

About SVP Pittsburgh

SVP Pittsburgh is a network of engaged philanthropists from the private sector (SVP Partners) who contribute their expertise, skills, networks and finances to grow the impact of nonprofits and tackle our community’s greatest challenges.

SVP Full Circle Program Partners with New Sun Rising to Accelerate Non-profit Impact

October 8, 2018, Pittsburgh, PA – Social Venture Partners (SVP) Pittsburgh has partnered with New Sun Rising to manage operations of their core program, the Full Circle Nonprofit Impact Accelerator.  The program provides support for the region’s most innovative nonprofits through engaged philanthropy, where SVP Partners contribute their expertise, skills, networks, and finances to help tackle our community’s greatest challenges.

Starting with the Fall 2018 cohort, management of the SVP Full Circle program will officially transition to New Sun Rising. The two organizations have worked together to empower nonprofit sustainability and innovation since their first workshop together in 2015.

Leigh Solomon Pugliano, SVP Full Circle Program Manager and New Sun Rising’s Director of Opportunity, says, “I am very excited to manage the Full Circle program.  New Sun Rising will provide an additional layer of support to SVP and the nonprofits they support. We hope to increase the awareness and accessibility of the program, as well as connect networks of communities and organizations that may otherwise be operating in silos. ”

Each Fall and Spring, a Full Circle cohort accelerates five nonprofits through an intensive 14-week program of workshops, seminars, networking, and pitch events. Participants are paired with teams of SVP Partners, who are private sector leaders serving as executive coaches and working directly with them throughout the program.

Cynthia Closkey, an SVP Partner and chair of the organization’s board, says, “SVP is working to help nonprofits in our region increase their effectiveness and capacity, so they in turn can help people in a range of ways in the community. Each SVP Partner has the chance to engage with the nonprofits they coach, and with all the nonprofits we work with. It’s a focused, intensive opportunity to make significant impact on the problems that matter most. I find it the most rewarding way possible to give back.”

The current Full Circle cohort kicked off on September 22nd during a workshop at Ascender and includes Neighborhood Legal Services Association, No Crayon Left Behind, Orenda Health, Providence Connections, and Ruth’s Way. The public is invited to learn more about the mission and impact of these organizations during a pitch event on December 12th. More details will be announced soon.

For more details on how to become an SVP Partner, upcoming opportunities to accelerate your nonprofit, or to financially support Full Circle, please email leigh@svppittsburgh.org.

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About Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh

Social Venture Partners (SVP) Pittsburgh is a community of engaged philanthropists who contribute their expertise, skills, networks and finances to grow the impact of nonprofits and tackle our community’s greatest challenges. SVP Pittsburgh’s core program is the Full Circle impact accelerator, which connects SVP Partners as executive coaches to accelerate the impact of Pittsburgh’s most innovative nonprofits. For more information, visit SVPPittsburgh.org.

About New Sun Rising

New Sun Rising  (NSR) is an innovative 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to build vibrant communities through culture, sustainability and opportunity. NSR provides programs and services that create equitable opportunity, solve social challenges, and strengthen the vibrancy of place. Each year, over 150  individuals, organizations, and funders work with NSR to launch their nonprofit projects, social businesses, and economic development initiatives throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region. For more information, visit NewSunRising.org.

Contact

Leigh Solomon Pugliano, Full Circle Manager, leigh@svppittsburgh.org

Scott Wolovich, Executive Director, New Sun Rising, scott@newsunrising.org

Announcing the Full Circle Impact Accelerator 2018 Spring Cohort

Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03/16/18
fullcircle@svppittsburgh.org

Five innovative Pittsburgh-based innovative nonprofits have been selected for the Full Circle Impact Accelerator 2018 spring cohort.

Pittsburgh, PA: Yesterday, SVP Full Circle, one of the country’s leading accelerators dedicated exclusively to scaling the impact of innovative nonprofit businesses, announced the five organizations selected for their 2018 spring cohort. The five nonprofits selected for the spring accelerator cohort include:

  • Assemble is one of the first maker spaces in Pittsburgh that blends tech and STEAM programming for youth from underrepresented backgrounds with community and economic development. They are coming to Full Circle to figure out how to take their successful organization to the next level of impact.
  • AllStarCode offers black and latino young men mentorship and intensive coding/computer science programming to help them build successful career paths in technology. ASC, first founded in NYC, is relatively new to Pittsburgh and growing fast. They came to Full Circle to help determine the best way to expand their program and become a model for future cities.
  • Northern Area Multi-Service Center’s Refugee Resettlement Office is the largest refugee resettlement agency in the Pittsburgh region. NAMS Refugee Resettlement program came to Full Circle looking to determine how they can inject innovation into their work and better tell the story of their impact.
  • Pennsylvania Youth Initiative is a new nonprofit that has created unique curriculum and multifaceted programming to help young people with disabilities train to enter the workforce, particularly the emerging innovation economy in the region. PYI came to Full Circle in the midst of rapid growth and is looking to understand how they can responsibly scale their programming to impact more young people in the region and beyond.
  • Veterans Breakfast Club creates communities of understanding and support for veterans as well as civilians. VBC came to SVP because they are on a rapid growth track and are looking to determine a strong business model for their future as well as the marketing and branding they need in order to better communicate the breadth of their activities and impact.

Over the next 14 weeks, the Full Circle nonprofits will engage in an intensive accelerator curriculum dedicated to scaling their organization’s impact. In addition to engaging in accelerator curriculum, each Full Circle nonprofit is paired with a team of seven next generation philanthropists – called SVP Partners – who serve as coaches working hands-on with each organization to overcome the key challenges that are holding them back from scaled impact. SVP Partners are leading socially conscious professional from the private sector who seek a hands-on investment and more engaged approach to philanthropy.

Through the Full Circle Impact Accelerator, each nonprofit will receive more than 250 hours of private sector coaching support as well as $3,000 in financial support from SVP. The spring Full Circle program will culminate in a pitch event on June 28 where each nonprofit from the spring cohort will pitch their work and impact to a public audience and compete for additional cash prizes. Keep updated with all the latest from SVP and the Full Circle Impact Accelerator on Twitter (@SVPPGH).

Our Sponsors: SVP Pittsburgh’s Full Circle Impact Accelerator for Nonprofits is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors and foundation supporters. SVP recognizes annual sponsor UPMC/UPMC Health Plan as well as our Silver – Innovation Sponsor Hefren-Tillotson for their sponsorship and commitment to seeing a more impactful and innovative nonprofit community in the Pittsburgh region. We also want to thank The Grable Foundation for their ongoing support to nonprofit acceleration and cultivating a community of engaged philanthropists. Finally, we want to thank our venue host, Ascender, for providing outstanding event and meeting space for the Full Circle accelerator program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About SVP Pittsburgh: Social Venture Partners (SVP) Pittsburgh is a growing community of engaged philanthropists who contribute their expertise, skills, networks and finances to grow the impact of nonprofits and tackle our community’s greatest challenges. SVP Pittsburgh’s core program is the Full Circle impact accelerator, which connects SVP Partners as executive coaches to accelerate the impact of Pittsburgh’s most innovative nonprofits. Interested in learning more? Contact Full Circle Managers Ryan Gayman (ryan@svppittsburgh.org) and Benjamin Utter (ben@svppittsburgh.org).

SVP Full Circle Impact Accelerator 2017 Fall Pitch Event

On Thursday, December 14 the five organizations that engaged in the fall cohort SVP’s Full Circle impact accelerator pitched their impact to an audience of nearly 100 nonprofit leaders, foundation leaders, entrepreneurs and SVP Partners.

Congratulations to Brandi from the Alliance for Police Accountability, Alaa from The Global Switchboard, LaKeisha from Ujamaa Collective, Jordon from Never Fear Being Different and Erin and Louise from Prototype PGH for their dynamic pitches.

Each Full Circle nonprofit will receive $2,000 for their engagement in the program. A big congratulations goes to Jordon and Team NFBD for taking home the $500 audience choice award. And a big congratulations also to Lakeisha + Team Ujamaa Collective as well as Erin & Louise + Team Prototype PGH for being awarded $500 each from NexTier Bank – our Marquee Pitch Event Sponsor.

Following their participation in the program, Full Circle alumni nonprofits receive ongoing advising and support from SVP.

Marquee Event Sponsor

SVP Pittsburgh would like to thank and recognize the generous support of our Marquee Sponsor whose contribution enabled the success of the 2017 Fall Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event.

Event Host

SVP Pittsburgh would like to thank and recognize Google Pittsburgh for generously hosting the 2017 Fall Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event at their beautiful auditorium.

Event Sponsors

SVP Pittsburgh would like to thank and recognize our event sponsors whose collective contribution ensure that the 2017 Fall Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event was SVP’s most impactful event to date.

Media Sponsor

SVP Pittsburgh would like to thank and recognize Anthem Productions for serving as our Media Sponsor and for covering the 2017 Fall Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event.

Annual Sponsor

SVP Pittsburgh would like to thank and recognize UPMC/UPMC Health Plan for their generous ongoing support that helps power the Full Circle Impact Accelerator programming year-round.

SVP Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event in NEXT Pittsburgh!

See who won at Social Venture Partners’ pitch event

Article by Caroline Shannon-Karasik / Photo by Tracy Certo / NEXT Pittsburgh

In August, Jordon Rooney stood in the streets of Charlottesville, interviewing people who were marching to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. As Neo-Nazis and white supremacists streamed by waving Confederate flags, with swastikas emblazoned on shields and t-shirts, Rooney captured it all on video.“What do you think about those people who got hit?” Rooney asked one man, referring to the car that struck a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 other people.

The man shrugged his shoulders. “They deserved it.”Rooney is not a journalist, he notes. “I’m looking to make a statement and stand up to racism.”

One week, nine million views and 100,000 shares later, that video put Rooney’s organization, Never Fear Being Different(NFBD), on the map. Rooney had been disillusioned with social media and it’s enormous and often negative effect on youth. So he made it a goal to reach youth through social media in a more positive way, engaging viewers to come up with solutions to big societal problems.

His message resonated not only with viewers but also with the crowd last Thursday at the SVP Pittsburgh Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event. Rooney was one of five who made a pitch for his nonprofit and he won the audience choice prize of $500.

Involvement in the Full Circle Accelerator automatically grants each of the five organizations $2,000 in unrestricted funding.

This year, it also afforded an opportunity to get an additional $1,000 from sponsor NexTier Bank at the Pitch Event. That award was split between two nonprofits that pitched at the event: Prototype PGH and Ujamaa.

The other two organizations pitching at the event were The Global Switchboard and Alliance for Police Accountability. (More on what all of these organizations do is below.)

“Ujamaa Collective’s participation in the Full Circle Program truly was right on time for us because we were at the precipice of making some really important decisions as a nonprofit,” Executive Director LaKeisha Wolf said of the organization’s 10-year presence in Pittsburgh.

Wolf said their goal for 2018 is to close their Hill District boutique space and create a schedule of pop-up shopping locations and programs.

“The boutique has been so much of our identity and means so much to so many people, but the rising overhead costs, as well as a few other factors, was stifling our growth,” she said.

“We are truly passionate about fair trade and are looking to strengthen our economic relationships with international artisans, connecting women with purpose across the world. Ultimately we want to do all of these things in order to increase women’s confidence and skills so that we take up more space in tech and entrepreneurship,” she added.

Erin Gatz of Prototype PGH said the organization’s top goals include hiring their first staff person, finalizing their 501c3 status, which includes on-boarding their first board of directors and partnering with more organizations, like Ujamaa, on workshops and programming.

The Pitch Event was the culmination of an intense, three-and-a-half-month program to help nonprofits like NFBD refine their missions and learn how to meet specific goals within their organizations through coaching by SVP partners.

According to Ryan Gayman, who co-manages the Full Circle program with Ben Utter, the Full Circle accelerator presents a hands-on model for philanthropy that unlocks the private sector’s social networks, skills and expertise to help take nonprofits to the next level. Essentially, they act as a connector.

“Pittsburgh is the birthplace of American philanthropy,” Gayman said. “With the concentration of philanthropic foundations, labor unions, nonprofits and impact-driven businesses in the region, it’s important that there is an accelerator that is exclusively focused on bridging sectors to ultimately help the leading nonprofit businesses have a greater impact in tackling our region’s most critical challenges.”

Here is more information about the five nonprofit organizations involved in the Full Circle Impact Accelerator and who pitched at the event:

Alliance for Police Accountability: A grassroots organization dedicated to criminal justice reform. Brandi Fisher presented at the event and said the group takes a holistic approach, not only advocating for change, but working to educate the public and push for policy change, specifically within the disciplinary systems at schools where simple infractions like “child was disruptive in class” can lead to jail time.

The Global Switchboard: The region’s hub for global issues, the organization is designing an innovative initiative that will bring leaders from across sectors together to tackle critical global issues facing local communities in Pittsburgh that will result in a more equitable and just city. Their mission according to Program Coordinator Alaa Mohamed: “To make Pittsburgh the most livable city for all.”

NFBD: Described as a movement to create solution-based conversations around real-world issues, NFBD had 16 million views in September, compared to TED’s 7.9 million and NPR’s 5.9 million.

Prototype PGH: Is the nation’s only maker space and maker education program that focuses on feminism and equity. The organization is expanding their operations in Pittsburgh to accelerate the growth of a more inclusive and equitable maker movement in the region and beyond. “It took founding a maker space with Louise [Larson] to learn how to use a power drill — and she’s the one who taught me,” Erin Gatz said during the pitch.

Ujamaa Collective: The organization works to break down barriers to help Pittsburgh’s Africana women entrepreneurs and artisans find success within their businesses. Colorful sun hatscopper leather bracelets and handmade mini tumblers are just a few of the items shoppers can purchase at Ujamaa.

Click here to view the original publication of this article.

SVP Pittsburgh in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette!

Social Venture Partners to take a deeper dive into social issues

By Joyce Gannon / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

During the past decade, Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh has invested nearly $1 million in fledgling nonprofit organizations that take a new and innovative approach to solving social problems in the region.

Among those that have benefited from the group’s money and expertise are Homewood Children’s Village Literacy Program; Three Rivers Mothers’ Milk Bank; and Assemble, a Garfield-based nonprofit that integrates creativity and learning in the arts, sciences and technology.

The members of SVP include 35 philanthropists, most of whom pledge $4,000 each year and decide as a group where to target their grants. Beyond writing checks, the members mentor nonprofits and their leaders to help them become financially stronger and more sustainable.

For years, Social Venture Partners showcased its strategy at its annual headline event, Fast Pitch, in which eight nonprofits presented three-minute summaries of their mission as they competed for a share of $25,000 to $30,000.

While the event attracted a lot of buzz and hundreds of attendees to hip venues like the Circuit Center on the South Side, SVP last year decided it wanted to broaden its reach and impact more nonprofits in the region.

“It’s an evolution in our strategy,” said Pat Calhoun, board chair.

Beginning this spring, the group is sponsoring a cohort of 16 leaders from eight nonprofits. It will provide them with hands-on financial planning, strategy advice, discussion forums, networking and other one-on-one business consulting.

The initiative is called Full Circle and will run for four to six months, during which each nonprofit is matched with two Social Venture Partners mentors.

Prior to Fast Pitch, finalists received about six weeks of training and coaching sessions from SVP members.

“We thought if that was expanded, done more frequently throughout the year, and became accessible to more organizations, then everyone would love it and build upon it,” said Kenny Chen, a board member who consults with nonprofits. Last year, he co-founded involveMINT, an organization that helps nonprofits better recruit and retain volunteers.

By 2017, SVP plans to add a second cohort to Full Circle each year so that the partners can work directly with 16 nonprofits and 32 leaders of those organizations.

While Fast Pitch — and a smaller Fall Pitch event in which the group invested $15,000 in two organizations — successfully met SVP’s goal to support social innovation, “We felt it was really limiting our potential to have an impact in the community,” Ms. Calhoun said.

The new program “enables our partners to learn more about different social challenges Pittsburgh is facing and gives us more opportunity to plug in and add value and expertise to help solve those problems,” she said.

This year SVP won’t charge participants; eventually it will set a tuition fee of about $1,500 for participants in Full Circle.

The new format also could include speed brainstorming sessions among three to four of the cohort nonprofits, and mini-pitch nights during which nonprofit leaders could hone their communication skills.

Social Venture Partners was founded in 1997 in Seattle by a software entrepreneur who believed philanthropists should work one-on-one with nonprofits to address civic problems. The Pittsburgh organization launched in 2001 and SVP now has affiliates in 39 cities worldwide.

To provide nonprofits in its cohorts with more business know-how, SVP Pittsburgh will tap New Sun Rising, a 10-year-old organization in Millvale that assists social enterprises with business plans and helps identify the financial resources they require.

New Sun Rising has worked on projects in 40 neighborhoods in the region, including helping to develop and identify revenue streams for the nonprofit Millvale Community Library.

According to its executive director, Scott Wolovich, the organization operates “launch” incubators in Millvale, where it hopes to create a locally sourced food hub that will employ local residents; and in the Hilltop-Allentown neighborhood, where efforts include working with the Hilltop Men’s Group to restore the community through environmentally conscious cleanup projects.

The Hilltop Men’s Group will secure contracts for the projects and pay its members — many of whom have employment barriers — to do the work including cleaning up vacant lots and landscaping.

New Sun Rising and SVP “had been running in the same circles but never directly collaborated,” said Mr. Wolovich.

When he met with Social Venture Partners last fall about a partnership, “We immediately recognized some gaps in the community in terms of support for nonprofits — especially around innovation and income-generating strategies,” he said.

“While nonprofits have different goals and objectives, there are a lot of for-profit strategies that have great potential to impact the nonprofit sector.”

Joyce Gannon: jgannon@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1580.

You can view the original posting of this article on the Post Gazette’s here!