**All projects and partners are subject to change.
Organization: Ashoka is a global organization that identifies and supports leading social entrepreneurs. Founded on the premise that the most effective way to promote positive social change is to support leading Social Entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions that are sustainable and replicable, both nationally and globally. Ashoka Fellows work in all topics and issues in over 70 countries. Ashoka also builds the communities and infrastructure that empower all to be Changemakers.
Winter 2012 Project: To be determined.
Organization: Benetech creates new technology solutions that serve humanity and empower people to improve their lives. Founded by an actual rocket scientist and now social entrepreneur extraordinaire, Jim Fruchterman, the company use technology innovation and business expertise to solve unmet social needs. These life-changing solutions include the world’s largest accessible digital library for those with vision and reading disabilities, science and information technology for human rights advocates, and project management tools for environmental conservation practitioners.
Winter 2012 Project: The project with Benetech entails involvement with the Bookshare library for the print-disabled. The team would work on the domestic side of Bookshare with the Image Description Program. This program is focused on describing images in textbooks so that people who cannot see the images can understand what is displayed.
Awards and Recognition: Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, MacArthur Fellowship
Organization: Innosight is a boutique strategy consultancy and early stage investment firm that works with Fortune 500 companies and national governments to improve their ability to create transformative growth opportunities. Their unique methodologies and proprietary tools facilitate the discovery of new, high-growth markets and the rapid creation of breakthrough products and services. Their end-to-end, highly differentiated approach converts the quest for innovation and growth into a predictable and reliable process.
Winter 2012 Project: The project with Innosight entails writing and publishing several articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), Harvard Business Review (HBR), etc. The team will consist of researchers, writers, and editors.
Awards and Recognition: Clay Christensen Named World’s Most Influential Management Thinker
Organization: The Peery Foundation is an innovative family foundation that seeks out and funds social entrepreneurs—leveraging its grants and capital to create the greatest impact possible. They have global partnerships with a number of leading social entrepreneur and enterprises including Root Capital, Vittana, Teach a Man to Fish, the Downtown Streets Team, and are becoming well known for unique and engaged philanthropy as well as a strong understanding of what Social Entrepreneurship is all about.
Past Projects: Conducted a field scan of education in the United States so that the Peery Foundation can improve its investing strategy. Researched the high secondary school drop-out rate of 70% in East Palo Alto and gave the replicable solutions that can be implemented in the area.
Winter 2012 Project: To be determined.
Awards and Recognition: Modern Giving - Crowd sourcing Philanthropy and Greater Transparency, Working Wikily – Strategy at the Peery Foundation
Teach for America
Organization: Teach for America provides a critical source of well-trained teachers who are helping break the cycle of educational inequity. These teachers, called corps members, commit to teach for two years in one of 39 urban and rural regions across the country, going above and beyond traditional expectations to help their students to achieve at high levels.
Past Projects: Created a medium for TFA corps alum to interface with their alma mater to increase impact in their respective communities. Raised awareness of education inequality in the United States by holding a Humor U, Divine Comedy, and Laugh Out Loud benefit show for a TFA class in the Mississippi Delta.
Winter 2012 Project: The project with Teach for America is focused on underclassmen outreach and involvement with Teach for America.
Organization: Vittana is an early-stage non-profit startup bringing student loans to the developing world through the power of person-to-person microfinance. Vittana is built off of Kiva’s peer-to-peer lending model and using this model to give young people the chance to gain higher education.
Past Projects: Managed and marketed a national college-based community leaders campaign. The team took charge of community leaders in the greater Utah area and in select universities and colleges throughout the US.
Winter 2012 Project: To be determined.
Awards and Recognition: The Huffington Post – Vittana, #1 Game Changers in Philanthropy Award