Stories of Impact

Eager to make sure ADL had the right strategy to fit the times, leveraged core capabilities, and maintained fidelity to mission, CEO Jonathan Greenblatt hired Bridgespan.

When Jim Clark took the helm of Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2012, he began to pivot to a bold new strategy: shifting emphasis to the outcomes the youth achieved.

By 2000, Harlem Children's Zone was experiencing both the rewards and challenges of growth, and needed to make some hard strategic choices about priorities and programs.

Through a high-stakes donor collaboration, Memphis' education leadership looked to create a model for schools everywhere.

Together, Bridgespan and Piramal Swasthya defined a strategy and operating model that involved bringing together government, civil society, philanthropy, and tribal communities to form a tribal health collaborative.

In 2018, 33 Planned Parenthood affiliate CEOs—representing a combined $744 million in revenue— reached out to Bridgespan with an idea: What if we, affiliate CEOs, came together with a common goal to innovate together and increase access to healthcare?

Bridgespan's Leadership Accelerator guided Reading Partners through a process for developing a plan that would anchor their goals while providing enough flexibility to adapt to ongoing changes.

In Kenya, SHOFCO provides services—educating girls, improving access to clean water, and establishing health clinics—all driven by community desires.

Effecting major social change often requires a fundamental shift in how communities are engaged to act differently. No organization reflects this understanding better than Tostan, a Senegal-based NGO.

An unplanned pregnancy can far too often lead young parents to drop out of school and/or the workforce, making it harder to climb the ladder of opportunity.

National nonprofit networks, such as the YMCA, offer a powerful but underused distribution network for scaling up interventions in public and social services.

Armed with sound strategic plans and significant financial support since 2007, Youth Villages has charted a course that now helps some 23,000 youth transform their lives.

Dipak Basu launched Anudip Foundation in 2006. Within three years, the job training and placement nonprofit was doubling its reach every year by focusing on developing IT and digital skills.

Over the years, EMCF and Blue Meridian have called on Bridgespan many times to help grantees hone their strategies as well as help vet and work with grantees.

As founding director of the Giving Pledge, Olivia Leland asked billionaires to publicly dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

J.B. and M.K. Pritzker established their foundation, with a mission of fostering solutions in the areas of early childhood, community, and women's health. Now they're setting their sights even higher.

Knowing that Black-led nonprofits are starved for resources, the 1954 Project aims to be Black educational leaders’ first seven-figure gift. Meant to support their exemplary educational efforts, it is offered with the hope that such a gift will be a gateway for larger funding from other donors.

Can a single foundation have a truly transformative impact? In the case of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the answer is a clear "yes."

As president of the Center for Community Change, Deepak Bhargava seeks to advance the organization’s mission to enable low-income people to effect positive change.

In 2016, private equity firm TPG set out to prove it was possible to both make money and create positive social and environmental impact.

Capricorn’s Sustainable Investors Fund makes early-stage investments in innovative asset-management firms to help propel their work on environmental and social issues. 

When Amy Saxton left Bridgespan to join Summer Search as its CEO in 2011, she made a leap of faith.

Bridgespan alum Catherine Vaughan (2008–2010) started her nonprofit, Flippable, the day after the 2016 election.

One Acre Fund has grown to help more than 300,000 African families achieve greater food security. Bridgespan alumnus Matt Forti is One Acre's managing director.

Bridgespan's journey from business planning to operating models.

Strategy, capital, and talent build high impact organizations. But first among equals is talent.

Bridgespan collaborates with select philanthropists and foundations to help them and their grantees to achieve the greatest possible impact.

Building on efforts by the RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and others around chronic nonprofit underfunding, “The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle” helped catalyze a movement that has been carried forward by many around the globe.