APPROACH
Together, we create healthier, more vibrant communities
Impact AO Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that invests in local expertise and ingenuity.
Best solutions to the world’s most vexing problems come from the minds of those impacted.
Locally-based entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations know best how to respond to the needs of their community. They are modern actors of change, on the front lines poking at the status quo and redefining the nature of philanthropy and investment. They tackle tough challenges with a creative spirit and utilize innovative models with recognized potential to create positive change.
They are impact organizations.
Their solutions are bold, but numerous barriers prevent them from taking idea to maximum impact. What if those working to solve the world’s most vexing problems had zero-barriers to carry their idea through? What if they were successful? What would that mean to their local community? What would that mean at a global scale?
“Incredible changes are happening across the globe initiated by local leaders who know what their communities need and how to make change happen. Impact AO provides the tools and resources they need to bring their bold ideas into action.”
~ Karinn Sammann, Co-Founder
We work to reduce those barriers as impact organizations travel toward greater operational and financial sustainability. We support actors of change in refining their ideas and magnifying their impact. We create a safe space where they can test out their own model assumptions.
Impact organizations who align with our vision and meet our criteria receive the tools necessary to materialize their innovative models, expand their work and attract future donations and/or impact investors.
AO Readiness
The AO Readiness program includes mentoring and leadership development, assumption testing and refinement, project management and financial budgeting, impact measurement, and growth planning. The Impact AO team works directly with the local leaders we support and also brings in other international or regional NGOs, seasoned professional volunteers and other partners to reach maximum impact.
AO Fund
The Impact AO Fund provides donations and/or early-stage financing to local impact organizations to achieve specific developmental milestones. All organizations that receive funding are part of the AO Readiness Program.
