Powering Impact Through Partnerships

Learn About Our Partnerships

Project Redwood’s partnerships connect grantees with expert guidance, leadership development, funding opportunities, global networks, and pro bono consulting. These collaborations strengthen organizational capacity, accelerate promising ideas, expand visibility, and provide strategic support that helps grantees scale their impact and achieve more durable, community-led results.

Rippleworks

Rippleworks is a Silicon Valley–based private foundation that partners with high-performing social ventures to strengthen their organizations and reach more people. They provide practical, venture-led support through expert-driven projects, hands-on workshops via Leaders Studio, and targeted Expert Office Hours. Their highly selective Capital Program provides unrestricted funding to 15–20 growth-stage ventures each year, grounded in trust and a shared commitment to long-term impact.

Since launching in 2015, Rippleworks has partnered with social ventures around the world to complete more than 450 projects and awarded over $300 million in unrestricted grants.

Partnership and Impact

  • At the close of each grant-making cycle, Project Redwood now nominates a small group of grantees for Rippleworks consulting support and funding opportunities.
  • COVA (formerly Emerging Opportunities for Sustainability, EOS) was the first candidate accepted based on a Project Redwood recommendation.
  • Rippleworks provided COVA with both classroom and on-the-ground guidance, as well as $3 million in funding to deploy its water treatment system, originally developed by Project Redwood grantee Compatible Technology International, across Central America.
  • Project Redwood’s early support also helped position several grantees, including Somo, Educate!, EarthEnable, and myAgro, for Rippleworks engagement. These organizations are now Rippleworks clients.
  • Rippleworks’ Chief Executive Officer Doug Galen was the keynote speaker at Project Redwood’s 2025 Annual Meeting.

Skoll Foundation

The Skoll Foundation is one of the world’s most influential funders of social entrepreneurship. Its mission is to drive large-scale, lasting change by investing in, connecting and championing social entrepreneurs and other innovators addressing pressing global challenges. The foundation supports visionary leaders who are designing solutions with the potential to create long term, systemic transformation and equilibrium change. Through the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, the Foundation provides multi-year, unrestricted support to organizations with proven solutions that are poised for scale.

Skoll also hosts the Skoll World Forum, a major annual gathering for social entrepreneurs and other change leaders.

Partnership and Impact

  • Early Project Redwood funding has helped position ready-to-scale grantees for Skoll consideration.
  • Two-time Project Redwood grantee myAgro received a Skoll Award in 2018, and three-time grantee EarthEnable received a Skoll Award in 2025.
  • Project Redwood leadership attends the Skoll World Forum, which has been a source of new and affirming ideas.

SEP Alumni Scholarship Foundation

The Stanford Executive Program (SEP) Class of 2015 launched the SEP Alumni Scholarship to expand access for outstanding nonprofit leaders worldwide. Since 2016, the program has annually sponsored a high-potential candidate by covering the full cost of the six‑week SEP experience.

Partnership and Impact

  • Project Redwood has nominated exceptional leaders from our grantee organizations for several years.
  • To date, three Project Redwood–nominated grantee leaders have completed the program: Ruth Alvarez-DeGolia of Mercado Global, Wesley Meier of COVA (formerly Emerging Opportunities for Sustainability, EOS), and Allen Woods of MORTAR.
  • Project Redwood is also an SEP Alumni Scholarship fund donor.

Echoing Green

Echoing Green identifies emerging social entrepreneurs and invests deeply in their leadership and early-stage ideas. Its Fellowship Program seeks individuals with bold, catalytic concepts and supports them with an 18‑month stipend, resources, community, and tools designed to help transform early innovations into lasting impact.

Partnership and Impact

  • Echoing Green’s focus on nurturing social innovation from its earliest stages has created a strong pipeline of potential Project Redwood applicants.
  • To date, 11 leaders from 9 current and former Project Redwood–supported organizations have advanced their ideas and strengthened their skills as Echoing Green Fellows.
  • Echoing Green Board Co-Chair Carter McClelland followed his keynote discussion at Project Redwood’s 2024 Annual Meeting with a grant to match member donations in 2025.
  • Project Redwood funded the development of an online learning module, Strategy for Social Change, which Echoing Green co-created with Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation.

Design for Extreme Affordability (Extreme)

Extreme is a two-quarter course that brings together students from across disciplines to design innovative, community-driven solutions to global poverty challenges that will have an impact on generations to come. Rooted in deep partnership and real-world implementation, Extreme prepares the next generation of leaders to tackle complex problems with creativity, compassion, humility, and technical capabilities. Projects from the program have touched the lives of over 200 million people worldwide.

Partnership and Impact

  • Project Redwood has provided funds totaling $105,450 to support a portfolio of Extreme initiatives that advanced course projects to prototype development.
  • Several Extreme projects evolved into Project Redwood–supported nonprofits. Examples include EarthEnable’s innovative flooring solution, Embrace’s infant warmer, MiracleFeet’s clubfoot treatment model, and Compatible Technology International’s pepper grinder, each originally developed by Extreme student teams.
  • Project Redwood volunteers have also provided feedback on student business plans.

Opportunity Collaboration

Opportunity Collaboration is an annual, intentionally designed “un-conference” that brings together a global community of 450+ nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, funders, and investors focused on building sustainable solutions to global poverty and injustice.  Its core mission is to move beyond transactional networking by facilitating deep, authentic human relationships and collaborations that serve as the foundation for systemic, community-led change.

Partnership and Impact

  • Many Project Redwood grantees have benefited from the insights, connections, and support generated through their participation in the summit.
  • Project Redwood has been invited to continue engaging with the Opportunity Collaboration community to learn and share ideas.

Graduate School of Business (GSB) Alumni Relations

The GSB’s Alumni Relations team has long been a strong partner to Project Redwood. Both organizations share a commitment to creating meaningful change in the world and to leveraging the power of the GSB community to bring alumni together.

Partnership and Impact

  • Project Redwood’s research indicates that participation in our work strengthens donors’ and volunteers’ enthusiasm for attending reunions and events, enhances the GSB’s reputation, and likely contributes to increased giving to the school.
  • The GSB has provided Project Redwood with space at information expos and included our organization in presentation lineups for reunions of all types.
  • The Alumni Office has opened and promoted many Project Redwood events to relevant GSB audiences and provided valuable support with event logistics.
  • GSB staff have also facilitated connections with Alumni Consulting Teams and the Center for Social Innovation.

Center for Social Innovation (CSI)

Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation advances impactful leadership by equipping students and practitioners with the knowledge, networks, and tools to address social and environmental challenges. Through education, research, and community engagement, it fosters cross-sector collaboration to drive scalable, sustainable solutions.

Partnership and Impact

  • Project Redwood grantees receive access to CSI’s online curriculum, including the Strategy for Social Change module, which Project Redwood funded and CSI co-developed with Echoing Green.
  • Our grantees may participate in CSI’s program that matches rising second-year MBA students with summer nonprofit roles, with CSI subsidizing student compensation.
  • CSI selected Project Redwood for its 2026 Board Fellows Program.  Two first-year MBA stuents will serve as non-voting fellows and complete a substantive project.
  • CSI’s Director, Matt Nash, served as the keynote speaker at Project Redwood’s 2023 Annual Meeting.

Alumni Consulting Teams (ACT)

Since 1987, Stanford’s ACT has connected more than 1,700 GSB graduates with over 1,000 United States nonprofits seeking support on issues such as general management, growth strategies, finances, and brand development. The pro bono consulting provided by ACT has helped organizations strengthen revenue, improve cash flow, and better leverage their resources. ACT offers three levels of service, Springboard Sessions, Fast Track Projects, and Full Projects, allowing nonprofits to address a wide range of challenges and opportunities.

Partnership and Impact

  • Project Redwood participants who also volunteer with ACT help our grantees understand the range of ACT services and make the most of those opportunities.
  • Our regular Leadership Circles with grantees and sponsors provide a forum for discussing challenges and solutions, and they have been an effective channel for sharing information about resources such as ACT.
  • Project Redwood grantees Juma and Tomorrow’s Leaders New York City have benefited from ACT consulting engagements.

Let’s Talk!

Curious to learn more about Project Redwood? Connect with a fellow GSBer to see how you can put your skills to work.

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