Select

With the help of a Selection Advisory Council, the GreenLight Fund identifies urgent needs in the local community and vets potential organizations based on their ability to meet these needs and build on the landscape of organizations already working in the community. The Selection Advisory Council includes representatives from philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, as well as local social entrepreneurs and philanthropists.

GreenLight’s due diligence on potential organizations includes research on publicly available information; interviews with organizations’ management teams, board members, and clients; a review of financial information and evaluation reports; site visits; and interviews with experts in the field. The GreenLight Fund considers organizations based on a set of selection criteria that gauges community need, program innovation and results, and operational excellence.

Launch

Once an organization is “greenlighted” for the local community, the GreenLight Fund develops a Launch Team of local champions. Launch Team members bring a variety of skills to the planning and community-building work that prepares a new program for a successful launch: legal, financial, public relations and marketing, community knowledge, funding relationships, and business planning.

Support

The GreenLight Fund provides critical support during the first four-six years of a program's life in the local community. In addition, GreenLight is an on-the-ground partner invested in the early and long-term success of the organization. GreenLight provides the following:

• Early-stage funding. Total contributions are typically in the $600,000-$800,000 range over four years.
• Assistance recruiting exceptional staff and board talent to lead the local organization.
• Start-up planning to ensure that the program is adapted to meet the local community's unique circumstances.
• Community outreach to key political, funding, corporate, and nonprofit organizations in the city.
• Early-stage operational and management support.