Social Innovation Forum
On January 20, Social Innovation Forum (SIF) celebrated the graduating cohort of 2024 Innovators as they officially completed their two-year journey in the Accelerator program. In 2024, these eight nonprofit organizations joined the Accelerator Program, which creates a community inclusive of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders, and other change agents seeking to build a more equitable nonprofit sector in the region. Through the Accelerator Program, SIF helped the 2024 cohort gain visibility, expand their networks, and connect with philanthropic and in-kind resources to accelerate their work.
The following organizations comprise the 2024 cohort graduating from the Accelerator:
- Beat The Odds (BTO) Boston
- Boston Food Forest Coalition
- Family Independence, Inc.
- Just A Start Financial Empowerment Collaborative
- Kids in Tech, Inc.
- Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE)
- Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN)
- Top Notch Scholars, Inc.
We asked the Innovators to reflect on their participation in the program and their future plans, and here is what they shared:
Beat The Odds (BTO) Boston
Beat The Odds (BTO) provides under-resourced youth with a unique opportunity to explore their creativity and unlock their hidden talents. BTO offers young people a safe space with access to the creative tools necessary to inspire self-awareness and encourage mental health and healing from trauma through music and arts.
Over the last few years, Beat The Odds’ annual Oddside Showcase and Music and Arts Summit has seen a 50% increase in attendance, and their participant waiting list has grown to over 300 students. Going forward, they are piloting a 10-week after-school program for 7th and 8th graders in the Boston Public Schools and supporting their participants as they step into leadership to run workshops.
Camila Rojas Pagan, Co-Founder and CEO of Beat The Odds, shared, “Standing here today and looking around the room, I’m reminded that we invest in people, especially those closest to you and closest to the challenges. The impact ripples far beyond the organization. This cohort is proof of what’s possible with vision, support, and the opportunity to come together.”
Boston Food Forest Coalition
Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC) is a coalition of neighbors working to transform vacant lots into locally-run, public, edible parks protected by their land trust. BFFC is building a network of environmental and social resilience across Boston through new food forest development, its community land trust, land stewardship, and educational programming.
BFFC has doubled the size of their team, and has built 14 food forest parks around the city. They are well on their way to their goal of 30 food forests by 2030! Through the Accelerator program, BFFC has connected with collaborators and partners to raise over $1.65 million to support creating food forests and empowering local community members to steward the land.
Orion Kriegman, Executive Director of Boston Food Forest Coalition, shared, “I remember showing up [to our first SIF event] and not knowing anybody…and today it feels like this is a real community of colleagues and friends who have got each other’s back.”
Family Independence, Inc.
Family Independence’s mission is to provide hope and stability for families experiencing homelessness through a safe, comprehensive, structured residential living experience. Family Independence supports families in completing high school or equivalent education, practicing good parenting and life management skills, and raising healthy, emotionally stable, and school-ready children.
Two years ago, Family Independence joined the program with a clear goal to strengthen its mental health services. Now, they received a contract through the Department of Children and Families to add a home-based mental health service to their programming. Looking ahead, they are building a community hub where families can seek housing support, financial care, education, and connection all in one place.
France Neff, President and CEO of Family Independence, shared her gratitude: “Thank you to Social Innovation Forum, the track partners, and everyone who invested in Family Independence. Your support is allowing us to not only serve families, but also to build confidence within our staff…and continue to build a future forward.”
Just A Start Financial Empowerment Collaborative
Just A Start Financial Empowerment Collaborative helps low-to moderate-income residents of Cambridge to build economic security, mobility, and resiliency through its Families Moving Forward Program, financial support and coaching, and free tax preparation.
Over the last two years, Just a Start has rapidly grown its impact. Last year, Just a Start’s service supported 93 people on their path to greater financial independence. They also opened their Economic Mobility Hub in Alewife to house their services in one place. Looking ahead, Just a Start recently developed their 5-year strategic plan that focuses on program integration to better serve the community.
Marijke van der Hiel, Financial Empowerment Program Manager at Just a Start, shared her gratitude for SIF. “I really appreciate how the Social Innovation Forum meets nonprofits where they are to help them find the best path forward.”
Kids in Tech, Inc.
Kids in Tech’s mission is to excite, educate, and empower children from low-income families throughout Massachusetts to learn about technology and explore engineering concepts in order to embrace future opportunities in a growing industry.
Over the last few years, Kids in Tech clarified their core programming and made intentional shifts to create the greatest impact and serve even more young people. They also invested in their organizational health and strengthened their systems and decision-making processes to build their organizational capacity. Finally, through the SIF consulting and executive coaching engagements, Kids in Tech had space for leadership reflection to test their strategy and navigate their rapid growth.
Olu Ibrahim, Founder and CEO of Kids in Tech, shared, “Participation in the Accelerator strengthened Kids in Tech’s strategic focus, leadership capacity, and impact storytelling. As a Lead Innovator, the experience sharpened my ability to lead with data, communicate impact clearly, and plan for sustainable growth. Organizationally, the Accelerator accelerated our readiness to scale while maintaining program quality and accountability.”
Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE)
Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE) is dedicated to empowering the Latinx community in the Greater Lowell area through education, workforce development, civic engagement, and financial literacy programs. Its mission is to create a supportive and inclusive environment, fostering community growth and active participation.
Over the last two years, LCCE has supported over 250 students in their English courses, Hi-SET classes, and workforce development programming. Their courses have a 90% completion rate, and 80% of workforce development students received a job placement. Looking ahead, LCCE will continue deepening their community-based civic engagement and creating spaces where people build relationships, share resources, and collaborate across organizations.
Diego Leonardo, Founder and Executive Director, shared, “The Accelerator Program and Social Innovation Forum created the space, structure, and time for us to step back and think intentionally. The coaching, peer learning, and process design helped move us from reactive work to coordinated strategy.”
Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN)
Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN) supports and maintains the leadership of women of color working in the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Movement in Massachusetts. MAWOCN provides training and technical assistance, peer-to-peer support, mentorship, and resources, all to better serve women of color and BIPOC survivors.
Since joining the Accelerator Program, MAWOCN launched their 40-hour Keeping Black Survivors Alive (KBSA) Training Toolkit, which is a community needs-informed training for community members supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. They have grown their staff to 5 people, who in turn supported 14 recent graduates of the KBSA Training. They will continue to offer training across communities to increase their impact and support even more community members.
Kishana Osei, Executive Director of Massachusetts Women of Color Network, expressed her gratitude to SIF. “Our organization is so much more stable because of the experience, and I am so much more confident.”
Top Notch Scholars, Inc.
Top Notch Scholars surrounds Lawrence students (scholars) ages 14 to 19 years old with a caring and supportive community that focuses on helping them develop the confidence and knowledge to pursue their passions and career goals by providing personal development, educational planning, and connections to mentors and internships within their field of interest.
After joining the Accelerator Program, Top Notch Scholars achieved one of their goals of integrating their programming within schools in Lawrence, increasing the number of scholars from 150 to 250. Similarly, they have grown their partnerships to 18 businesses and organizations, offering a wider range of internship opportunities for their scholars. They have also grown their internal capacity by hiring 2 new staff members to support their new partnership and scholars.
Joanna de Peña, Founder and CEO of Top Notch Scholars, shared, “SIF has been a blessing to Top Notch Scholars as we scaled, strengthened, and met new funders to take us to the next level…They shifted our focus from daily survival to structure, strategy, and powerful connections.”
At the end of the event, we heard from Jenna Nackel, Director of Network Engagement at SIF, as she welcomed the Acceleratorprogram graduates into SIF’s Nonprofit Network program. She said, “SIF support is for the long haul. We are honored to partner with these organizations and to offer ongoing leadership development, skill building, and network building to support them as they continue building a more just, inclusive, and equitable future.”
Congratulations to our 2024 Accelerator Program Social Innovators! We look forward to supporting your ongoing goals and watching your growing impact meaningfully change lives in the Eastern Massachusetts community.
Photography credit: All photos by Leise Jones leisejones.com
