Family Promise joins a highly selective network of nonprofits working to break the cycle of poverty
Summit, NJ – February 3, 2020 – Family Promise is proud to announce it has been selected to participate in Stand Together Foundation’s Catalyst Program, a management training and peer-learning program to help nonprofits grow, scale, and replicate their success. Family Promise is one of 12 nonprofits chosen to join the growing community of more than 190 organizations across 47 states, transforming the lives of more than one million Americans through bottom-up empowerment.
Family Promise was selected from among hundreds of nonprofit organizations through an extensive vetting process and accepted into the program after a rigorous evaluation. Nonprofits selected into Stand Together Foundation’s Catalyst Program are seen as disrupting the status quo while demonstrating “outside-the-box” thinking and embracing a community-driven and people-centered approaches. Program criteria, also includes proven outcomes and the potential for scale and cultural impact.
“We are thrilled to welcome 12 new disruptive organizations into our community. These nonprofits stand out in their field with the way they approach poverty – believing that those closest to a problem are often best equipped to address it,” said Evan Feinberg, executive director, Stand Together Foundation. “Our new partners are crafting solutions from within communities that are as unique as the people they serve. We are looking forward to working together to maximize their impact in communities across the country, helping more people to transform their lives out of poverty.”
“We are honored to join 11 other highly successful organizations who are part of the Stand Together Foundation’s current Catalyst Program Cohort,” said Claas Ehlers, CEO of Family Promise. “The leadership training being provided by The Stand Together Foundation will allow us to increase our impact at all levels of our organization and at our 200+ Affiliates nationwide. ”
The Catalyst Program is a six-month management and peer-learning training program. The experience will equip Family Promise’s leaders with new tools and approaches to deepen its impact and expand its reach. The program serves as an on-ramp to long-term partnership with Stand Together Foundation which includes management coaching, leadership development, operational support, and access to a community of entrepreneurial peers, influential philanthropists, and business leaders.
Family Promise will join 11 other social entrepreneur-led organizations in its cohort experience which officially kicks off on February 23, 2021. The following is a full list of the latest organizations to join Stand Together Foundation’s Catalyst Community:
● Downtown Boxing Gym (Detroit, MI): a free after-school academic and athletic program that provides Detroit students with the tools to uncover their personal strengths. Through tutoring, mentorship, enrichment programs, college and career prep, social-emotional skills building, and more, DBG trains kids to promote their wellbeing and tap into their unique gifts and talents.
● DreamKit (New Haven, CT): mobilizes the power of community to restore the self-confidence of youth who are unstably housed and provides them with a support system to help them find secure, independent housing quickly and efficiently. Their tech-based intervention model credentials and connects youth with employers and landlords to set them up for success.
● FreeWorld (Stockton, CA): assists people who have been in prison with skills to enter into high wage, high demand careers so they can live fulfilling lives, breaking the cycle of incarceration. FreeWorld demonstrates the potential of reentering citizens by creating pathways for meaningful work in high-skilled and high-paying jobs.
● Family Promise (Summit, NJ): uses a community-based response to support families that are at-risk of or experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence. Family Promise mobilizes a national network of volunteers within communities across the country to provide social capital, relational support, and resources to end family homelessness for good.
● Health Corps (New York, NY): Limited access to health education can lead to a lifetime of social, emotional, and physical challenges. HealthCorps leverages in-school mentorship, training programs, and national advocacy to work with teens across the country to develop their long-term health and wellness.
● Found in Translation (Dorchester, MA): turns obstacles into assets by training bilingual women with low incomes to become professional medical interpreters. Leveraging their invaluable language skills transforms these women into agents of change that help advance equality in healthcare access, prevent medical errors, save lives and achieve economic security.
● Just in Time for Foster Youth (San Diego, CA): provides a supportive community for youth exiting the foster care system to build confidence, capability, and the connection necessary for personal success. For transitioned foster youth aged 18-27, JIT creates a community of caring adults, long-term coaching relationships, and coordinated resources to address the root cause of trauma and empower youth to achieve self-sufficiency and wellbeing.
● Lawndale Christian Legal Center (Chicago, IL): offers the only community-based legal practice in the city of Chicago dedicated to the felony criminal defense of juveniles and emerging adults. Their Restorative Justice Community Court (RJCC) resolves felony cases for 18-26 year olds through conferences within the legal community and peace circles with those affected by the crime. Through these connections, Lawndale reduces the damaging effects of youth criminalization, mass incarceration, violence, and poverty.
● NMCAN (Albuquerque, NM): leverages community partnerships and volunteerism to improve youths’ experiences in foster care and the juvenile justice system. Through their programming, young people build the necessary skills to take on leadership roles that drive positive changes in their communities and within the systems that are designed to support them.
● Partners for Justice (New York, NY): trains civil advocates to work in public defender offices to support people in navigating the complex legal system. Using a network of local community organizations, they improve the lives of low-income individuals by empowering and supporting them through the judicial process, changing attitudes and practices within the existing legal system.
● Roca (Chelsea, MA): engages young adults, police, and systems at the center of urban violence, working to disrupt incarceration and poverty. Roca offers a well-developed therapeutic intervention model that helps high-risk young people find purpose and employment through long-term relationships, ultimately turning trauma into hope.
● The Younique Foundation (Lehi, UT): provides healing services to women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse through retreats, support groups, and online resources. Younique educates and empowers both parents and caregivers to protect children from sexual abuse through community and online resources.
About Family Promise
Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers in 200+ communities in 43 states. Family Promise delivers innovative solutions for family homelessness including prevention, shelter, and stabilization services. We have served 1 million family members since our founding more than 30 years ago, and we aspire to change the future for 1 million children by 2030 through our community-based programs. Learn more at FamilyPromise.org.
About Stand Together Foundation
Stand Together Foundation is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in America by driving change from within communities. We are building a community of social entrepreneurs who believe in people, work from the bottom up, and unite with anyone to do right. Since 2016, we have committed $100 million and counting to fuel the innovation of nonprofits throughout the country to build stronger, safer communities where all people can learn, contribute, and realize their full potential. Our goal is to help nonprofit leaders maximize their impact to transform more lives out of poverty. Learn more at StandTogetherFoundation.org.
