The Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP) is the only university-based center with a singular focus on philanthropy for social impact. Founded as a collaboration between the School of Social Policy & Practice and alumni of the Wharton School, it is a trusted source of knowledge and education to help donors around the world do more good. To learn more about how CHIP analyzes opportunities for high social impact, visit www.impact.upenn.edu.
AUTHORS
- KATE HOVDE, Senior Advisor, Education, Center for High Impact Philanthropy
- HANH LA, Senior Advisor, Applied Research & Analysis, Center for High Impact Philanthropy and adjunct lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Public Health Initiatives
- KATHERINA ROSQUETA, Founding Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy and adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice
- MOLLY SINDERBRAND, Postdoctoral Fellow, Education, Center for High Impact Philanthropy
- STACY TAYLOR, Project Manager, Center for High Impact Philanthropy
APPROACH & METHODOLOGY
To meet our goal of providing smart, practical guidance to funders, we synthesize the best available information from three domains: research, informed opinion, and field experience. For this report, we
- Reviewed over 50 background research studies;
- Conducted interviews with more than 30 experts and practitioners in areas related to opportunity youth; and
- Completed site visits to the four organizations featured in the Nonprofits Making an Impact section
By considering evidence from all three sources, we leverage the strengths while minimizing the limitations of each. The most promising opportunities exist where the recommendations of these three domains overlap. For additional information, including relevant citations and endnotes, as well as updates to this work, please visit our website: www.impact.upenn.edu.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was made possible through the generous financial support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private philanthropy that creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow.
We would like to thank the following people who shared their expertise, offered insights, connected us to others, or provided feedback on this guide:
- ALLISON GERBER, Annie E. Casey Foundation
- KATHY STACK, Laura and John Arnold Foundation
- BRAD ARONSON, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region and Hopeworks ‘n Camden
- JACQUELINE WEINBERGER, MATT JOYCE, CHRISTINE KIDD, and the staff and clients at the Center for Employment Opportunities
- CARRA COTE-ACKAH, PAUL HELLER, REBECCA HOBBLE, CAROL MCLAUGHLIN, Center for High Impact Philanthropy
- VINCENT SCHIRALDI, Columbia University School of Social Work
- THADDEUS FERBER, Forum for Youth Investment
- SHAY BILCHIK, JILL ADAMS, MACON STEWARD, MICHAEL UMPIERRE, Georgetown University
- SARAH THOMAS, BETSY DELGADO, DAN SCOTT, SHELLEY ASHLEY, Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana
- KELLY OPOT, Harris County (Texas) Youth Services Center
- LILLIAN ALLEN, Jobs for the Future
- SY KAUFFMAN, Crosslink Capital
- VICKI LASSITER, Measure of America
- GABRIEL RHOADS, Project Evident
- SIMRAN SIDHU, The Hive at Springpoint
- JON FINE, United Way of King County (Washington)
- MARK COURTNEY, University of Chicago
- DENNIS CULHANE, JOHANNA GREERSON, KATHLEEN NOONAN, LAURA PERNA, University of Pennsylvania
- TIFFANY PEREZ, JONATHAN HASAK, GARRETT WARFIELD, Year Up
- MARK COURTNEY, University of Chicago
- CARLA BENWAY, GARY IVORY, EDWARD DEJESUS, SHAENA FAZAL, TERRI CAMARA, Youth Advocate Programs (YAP)
- SCOTT EMERICK, MEREDITH MOLLOY, TED MOLLOY, BRIAN LEFFLER, and the staff and students of YouthBuild Philadelphia
- PAT LAWLER, JESSICA FOSTER, LORI SUSTEK, PAM WATKINS, and the staff and clients of YVLifeSet/Youth Villages National and Massachusetts offices
Special thanks go to the following colleagues at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy for their assistance and support: SARAH GORMLEY, associate director, administration and knowledge management; MARIEL FEATHERSTONE, program assistant; ANNE FEROLA, director of education and strategic partnerships; AMBER HU, communications and marketing social impact fellow; and SARAH POLECH, RACHEL WILDFEUER, ALLISON RUSSEL, JESSICA SORIANO, and GRACE KIM, graduate student research assistants.