Our recently released annual report digs into our global impact.
Our Annual Report, Changemaking in 2021, tracks our work across 162 countries to influence and develop connections between three strategic groups: Changemakers (people and organizations with less systemic power whose lived experience can birth new ways of doing things), Incumbents Powerholders (people and groups with the resources and influence to drive change at scale), and the broader Ecosystem (the evolving collective who set the norms for what is acceptable, drive what’s valued, and mobilize action).
We launched it to share our insights and learnings from some of the 40 programs we ran last year and to showcase the impact had by a few of the 30,000 Changemakers we engaged with through everything from hackathons, open innovation challenges, accelerators and incubators, to our broader ecosystem development and investment fund design work. The report details how we connected these innovative people and groups with other people and institutions able to realize and amplify their visions for a more just and sustainable world. These Changemakers ranged from youth leaders designing digital spaces to improve well-being, to entrepreneurs fighting plastic pollution in South & Southeast Asia. Notably, 70% of them were from minority groups.
They include people like Greenhope, an Indonesian material manufacturer on a mission to replace conventional plastics for sustainable consumption and production, and Antoine Tannous, a SpaceApps program local lead in Lebanon working to improve Science, Tech, Engineering, Art, and Math programs in schools and universities. The report spotlights the impact they have had and the wider impact we have had by building the capacity of Changemakers, helping them raise over $56 million, accelerating 169 ventures, and forging connections to bring their visions to life.
The report also shares details about our theory of change and explains how we worked with some 70+ Incumbents to advance and scale the visions and innovative solutions developed by Changemakers. These Incumbent Powerholders include everyone from big tech executives and government agencies to universities around the world.
Finally, the report shows how our programs across 8 initiatives empowered the overarching ecosystem and built the relational infrastructure to make the Changemakers’ visions a reality.
“2021 is so much more than the outcome of a more resilient and just economy,” Co-CEOs Carrie Freeman and Todd Khozein said. “When we empower people to bring their perspectives and experiences to the table, we build the connections and relationships needed to solve the world’s most complex problems, together.”
To access more Changemaker stories and details about our work in 2021 — and to learn more about our plans for 2022 including work to support emerging fund managers from marginalized communities and design more inclusive financing mechanisms — read our full report and check our blog and newsletters for more updates throughout the year.
