Helping our capital investments go further, faster.

REDF is not a traditional venture philanthropy. Yes, we do grants, but we also do impact lending and unlock public sector capital. And these investments never stand alone. We’ve learned that adding tailored capacity building support helps that capital punch at a higher weight. It’s a combination that works and an approach that sets us apart from other venture philanthropies.

In the works for nearly three decades, our take on capacity building helps enterprises advance along this growth curve:

Focus Areas for Driving Sustainable Growth

We believe there are five core drivers of sustainable growth, and we collaborate with enterprises to identify opportunities and challenges within each before developing a custom resourcing plan.

Business Planning

We focus on how ESEs generate earned revenue, manage costs, manage cash, and position their businesses for growth. Topics include:

Product-market fit
Customer acquisition and retention
Revenue and cost management
Business and growth strategy

Program Design

We focus on how ESEs generate the scale and quality of worker outcomes they seek. Topics include:

Logic model design and refresh
Program model design and implementation
Best practices in recruitment, job readiness, retention, and supports

Raising Capital and Funds

We focus on how ESEs raise outside capital investment to support their work. Topics include:

Goal setting and strategies
Fundraising resources
Metrics management
Proposal writing and pitch development

Operations

We focus on how ESEs prepare for scale through the development of needed systems and infrastructure. Topics include:

Financial management
Facilities and equipment
Data systems and analysis
Process documentation

Talent

We focus on how ESEs lead, manage, and support their talent. Topics include:

Leadership team
Board of directors
Talent strategy
Organizational culture

Building Our Bench

In partnership with consultant partners and graduate students, we help provide just-in-time resources to our ESEs.

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Farber Fellows

Midway through their programs at some of the country’s top business and policy schools, Farber Fellows apply their cutting-edge skills on mission-critical projects that will benefit the ESEs, and the people they serve, for years to come.

About Farber Fellows

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Consultant Request for Information

With a portfolio growing in both size and need, we partner strategically with other subject matter experts to expand our bench. Read our Consultant Request for Information to learn more.

Request for Information

Strategic Partners

There are other ways for us to get funding, but NONE of the other funding comes with technical support to help grow our business like we receive from REDF.

It is so helpful to have a baseline of where we're at—not only internally but also in relation to other organizations in this work. Having this clarity—and having it visually illustrated—is of the most notable tools (gifts) we've ever been given.

You asked what we were worried about, what we thought we needed, and you offered us support in those areas. That flexibility was instrumental.

Our work with REDF really laid the foundation for us to be successful. Once we open, we will hit steady state sooner because we took the time to lay this groundwork.