About Us
Andrea Levere, CEO, launched Capitalize Good in September 2023 with Alexandra Sing, one of the authors of the Blueprint for Enterprise Capital, as Chief Operating Officer. Capitalize Good advances multiple initiatives to demonstrate the impact of Enterprise Capital, while aligning both funders and nonprofits to build the infrastructure, awareness, and commitment necessary to bring Enterprise Capital to meaningful scale in the sector.
Our story
Philanthropic Equity
When Andrea started her Executive Fellowship at the Yale School of Management, she was required to select a project that could engage students and faculty. She decided to focus on addressing a question that deeply frustrated her as a longtime nonprofit leader: Why do most funders violate the principles of finance in the ways that they structure their grants?
To answer the question, Andrea returned to the transformative work of Clara Miller, founder of the Nonprofit Finance Fund.
Clara found that providing “philanthropic equity” or enterprise capital, including long-term, flexible capital to nonprofit organizations was the “high-value” fuel necessary to build financial strength and resilience.
Blueprint for Enterprise Capital
In March 2021, the team published the Blueprint for Enterprise Capital to inform both grantmakers and nonprofit leaders about Enterprise Capital, illustrating the impact of this type of funding through case study examples and providing a “primer” for foundations and donors on how to make these types of grants.
The enthusiastic response to the Blueprint benefited from multiple forces advancing change within philanthropy and the nonprofit sector as the result of both the pandemic — which elevated nonprofits as the “essential businesses” in American communities — and the national reckoning on racial equity.
Foundations engaged Andrea to create new “Enterprise Capital Funds” and to integrate Enterprise Capital grantmaking into their portfolios. Nonprofits took advantage of financial technical assistance services to understand their business models, frame fundraising approaches to secure Enterprise Capital, and adopt an abundance mindset.
Building a stronger social sector
We begin by integrating the lessons of finance into philanthropy
Our Mission
Capitalize Good seeks to build capital markets that serve -- and unlock the transformative potential of -- the social sector, empowering nonprofits to achieve lasting impact and financial sustainability.
We advocate for equitable funding practices that align financial strategies with organizational missions, fostering resilience and long-term success. By integrating financial expertise and philanthropic funding principles, we mobilize capital in service to equitable outcomes and lasting societal change.
Our Vision
The vision driving the creation of Capitalize Good is a future where capital flows efficiently and sustainably to mission-driven organizations, enabling them to achieve enduring social impact and build thriving communities while contributing to economic growth.
Our Team
Andrea Levere
Andrea is the CEO of Capitalize Good, a Social Enterprise Fellow at the Yale School of Management, and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Andrea began her career in development finance at the National Development Council (now Grow America) before joining Prosperity Now, a national intermediary focused on wealth inequality, where she served as President for 14 years. In this role, she led the growth of the asset-building field, focusing on both policy development and financial sustainability while launching national movements for matched savings for adults and children.
She currently serves as the Board chair of two Community Development Financial Institutions – ROC USA and Rochdale Capital – and Vice Chair of Scale Link. She was also a member of the Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, for which she served as Vice Chair and Chair during her three-year term. She received her BA at Brown University and MBA at the Yale School of Management.
Alexandra Sing
Alexandra is the COO of Capitalize Good. She brings over a decade of experience in finance across lending, endowment management, and alternative investments. Alexandra was most recently an investment officer at Open Road Alliance, an impact investor specializing in bridge loans to social enterprises globally.
Prior to joining Open Road, Alexandra was an investment analyst at the Boston University Investment Office and Forester Capital, LLC. Alexandra received her BA in Economics from Barnard College of Columbia University and her MBA from the Yale School of Management.
Our Values
We strive to embody our values as signals of who we are, the change we’re committed to nurturing, and the culture and funding practices we seek to advance in the social sector.
Equity
We emphasize equity in all facets of our work so that communities previously undervalued by philanthropy will one day have the opportunity to realize their potential. We are committed to dismantling the harmful funding practices we know exist by demonstrating sensible, partnership-driven approaches to philanthropy.
Trust
We are committed to building trust-based relationships that honor diverse perspectives and experiences and elevate voices most proximate to critical issues. It is time to move away from skepticism and dismissal of attributes that differ from the skills and qualifications our industry has historically valued.
Accountability
We are accountable for the impact of our work on individuals, communities, and systems. We reject traditional funder/grantee power dynamics that place undue burden on front-line personnel while absolving asset holders of responsibility for impact outcomes.
Unconventional Approach
We celebrate unconventional approaches to funding partnerships as a means to drive innovation, scale impact, and create meaningful change. Conventional approaches to philanthropy are antiquated, steeped in bias, and perpetuate inequality in resource allocation.
Abundance
We strive to liberate the social sector through an abundance mindset, whereby prosperity is shared, imaginations are expansive, and possibility is limitless. The scarcity mindset created by philanthropy has weakened the social sector, stifled innovation, and reinforced harmful stereotypes about mission-driven organizations, particularly those led by people of color.
Partnership with
20 Degrees
20 Degrees is the parent company of Capitalize Good, and works closely with the Capitalize Good team to provide technical assistance to nonprofits. Capitalize Good embodies a critical cornerstone in 20 Degrees’ theory of change, which seeks to change funder behavior so that more dollars flow to organizations led by, and serving, women and people of color.
By catalyzing responsive philanthropy practices through this partnership, both organizations can influence the social sector market, helping nonprofits and communities thrive. 20 Degrees also works closely with Capitalize Good to help nonprofits identify a post-investment revenue model that extends beyond the infusion of enterprise capital. 20 Degrees’ unique products and services, including financial modeling and earned revenue generation, complement Enterprise Capital investments to help nonprofits strategically deploy capital, create self-sustaining new forms of revenue, and more.
Capitalize Good and 20 Degrees are proud to partner to create lasting sustainability and impact for nonprofits and communities across the country.
Partners
Effective and collaborative partnerships are the foundation of Capitalize Good's mission. We are grateful to partner with a diverse group of philanthropic institutions and donors, social enterprises, trade associations and universities which are engaged in advancing the practice of Enterprise Capital.
Funders
Advisory Council
Members
Abigail Suarez (Chair) - Head of Neighborhood Development, JPMorgan Chase
Chris Cardona - Managing Director, Exploration, Discovery, and Programs, MacArthur Foundation
Sarah Chenven - CEO, Working Credit
Rev. Cory Anderson - Chief Innovation Officer, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
Lori A. Cox - Vice President of Programs, The California Wellness Foundation
Philip Fitzgerald - Senior Vice President, Senior Program Officer, Citi Foundation
Logan Herring - CEO, WRK Group
Jackie Khor - Senior Advisor, Impact Investing and Philanthropy
Leslie MacKrell - Partner, The Bridgespan Group
Clara Miller - Founder of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, Writer, Speaker, Visionary
Tony Sheldon - Executive Director, Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact, Yale School of Management
Lillian Singh - Founder & CEO, Enterprising Ventures of Color; Senior Vice President, Family Economic Mobility, Share Our Strength
Ex officio
Tom Bartlett - Co-Founder & President, 20 Degrees
Sara Gibson - Co-Founder & CEO, 20 Degrees
The Capitalize Good Advisory Council will provide strategic guidance in support of the organization’s mission to advance the practice of Enterprise Capital including branding and messaging advice, selection of priority demonstration projects, thought leadership opportunities, and capitalization support.
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