GreenLight Fund

05/28/2026

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re bringing mental health and well-being inFocus.

Across the GreenLight Fund network, portfolio organizations including Fathers' UpLift, Inc., Inner Explorer, Becoming a Man, and Working on Womanhood are helping expand access to support that builds trust, strengthens relationships, and creates more pathways for children and families to heal, grow, and thrive.

Read more about how GreenLight is bringing mental health and well-being inFocus: https://greenlightfund.org/infocus-mental-health-well-being/

05/21/2026

At the ABFE Harambee Conference 2026, leaders across philanthropy, nonprofit, and community systems gathered around a central question: what does it truly take to create lasting change? Across sessions and conversations, a set of themes emerged - grounded not in theory, but in lived experience, community voice, and the daily work of building a more just and inclusive society.

Reflections from Tish Johnson-Jones (GreenLight Fund Greater Newark), Simone Hardeman-Jones (GreenLight Fund Twin Cities), and GreenLight Fund CEO Ali Knight highlight four key ideas shaping our work: patience and long-term investment, holding urgency and transformation together, centering humanity in transformative change, and community-centered system building.

Read the full blog post: https://greenlightfund.org/lessons-from-harambee-2026/

05/20/2026

This week, we’re celebrating the incredible team members across GreenLight Fund who help keep our work connected, responsive, and moving forward.

Across the network, our Site Support Teams help drive GreenLight’s community-driven approach by supporting local operations, strengthening partnerships, and staying grounded in community priorities.

Our National Support Team provides the cross-functional expertise that strengthens collaboration across the network, supports local sites, and advances national initiatives, keeping our work aligned and connected across cities.

We are grateful for the dedication, care, and commitment they bring to this work every single day.

05/14/2026

Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities and new risks. In a new article for Youth Today, GreenLight Fund CEO Ali Knight explores what it will take to ensure young people aging out of foster care are not left behind.

Drawing on lived experience and GreenLight’s work alongside communities nationwide, Ali highlights three priorities:
1. Building real infrastructure for independent adulthood.
2. Treating AI and workforce readiness as essential skills.
3. Strengthening relationships while using technology to support, not replace, human connection.

GreenLight portfolio organizations, including First Place for Youth, Hopeworks, and Youth Villages, are helping young people build stable, fulfilling futures in a rapidly changing world.

“Foster youth should not be left behind; they should have every opportunity to move forward in a changing world.”

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4dFzx6V

05/11/2026

Last week, GreenLight staff from across the country came together in Denver. As our team of nearly 70 continues to grow, so does our belief that meaningful change happens when we lean into our collective power, learn from one another, and work with communities to break down barriers to opportunity.

Throughout the week, we explored what inclusive prosperity truly looks like in communities, reflected on GreenLight’s evolution and future, and strengthened the relationships that power our work every single day.

Deep gratitude to the incredible speakers and partners who joined us, including Indira Guzman, Co-Founder & CEO of the Community Language Cooperative, alongside interpreter Genaro Ortiz, for a powerful conversation on language justice and creating spaces where every voice is heard; our Co-Founder John Simon and CEO Ali Knight for a thoughtful discussion on GreenLight’s growth and vision; and Colorado leaders Noah Atencio, CEO of Philanthropy Colorado, and Roweena Naidoo, Vice President for Policy and Community Initiatives at Mile High United Way, for sharing insights on equity, collaboration, and place-based philanthropy.

We left Denver feeling grounded, inspired, and reinvigorated by GreenLight’s mission.

Thank you, GreenLight Fund Denver, for hosting us!

04/28/2026

"The data is clear: between 70 and 100 million adults in the United States, roughly one in three, have an arrest or conviction record. For many, this can create real barriers to employment, stable housing, and full civic participation, often compounding inequities that already exist in our communities.

When people are given the chance to move beyond past mistakes and provided with the tools, support, and fair access to opportunity, they can shape their own futures, realize their full potential, and move forward on a genuine path to economic mobility."

Check out this month's newsletter & subscribe to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/42AoGEZ

04/24/2026

April is Second Chance Month, and we’re recognizing the work of The Fountain Fund in advancing economic mobility and removing barriers for individuals returning home from incarceration.

A GreenLight Fund Boston and GreenLight Fund Philadelphia portfolio organization, The Fountain Fund supports returning citizens with low-interest loans and financial coaching. These loans are often used to reinstate a driver’s license, secure employment, or access stable housing - tools that help build credit and open pathways to long-term opportunity. The organization’s goal is to help Client Partners access capital in ways that strengthen their financial stability and expand economic mobility.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4jynn00

04/23/2026

What does it look like to move from listening to action in philanthropy? In this piece by Ben Gose for The Chronicle of Philanthropy our model comes into focus as a way to translate community insight into action- supporting the spread of proven programs and driving locally rooted, scalable impact across its network of cities.

Read the article: https://www.philanthropy.com/news/lilly-gose-greenlight-0426/

For GreenLight Fund, this process starts with communities themselves– local leaders identifying where gaps exist and what’s needed most. From there, the work is about finding solutions that have already demonstrated impact and partnering to bring them to where they’re needed with the support they need to take root and grow.

As shared by CEO, Ali Knight, “We are in these cities to stay. We’re not going to bring some things and leave. We really intend to be a core part of the social fabric — the service fabric — of each city. And that’s a core tenet of place-based philanthropy.”

Thank you to Ben Gose and The Chronicle of Philanthropy for sharing this thoughtful piece on our approach.

04/22/2026

GreenLight Fund’s model is rooted in community voice, shaping how we identify and invest in solutions.

In Kansas City, this comes to life through the Community Consultants program, engaging natural leaders with lived experience from the communities where GreenLight Fund Kansas City aims to have the most significant impact. As one consultant shares, “we know what the people need… and want to see in the future.”

In partnership with Fund for Shared Insight, this video highlights how deeper listening and collaboration are informing decision-making.

Watch the video:

"We know what the people need ... and want to see in the future," says a GreenLight Fund Community Consultant. Watch this video short to see how consultants and advocates from the community inform GreenLight's decisions about strategy and grantmaking — and why that matters.

04/21/2026

We're honored to share that Simone Hardeman-Jones has been named a 2026 BMe Vanguard Honoree by BMe Community for her dedication to creating opportunities for people to Live, Own, Vote, and Excel.

This national honor and leadership program brings together local and national leaders who demonstrate exceptional trust, collaboration, and impact. The program invests in strengthening their skills, sense of belonging, health, and wellness while amplifying their ability to drive meaningful community and systems change. It is an honor awarded only to leaders who have earned the trust of their peers, coworkers, and community.

We’re incredibly proud to have Simone on our team, driving real impact and making a difference inside and outside the workplace! Please join us in congratulating her on this achievement.