Organization:Echoing Green
Contents
Overview
Echoing Green’s roots can be traced to one of the most influential philanthropists in modern history, Charles Feeney. Charles Feeney and Robert Warren Miller reached considerable financial status after the success of their joint venture, the Duty Free Shopper’s Group.
Feeney’s personal beliefs led him to donate the majority of his wealth to launch a philanthropic foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies. In 1980, General Atlantic was founded as a private investment firm which would be responsible for investing Charles Feeney’s considerable wealth, and is now a leading global growth and private equity firm which maintains its founding commitments to philanthropy.
In 1987, the board of General Atlantic, in an effort to maximize philanthropic and social impact, founded Echoing Green. This name might be familiar if one considers oneself to be a poetry aficionado. Echoing Green was named after the William Blake poem, “The Echoing Green,” which describes the cycle of life through play and reflection.
Echoing Green began by supporting one individual, Diana Propper de Callejon, in creating alternative livelihoods for Amazonian people that were not based on deforestation. Since then, Echoing Green has supported over 500 fellows, investing over $30 million dollars in seed funding. Programs and organizations which have stemmed from an Echoing Green fellowship include Teach For America, Public Allies, Family Van, and Jumpstart.
In 2002, Cheryl Dorsey guided the organization out of possible dissolution and into a new role as a global nonprofit. A Harvard Business School Case Study detailing the involvement of Cheryl Dorsey with Echoing Green shows how the organization regained stability and broadened its base of funders.
As of today, Echoing Green remains a leader in encouraging young people to pursue social entrepreneurship. Echoing Green fellowships have been awarded to individuals and teams launching social ventures dealing with youth development, education, health services, civil rights, environmental justice, food security, and immigration. Echoing Green has also added new programs to support their mission, including the Work on Purpose program, the Black Male Achievement Fellowship and the Fellowship Search Partnership program.
Purpose
Echoing Green’s mission is to, “unleash next generation talent to solve the world’s biggest problems.”
The organization currently pursues this mission through their prestigious and well founded Echoing Green Fellowship program, as well as through curricula that engages young people in discourse about working with passion and purpose. In 2006, Echoing Green released “Be Bold,” a publication aimed towards emboldening young people to construct a career path geared towards social entrepreneurship. This publication lead the way for the Work on Purpose program, which is a simple yet effective structure for encouraging and emphasizing social impact when designing a career path.
Distinct Differences From Other Offerings
Echoing Green offers an impressive track record in seed funding for social venture startups. With over 500 fellows, and approximately 65% of the organizations originally seed funded by Echoing Green still in existance, Echoing Green has created a massive network of like-minded entrepreneurs. Additionally, Echoing Green's partnerships with universities, nonprofits, and other organizations through the Work on Purpose program have, established an even more expansive network of resources and opportunities to reach and engage with young social entrepreneurs.
Echoing Green Fellowship
- A stipend of $80,000 for individuals (or $90,000 for two-person partnerships) paid over two years
- A health insurance stipend
- A yearly professional development stipend
- Conferences led by organizational development experts
- Access to technical support and pro bono partnerships
- Access to a large community of social entrepreurs and public service leaders
Work on Purpose
- Accessible curriculum designed to engage young people in discourse about socially impactful careers
- Workshops and trainings to facilitate engagement of curricula and target audiences
- Online community dedicated to supporting the Work on Purpose program
- Work on Purpose publication
Black Male Achievement Fellowship
- A stipend of $70,000 paid over 18 months
- A health insurance stipend
- A yearly professional development stipend
- Conferences led by organizational development experts
- Access to a large community of social entrepreurs and public service leaders
Impact Achieved For Students and Campus
Universities and organizations involved with the Work on Puropose program include the following:
- African Leadership Academy
- American Associate of University Women
- Arizona State University
- Arizona State University Public Allies
- Ask Big Questions
- Barnard College
- Bonner Foundation
- Brown University
- Centre College
- Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
- Citizen Circles
- Civic Ventures
- Columbia University
- Commongood Careers
- Concordia University, Wisconsin
- CUNY Hunter College
- Dartmouth University
- Davidson College
- DonorsChoose.org
- Dream Now
- Emory & Henry College
- Fordham University
- Generation Citizen
- Genocide Intervention Network
- George Mason University
- Give to Get Jobs
- GO Project
- GOOD
- GovLoop
- Harvard University
- Harvard University Business School
- Haverford College
- Health Leads
- Idealist
- Indiana Campus Compact
- Lawrence University
- Management Leadership for Tomorrow
- Marian University
- Marquette University
- Michigan Campus Compact
- Mobilize.org
- More Than Money
- Moxie Camp
- Net Impact
- New Leaf Initiative
- Northwest Earth Institute
- NYU Polytechnic Institute
- NYU Gallatin
- NYU Research Center for Leadership and Development
- NYU Stern
- NYU Wagner
- Oberlin College
- Open Society Foundations
- Oregon State Service Corps
- Peer Health Educators
- Penn State University
- PhilanthroTeach, Inc
- Prep for Prep
- Princeton University
- Providence College
- Rider University
- Roosevelt Campus Network
- Rutgers University
- School of Visual Arts
- Seinfeld Scholarship Program
- Smith College
- Spelman College
- St. Norbert College
- SUNY Levin Jumpstart NYC
- Swarthmore College
- The College of New Jersey
- Transformative Action Institute
- Trinity Wall Street
- Tulane University
- University of Florida
- University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
- University of Portland
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- University of the Pacific
- University of Waterloo
- USC Marshall Society & Business Lab
- Warren Wilson College
- Wesleyan University
- Widener University
- William Jewell College
- Wisconsin Private College Career Consortium
Steps Required To Bring Resource to Campus
To apply for the Echoing Green Fellowship:
- Read the requirements and eligibility here.
- Sign up for the Echoing Green newsletter to receive information on the next application deadline
To bring the Work on Purpose program to any campus follow these steps:
To apply for the Black Male Achievement Fellowship:
Read the requirements and eligibility here.
To learn more about forming a partnership email: workonpurpose@echoinggreen.org
Contact Information
Website: http://www.echoinggreen.org
Mailing address:
Echoing Green
494 Eighth Avenue
Second Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 689-1165
info@echoinggreen.org
Or connect with Echoing Green on Facebook.
