If you’d like to apply, please see the above link and complete the application.

January, 2022.

Your donation will be designated as unrestricted flexible capital which will allow Acumen to deploy the funds at its discretion according to need, whether that is investment in social enterprises, program development, or general operating expenses that allow us to keep our team up and running. You can read our financial overview here.

Yes! We encourage you to donate as much as you are able, whether directly or through activating other members of your community to support Acumen.

There are many ways to raise and donate funds. You can donate directly in one installment or with a monthly contribution over the course of 2022. You can also host a crowdfunding campaign to meet the total, donate stocks, or donate through a donor-advised fund. Many corporations also offer to match employee donations to nonprofits. U.S. donations can be made here. U.K. donations can be made here.

While our cohorts are open to anyone, anywhere, we currently host official virtual sessions slated for three time zones: Europe, U.S. East Coast, and U.S. West Coast.

In 2021 we had about 70 Nexters, as we call them, primarily based in the U.S. East and West Coasts, as well as the U.K. and Europe, and we would love to have members from regions beyond! In their day jobs, Nexters are Associates, Senior Associates, Chiefs of Staff, VPs, Founders, and Managers, and hail from the tech, finance, philanthropy, marketing, community engagement, and consulting sectors. In their own words, they joined in order to: “Learn about impact investing to bring it back to [their] own firm;” “Empower social entrepreneurs;” “Connect with other leaders;” and “Give back to the world.”

In addition to financially supporting our work and actively participating in the community, we expect you to attend the five official programs throughout the year and encourage you to share our mission and ethos with your networks. We will provide tools like facilitated discussion guides and other materials that describe and reflect Acumen’s work.

Leadership opportunities include Acumen Active in which you will help energize the community via bike rides, runs, walks, or other athletic endeavors to bring together fellow Nexters for fun, or to help with fundraising. Additional opportunities include hosting Acumen Circle discussions with fellow Nexters and your network, writing for our blog, hosting socials, and other ways you might think of to engage and amplify the Next community!

Year one is just the entry point. Beyond the first year, Acumen Next is about continued learning, and especially doing. We want you to be that agent of change in your company, organization, and community. The experience will become more driven by you and your cohort, with continued support from the Acumen team. Key differences will include more flexibility on session choice, opportunities to collaborate with Acumen on global Next events, and deepened opportunities to roll up your sleeves and connect with Acumen Fellows. 

Each of the five programs includes two sessions which take place over the period of two weeks. Each session is about an hour and 15 minutes and includes suggested materials to read or watch beforehand and as a follow-up. Altogether you can expect to devote about 15 – 20 hours, which includes a kick-off call and an optional Investment 101 session at the beginning of the year. Beyond that, each cohort decides its own calendar of additional engagement as a group and on the individual level.

In 2020, our pilot cohort came together in 4 official sessions; rallied over 100 friends for a book event on moral leadership with our CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz; hosted their own impact career conversations and Acumen circles; mentored Acumen Fellows; and raised $43,000 for Acumen’s work that allowed us to pivot quickly and support our Fellows and entrepreneurs through COVID-19.