Fast Forward

Applications for the Startup Accelerator are open! 🎉 Are you a tech or AI-powered nonprofit founder on a mission to change the world? Then this one’s for you. 👉 Fast Forward’s Startup Accelerator program is specifically tailored for builders dedicated to tackling global challenges — from health and education inequities to poverty and climate change. Join our network of 100+ alum making a real difference. Apply (ffwd.org/accelerator) by Monday, September 9.

accesSOS Founder Gabriella M. Wong has been selected as a 2024 Echoing Green Fellow! Selected from a pool of nearly 2,100 applicants, Gabriella Wong joins leaders in the 2024 Echoing Green Fellowship cohort. BOLD SOLUTION: Improve access to life-saving emergency medical assistance for the Deaf community and other vulnerable communities by offering a free, 24/7 mobile app. For 37 years, Echoing Green has been on the front lines of solving the world’s biggest problems, raising up the transformational leaders willing to speak truth to power and challenge the status quo. Fun fact: Previous Fellows include former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (‘91); political commentator Van Jones (‘94); co-founders of national health movement GirlTREK, T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison (‘13); and founder and chief executive officer of climate technology startup BlocPower, Donnel Baird (‘12). With 44 Fellows working in 21 countries, this cohort is one of Echoing Green’s largest and most geographically diverse cohorts yet. In today’s challenging times, these innovators are creating the bold solutions that our world needs now. Together, these Fellows are innovating for our collective future. Echoing Green President Cheryl Dorsey stated, “From the planet's hottest year yet, to ongoing global threats to democracy, to backsliding on hard-fought progress on racial equity — these are challenging times. We need bold solutions now for these and other significant challenges. These new Fellows are meeting this moment with a level of brilliance, care, and passion that gives me renewed hope for our collective future.” Learn more about the 2024 Fellows and their work in the United States, Afghanistan, Australia, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe: https://bit.ly/46A4X9M #EchoingGreen #Fellowship #TechForGood #SocialImpact #NonProfit 📸Echoing Green

Join us this Tuesday for a Startup Accelerator application workshop! Register ahead to join and gain tips on submitting a stellar application. 👉 https://bit.ly/3LHTHOK

Support our panel, proposed by ASAP, Documented, Justicia Lab, and Mobile Pathways, about how nonprofits can use tech and AI to improve access to justice for immigrants. The #SXSW 2025 Panel Picker has opened! Voting closes on 8/18! https://lnkd.in/eYaEtvFT

We spy a few AI-powered nonprofit builders alongside Fast Forward’s Kevin Barenblat in the TEDAI San Francisco lineup! Ersilia’s Gemma Turon, PhD, Rocket Learning’s Vishal Sunil, and Digital Green’s Rikin Gandhi. 👀 👉 tedai-sanfrancisco.ted.com

Free Our Vote welcomes our new Executive Director, Marissa Ranalli Zapata! Marissa brings thirteen years of experience in strategic partnerships, brand marketing, and civic engagement. We are thrilled she’s joined Free Our Vote to accelerate our impact and growth. Prior to Free Our Vote, Marissa was Director of Corporate Partnerships at Civic Nation, a nonprofit hub for high-impact nonprofits such as Michelle Obama's When We All Vote and It's On Us. She served as B Lab's first Head of Brand Marketing, increasing brand awareness of the Certified B Corporation movement. Prior to that, as DoSomething.org's Marketing Manager, Marissa was responsible for brand and membership growth through integrated brand partnerships. There, her partnerships registered 25,000 young people to vote ahead of the 2016 election. Marissa is also an active New Yorker - a member of New York City's longest-running all-female a cappella group, TrebleNYC, a volunteer gardener at a local community garden, Verdi Square, and the communications lead for the West 72nd Block Association. Welcome!

At the heart of our mission lies the invaluable support of Fast Forward a catalyst in our tech-for-good journey. Fast Forward's commitment to our cause is a beacon, lighting our way in the ever-evolving tech landscape. With sincere appreciation, we thank Fast Forward for being not just supporters but #partners in our pursuit of positive #change! Learn more about them here: https://lnkd.in/egRmsDN #edtech #impactstartups #grattitude #earlyeducationforall #rocketlearning #techforgood #AI #india #education #partnership

“Fast Forward’s research of how APNs are using AI to fight climate change found a vast range of use cases, including decarbonizing supply chains, tracking pollution, predicting disasters, optimizing sustainable farming practices, protecting biodiversity, and equipping policy makers with better data.” Here are five ways that nonprofits are effectively leveraging AI, based on Fast Forward’s research: 🟡 Unlocking big data for climate: (hello Climate TRACE) 🟡 Starting small with specific use cases 🟡 Creating tools for collaboration and coalition-building 🟡 Leveraging robust existing datasets 🟡 Using smaller models to drive efficiency and impact Read the article to learn more about the #AIforGood use cases that have been developed by nonprofits like ours.

Applications for the Startup Accelerator are open! If you’re a tech nonprofit entrepreneur, let us transform your journey like we did for Utkarsh Saxena from Adalat AI. ⤵ "Thank you so much, Fast Forward family! Our journey has been completely transformed in such a short amount of time. We are immensely grateful for the support and guidance at every step. More importantly, we're thrilled to have found a community and friends in a space that can often feel very lonely. We see our relationship with Fast Forward as a lifelong friendship and look forward to continuing to lean on and learn from you!" Our hybrid program provides tech nonprofits with seed funding, community, mentorship, top-tier curriculum, and more! Apply by September 9 👉 ffwd.org/accelerator

Applications for the Startup Accelerator are open, 🕺 and this year, we’re doing something special 👉 Application Workshops! Join Caroline W. to learn all about the application process and what the program offers. Secure a spot by registering ➡ https://bit.ly/3LHTHOK