What New Venture Fund does

New Venture Fund (NVF) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2006 that operates as a fiscal sponsorship platform for charitable projects. NVF provides operational infrastructure to change leaders, including financial management, HR, compliance, and grants administration, enabling project founders to focus on programmatic impact rather than administrative burden. The organization manages a charitable portfolio exceeding $356 million across nine global regions and supports more than 170 active projects spanning environment, youth development and education, civil rights and advocacy, global development and health, capacity building, and incubation and innovation. Notable incubated projects include the James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund (which disbursed $4.68M to 312 independent restaurants during COVID-19) and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which grew under NVF's sponsorship before spinning off as an independent organization distributing $10.9M in 2019.

NVF's core technology is the fiscal sponsorship model itself: an established legal and administrative framework that allows unincorporated charitable initiatives to operate under NVF's tax-exempt umbrella. Built on this base, the organization has developed distinct program lines. The Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Grantmaking program, launched in 2019 with MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Omidyar Network, is a $10 million field-building initiative in impact investing, with workstreams on evidence base, practice advancement, and solutions/infrastructure. The New Venture Fund for Global Health Agencies & Funds is a separate grantmaking vehicle providing project grants up to $250,000 to strengthen the organizational effectiveness of WHO, UNICEF, The Global Fund, and other global health institutions. In 2023, NVF made grants totaling more than $500 million supporting over 1,350 domestic and international organizations, reflecting the scale of its pass-through grantmaking activity.

NVF's revenue model is that of a public charity: it generates operating revenue through administrative fees on fiscally sponsored projects, grant funding for specific programs (such as C3 from its three anchor foundations and the McGovern Foundation), and pass-through grants it administers on behalf of institutional funders. Distribution is primarily direct: NVF engages change leaders through its website, foundation referrals, industry convenings, and a structured online grant portal. The organization's customer base is bifurcated: a long tail of 170+ sponsored projects and 1,350+ grantees on the demand side, and a concentrated set of major institutional funders (MacArthur, Rockefeller, Omidyar, McGovern) on the supply side. NVF holds no proprietary AI/ML technology and offers no public or partner-facing API; its competitive position rests on reputational credibility, ecosystem relationships across the philanthropic field, and the operational scale of its fiscal sponsorship platform.

Name

New Venture Fund

Legal name

New Venture Fund

Website

https://newventurefund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

New Venture Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2006 that provides fiscal sponsorship, operational infrastructure, and grantmaking services to 170+ charitable projects and global health institutions across nine regions, managing a portfolio exceeding $356 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fiscal Sponsorship Services

NAICS

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Venture Debt Funds / Platforms (FSANAIAB)

Keywords

• Fiscal sponsorship services
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Philanthropy administration
• Charitable project hosting
• Catalytic capital funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fiscal Sponsorship Services: NVF serves as the operational home for charitable projects, providing administrative infrastructure, financial management, HR support, and compliance services. The organization manages a charitable portfolio across nine global regions.
2. Catalytic Capital Consortium Grantmaking: NVF administers the C3 Grantmaking program, a $10 million initiative funded jointly by MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Omidyar Network to increase knowledge, awareness, and use of catalytic capital in impact investing.
3. New Venture Fund for Global Health Agencies & Funds: NVF manages a dedicated grantmaking fund for global health institutions, making small and nimble project grants up to $250,000 to strengthen organizational effectiveness of WHO, UNICEF, The Global Fund, and other GHIs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Venture Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides fiscal sponsorship and operational infrastructure to charitable projects. It delivers administrative, financial management, HR, compliance, and grants administration services so change leaders can focus on programmatic work. NVF also administers large grantmaking programs, including the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) and the New Venture Fund for Global Health Agencies & Funds.

Product overview

New Venture Fund is a public charity that operates primarily as a fiscal sponsorship platform, providing operational infrastructure and administrative support to charitable projects. The organization manages a charitable portfolio of more than $356 million across nine global regions. The core offering is its fiscal sponsorship model, which frees change leaders to focus on programmatic work while NVF handles operations including HR, financial management, and grants administration. Key programs include the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Grantmaking initiative—a $10 million field-building program for impact investing—and the New Venture Fund for Global Health Agencies & Funds. The organization's project portfolio spans multiple cause areas: Environment, Youth Development and Education, Civil Rights and Advocacy, Global Development and Health, Capacity Building, and Incubation & Innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fiscal Sponsorship Platform Operational infrastructure service for change leaders and charitable projects, providing administrative, HR, financial management, and compliance support through established fiscal sponsorship mechanisms.
• Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Grantmaking A three-year, $10 million grantmaking initiative promoting greater and more effective use of catalytic capital in impact investing, with workstreams including strengthening the evidence base, advancing practice, and fostering solutions and infrastructure.
• New Venture Fund for Global Health Agencies & Funds A grantmaking fund that strengthens organizational effectiveness of global health institutions, fosters collaboration across GHIs, and supports equitable access to life-saving products with project grants up to $250,000.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $500 million in grants made in 2023 supporting 1,350+ organizations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ConvergenceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Global network for blended finance receiving C3 Grantmaking funding to generate blended finance data, intelligence, and deal flow to increase private sector investment in developing countries.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Global champion of impact investing receiving C3 Grantmaking funding to build critical infrastructure, support activities, education, and research to accelerate the development of impact investing industry.
• Mission Investors ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Leading impact investing network for foundations dedicated to deploying capital for social and environmental change, receiving C3 Grantmaking funding to share best practices and implement new strategies.
• ToniicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Global community of high net worth individuals, family offices, and foundations seeking deeper positive social and environmental impact, receiving C3 Grantmaking funding to foster greater deployment of catalytic capital.
• ProvocminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic communications agency that roots its work in racial equity, partnered with NVF to produce a report exploring the role fiscal sponsors can play to support grassroots groups advancing racial equity and justice.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Tides Foundation: One of the largest fiscal sponsorship organizations in the U.S., offering charitable project hosting, grantmaking, and donor-advised funds. Closely comparable to NVF in core model — operational infrastructure for charitable projects — and a direct competitor for foundation and donor relationships.
• Tides Center: Sister organization to Tides Foundation and a major fiscal sponsor for social justice, environment, and movement-building projects. Operates the same project-incubation model as NVF and competes for the same nonprofit founders seeking 501(c)(3) infrastructure.
• NEO Philanthropy: Fiscal sponsor that hosts advocacy, civil rights, and social justice projects — directly overlapping NVF's program areas. Operates a similar project-hosting and pooled-funder model and is a frequent co-funder in NVF's issue-area networks.
• Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Philanthropy advisory and fiscal sponsorship organization serving high-net-worth donors, foundations, and corporations. Comparable in grantmaking administration capabilities and in serving as a hosted vehicle for multi-funder initiatives akin to NVF's C3.
• Borealis Philanthropy: Funder collaborative and fiscal sponsor focused on racial equity and social justice — directly overlapping NVF's civil rights, racial equity, and grassroots-grantmaking work. Operates pooled funds from multiple foundations, structurally similar to NVF's C3 model.

Broad incumbents

• Arabella Advisors: National philanthropy services firm that provides fiscal sponsorship, strategic consulting, and fund management to foundations and donors. Competes with NVF on hosted funds and operational infrastructure but operates a broader advisory model.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Large community foundation operating donor-advised funds, hosted projects, and grantmaking at scale. Comparable to NVF in portfolio-management capabilities and institutional foundation partnerships, though structured as a community foundation rather than a pure fiscal sponsor.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor, channeling billions annually to nonprofit recipients. Relevant to NVF as an alternative charitable vehicle competing for the same donor dollars, though structured as a DAF rather than a project-hosting fiscal sponsor.

Regional players

• Foundation for a Just Society: Private foundation that provides grants and hosts pooled funder initiatives on LGBTQ, gender, and human rights issues. Comparable to NVF in administering multi-funder strategies and grantmaking infrastructure, though focused on a narrower thematic set.

Emerging players

• RSF Social Finance: Impact-focused financial intermediary offering loans, grants, and donor services to social enterprises. Comparable to NVF on the impact investing and catalytic capital axis (directly relevant to C3's mission) and on providing integrated philanthropic infrastructure to mission-driven organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NVFund
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdummy
• Facebookfacebook.com/newventurefund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-venture-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/newventurefund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Venture Fund