Cordes Foundation
Cordes Foundation is a private, family-controlled foundation founded in 2006 by Ron and Marty Cordes that advances women's economic opportunities and impact investing through grant-making, fellowships, and convening, deploying 100% of its balance sheet for impact at market-rate returns. It serves social entrepreneurs and impact investors globally without proprietary technology or commercial revenue.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cordes Foundation does
Cordes Foundation is a privately held, family-controlled foundation established in 2006 by Ron Cordes and Marty Cordes following the sale of Ron's investment management business, AssetMark. It operates from New York with 1–10 employees (the four core family members — Ron Cordes, Marty Cordes, Steph Stephenson, and Eric Stephenson — operating without a traditional office structure) and pursues a mission to alleviate global poverty and advance women's economic opportunities. There is no parent company, no institutional outside ownership, and no disclosed funding rounds; the entity is fully family-funded.
The foundation's work is structured around a '3Cs' framework: Connect (linking social entrepreneurs to investors, advisors, and stakeholders), Convene (hosting events, salons, and summits that strengthen the impact-investing and social-entrepreneurship ecosystem), and Catalyze (deploying 100% of the foundation's balance sheet for impact at market-rate returns). Programmatic offerings are organized into four lines: Strategic Philanthropy (grant-making to social enterprises advancing women's economic opportunities), Impact Investing (mission-aligned capital deployment at market returns), the Cordes Fellows program (support for emerging social entrepreneurs), and Networks & Convenings (field-building events). Core delivery depends on direct relationships, a website hub (cordesfoundation.org), an email newsletter ('Impact Cords: This Week's Moves'), and a LinkedIn presence; the foundation does not develop proprietary technology and has no APIs or AI capabilities.
The foundation does not sell products or services and reports no revenue; its economic activity is the deployment of family capital across philanthropic grants and impact investments, with documented partner outcomes including a 98% loan recovery rate and 3,000 women served via Women's Microfinance Initiative in Buyobo, Uganda. Partnerships span nonprofit and social-enterprise organizations such as Nest (sustainable fashion), Remake, Soko, Indego Africa, SHOFCO, and the Afghan Institute of Learning. Steph Stephenson's December 2024 board appointment at Nest signals deeper vertical commitment to ethical fashion and global supply chains.
Cordes Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cordes Foundation
- Legal name
- Cordes Foundation
- Website
- https://cordesfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cordes Foundation is a private, family-controlled foundation founded in 2006 by Ron and Marty Cordes that advances women's economic opportunities and impact investing through grant-making, fellowships, and convening, deploying 100% of its balance sheet for impact at market-rate returns. It serves social entrepreneurs and impact investors globally without proprietary technology or commercial revenue.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cordes Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Foundation
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)
Keywords
Where Cordes Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cordes Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Strategic Philanthropy: The foundation deploys grant-making and philanthropic capital to support social enterprises and organizations advancing women's economic opportunities and impact investing ecosystems. This includes their fellowship program supporting social entrepreneurs.
- Impact Investing: The foundation invests 100% of its balance sheet for impact with market-rate returns, deploying mission-aligned investment capital to social enterprises focused on women's economic advancement and sustainable development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cordes Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cordes Foundation is a private family foundation that deploys philanthropic grant capital and impact-investment capital (100% of its balance sheet, targeting market-rate returns) to advance women's economic opportunities and social entrepreneurship. It delivers four program areas: Strategic Philanthropy (grant-making to women's economic advancement initiatives), Impact Investing (mission-aligned investments at market-rate returns), the Cordes Fellows program (structured support for social entrepreneurs), and Networks & Convenings (events and summits that strengthen the impact-investing and social-entrepreneurship ecosystem).
Product overview
Cordes Foundation is a family foundation organized around three core program areas: Connect (connecting social entrepreneurs to investors, advisors, and stakeholders), Convene (hosting events and summits for impact ecosystems), and Catalyze (providing philanthropic and investment capital to mission-aligned enterprises). The foundation operates as a unified programmatic structure rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with its main offerings being Strategic Philanthropy, Impact Investing, the Cordes Fellows fellowship program, and Networks/Convenings events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Philanthropy Grant-making and strategic-support program that funds social enterprises and nonprofit organizations advancing women's economic opportunities and community development globally. Aimed at social entrepreneurs and mission-aligned nonprofit partners.
- Impact Investing Investment program that deploys 100% of the foundation's balance sheet for impact while targeting market-rate returns, funding mission-aligned social enterprises focused on women's economic advancement and sustainable development. Aimed at impact investors and social enterprises seeking catalytic capital.
- Cordes Fellows Fellowship program that identifies, selects, and supports emerging social entrepreneurs with resources, connections, and funding to scale their impact-driven enterprises. Aimed at social entrepreneurs whose work aligns with the foundation's mission.
- Networks & Convenings Programming of events, salons, and summits that foster knowledge sharing, collaboration, and field-building for impact investing and social entrepreneurship. Aimed at impact investors, advisors, social entrepreneurs, and ecosystem partners globally.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% loan recovery rate achieved by Women's Microfinance Initiative (WMI) partner in Buyobo, Uganda
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cordes Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cordes Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cordes Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL)minorListed among photo credit partners on Cordes Foundation website, indicating collaborative relationship or mutual support. AIL provides education and health services to women and girls in Afghanistan.
- Indego AfricaminorListed among photo credit partners on Cordes Foundation website. Indego Africa is a nonprofit that supports artisan cooperatives in Africa through business training and market access.
- NestcoreNest is a nonprofit ensuring workers in global supply chains are safe, free, fair, and paid. Steph Stephenson (daughter of foundation founders) joined Nest's board in December 2024, strengthening family foundation ties to this organization.
- RemakeminorListed among photo credit partners on Cordes Foundation website. Remake is a nonprofit focused on making fashion fair and sustainable through advocacy and education.
- Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO)minorListed among photo credit partners on Cordes Foundation website. SHOFCO provides urban youth with education, health services, and economic opportunity in Kenya.
- SokominorListed among photo credit partners on Cordes Foundation website. Soko is a fashion e-commerce platform connecting African designers with global consumers.
- Women's Microfinance Initiative (WMI)coreWMI runs microfinance programs for women entrepreneurs in rural Uganda. The foundation's co-founder Ron Cordes visited WMI in Buyobo in 2008 and has been involved with the organization since. WMI's new banking facility serves 3,000 women entrepreneurs with a 98% loan recovery rate.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cordes Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Skoll Foundation: Skoll Foundation is a direct peer — both operate the dual philanthropy + impact investing model, focus on social entrepreneurship, run a flagship fellows program (Skoll Fellows), and deploy mission-aligned capital to scale entrepreneurs. Comparable in mission and programmatic structure to Cordes' Connect/Convene/Catalyze framework.
- Omidyar Network: Pierre Omidyar's family-founded impact organization directly parallels Cordes: it emerged from a successful for-profit exit (eBay), pairs philanthropic grants with impact investments, and focuses on economic opportunity and social entrepreneurship globally. Same family-office structure + 100% impact mandate DNA.
- NoVo Foundation: NoVo is a family foundation (Peter and Jennifer Buffett) with explicit focus on advancing women and girls' economic empowerment and social/emotional learning — the closest topical peer to Cordes' women's economic opportunity thesis at a similar family-foundation scale.
- Acumen: Acumen deploys patient capital and invests in social enterprises targeting poverty across the Global South, mirroring Cordes' impact investing with market-rate returns alongside mission outcomes. Both pair capital with advisory support for portfolio entrepreneurs.
- Echoing Green: Echoing Green runs a flagship fellowship program for early-stage social entrepreneurs — directly comparable to the Cordes Fellows program in scope, target audience, and selection model. Both serve as conveners and connectors for emerging impact leaders.
- Ashoka: Ashoka is the foundational social-entrepreneurship network (founded 1980) and a leading global convener of social entrepreneurs — comparable to Cordes' Convene function and Connect role linking entrepreneurs to investors and advisors.
- Tara Health Foundation: Tara Health is a family foundation focused on women's economic power and well-being — closely aligned with Cordes' women's economic empowerment mission and comparable in scale and approach (small staff, mission-aligned deployment).
Broad incumbents
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation: A larger multi-generational private foundation with a strong focus on vulnerable children and economic opportunity. Comparable governance and convening role in the impact ecosystem, though at vastly greater scale and broader thematic scope than Cordes.
- Ford Foundation: Ford is a global incumbent in private philanthropy with deep impact investing and gender equity programming. Overlaps with Cordes on field-building, but at much larger capital scale and with institutional infrastructure Cordes lacks.
- Mastercard Foundation: The Mastercard Foundation deploys large-scale catalytic capital focused on African youth and economic inclusion — the closest geographic/thematic incumbent peer to Cordes' documented Uganda work and women's economic empowerment agenda.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cordes Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceCordes Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cordes Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Cordes Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Cordes Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
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Frequently asked questions about Cordes Foundation
What does Cordes Foundation do?
Cordes Foundation is a private family foundation that deploys philanthropic grant capital and impact-investment capital (100% of its balance sheet, targeting market-rate returns) to advance women's economic opportunities and social entrepreneurship. It delivers four program areas: Strategic Philanthropy (grant-making to women's economic advancement initiatives), Impact Investing (mission-aligned investments at market-rate returns), the Cordes Fellows program (structured support for social entrepreneurs), and Networks & Convenings (events and summits that strengthen the impact-investing and social-entrepreneurship ecosystem).
Is Cordes Foundation a public or private company?
Cordes Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Cordes Foundation founded?
Cordes Foundation was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cordes Foundation based?
Cordes Foundation is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cordes Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Strategic Philanthropy is the primary driver. The others are impact Investing.
Who are Cordes Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Skoll Foundation, Omidyar Network, NoVo Foundation, Acumen, Echoing Green, Ashoka and Tara Health Foundation. Broad incumbents are W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation and Mastercard Foundation.
Does Cordes Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cordes Foundation.
What industry is Cordes Foundation in?
Cordes Foundation's product category is Philanthropic Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAD, Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking).