The HOW Institute for Society

What The HOW Institute for Society does

The HOW Institute for Society is a New York-based non-profit think tank, founded by Dov Seidman (founding year cited as either 2013 in company history/legal records or 2016 in firmographic summaries; the more specific historical record indicates 2013), that builds and nurtures a culture of moral leadership, principled decision-making, and values-based behavior. Its stated purpose is to enable individuals and institutions to navigate the social, economic, and technological changes of the 21st century while elevating humanity. The Institute serves a horizontal audience spanning senior business leaders/CEOs, emerging managers, academic institutions, and government/public-sector leaders.

The product portfolio is content- and community-led rather than software-based. Core offerings include the HOW Conversations video series, HOW Podcasts, the NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership (an immersive program with nearly 100 alumni from founding partner Levi Strauss & Co.), the proprietary Moral Leadership Framework and PAUSE interactive reflection tool, the HOW Summit on Moral Leadership, and research publications anchored by the annual State of Moral Leadership in Business report (surveying 2,500+ U.S. workers). The Institute also administers the Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics essay contest, originally established in 1989. No mobile app, public API, SDK, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the source data.

The business model is philanthropic: the Institute is a 501(c)-style non-profit sustained by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners, with no commercial pricing or product sales. Confirmed major supporters include The Rockefeller Foundation (disclosed grants of $899,816 in February 2023 and $200,000 in June 2025), Levi Strauss & Co. (founding partner, with CEO Chip Bergh on the board), Mastercard (board member Jon Huntsman), and the Ford Foundation (board member Darren Walker). Distribution is primarily direct via the Institute's website, newsletters (HOW Matters, HOW Latest), LinkedIn, YouTube, podcasts, and in-person events including the annual HOW Gathering at 92NY Gala. The 2024 board expansion and 2026 Rockefeller social-sector partnership indicate an ongoing institutional buildout despite a small core team (1–10 employees).

Name

The HOW Institute for Society

Legal name

The HOW Institute for Society

Website

https://thehowinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The HOW Institute for Society is a New York-based non-profit think tank, founded by Dov Seidman, that develops moral leadership frameworks, fellowships (NXT-GEN), research reports, and the PAUSE reflection tool for senior business leaders, emerging managers, and now social-sector leaders, sustained by philanthropic donations and corporate/foundation partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Programs

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Resources, Organizational Behavior & Leadership Institutes (EDAHAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching (EDABANAJ), Code of Conduct & Business Ethics (EDABADAB), Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

Keywords

• Leadership development programs
• Moral leadership education
• Executive fellowship programs
• Nonprofit research institute
• Values-based training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: The organization relies on supporters and partners of all kinds to advance its mission, relying on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The HOW Institute for Society delivers educational programs, research publications, and community-building initiatives focused on moral leadership development. Its core offerings include the NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership for emerging managers, HOW Conversations video/podcast series, the PAUSE interactive reflection tool, the annual State of Moral Leadership in Business research report, the Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics essay contest, and curated events such as the HOW Summit on Moral Leadership. The institute serves senior executives, emerging leaders, academic institutions, and the social sector.

Product overview

The HOW Institute for Society offers a comprehensive suite of programs and tools focused on building and nurturing moral leadership culture. The core offerings include HOW Conversations (video series), HOW Podcasts (audio content), NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership (fellowship program), HOW Research (research publications), and the PAUSE interactive tool/framework. Additional offerings include the Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics essay contest, HOW Summit on Moral Leadership, HOW Live events, HOW Gathering with 92NY Gala, and the Rockefeller Foundation Partnership for Moral Leadership in the Social Sector. The Institute also publishes regular newsletters (HOW Latest, HOW Matters) and maintains an extensive Moral Leadership Framework. The organization does not operate a traditional software platform but rather delivers educational, research, and community-based programs focused on moral leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of employees believe the need for moral leadership is more urgent than ever, up from 86% in 2020
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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, core and flagship.

• NovoEdminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2026NovoEd, an enterprise talent development platform, partnered with The HOW Institute for Society as part of its 14 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards in 2026. The HOW Institute was recognized as a client partner in the leadership development category.
• Rockefeller FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026The Rockefeller Foundation and The HOW Institute for Society formed the Partnership for Moral Leadership in the Social Sector. This partnership launched a Moral Leadership Lab bringing together a community of social impact leaders committed to putting humanity, shared values, and principled decision-making at the core of how they lead. Zia Khan, formerly Chief of Innovation at Rockefeller Foundation, serves as a HOW Fellow and helped architect this partnership.
• Levi Strauss & Co.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLevi Strauss & Co. is a founding partner of The HOW Institute for Society. Nearly 100 Levi Strauss & Co. employees have participated in the NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership program. Chip Bergh, President & CEO of Levi Strauss & Co., serves on the board of directors.
• Ford FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ford Foundation is listed as a supporter and partner of The HOW Institute for Society. Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, serves as a board member and has participated in HOW Conversations.
• MastercardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMastercard is listed as a supporter and partner of The HOW Institute for Society. Jon Huntsman, Vice Chair and President of Strategic Growth at Mastercard, serves on the board of directors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI): Membership-based nonprofit that produces benchmarking research, assessments, and programs on ethics, culture, and conduct in organizations — a close analog to HOW's focus on moral leadership as a measurable driver of business outcomes.
• Aspen Institute: Nonpartisan, values-based think tank that convenes leaders across sectors around leadership, ethics, and civic responsibility through fellowships, seminars, and public programs — highly comparable mission and program architecture to The HOW Institute's fellowship, summit, and dialogue model.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Global, research-driven leadership development organization offering fellowships, executive programs, assessments, and proprietary leadership frameworks to managers and senior leaders — directly comparable to HOW's fellowship-based leadership training and research-backed methodology.

Emerging players

• KIPP Foundation: Nonprofit network that combines leadership development, character education, and values-based programming for emerging leaders; comparable in its emphasis on character/moral development layered onto leadership pipelines.
• Baptist Center for Ethics / ethics.org-style nonprofits: Smaller mission-driven organizations producing research and convenings around moral and ethical leadership; comparable to HOW at a smaller scale within a narrower issue area.

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Kennedy School — Center for Public Leadership: Premier academic center that develops leaders across public, private, and social sectors through fellowships and research on ethical leadership; similar in convening leaders, producing research, and running fellowship programs.
• Yale Center for Business Ethics (ICBE): University-anchored center producing research, executive education, and convenings on business ethics and responsible leadership — comparable mission around ethics + leadership research and executive engagement.

Others

• Aspen Business Strategy Group / Aspen Strategy Group: Invitation-only leadership forum convening senior executives around values and strategy; comparable to HOW's HOW Conversations and Summit as a curated C-suite dialogue platform.
• Rockefeller Foundation (as comparator): Major philanthropic institution and current strategic partner of HOW; relevant as a peer funder/convener of social-sector leadership and as the partner backing the Moral Leadership Lab.

Regional players

• Points of Light Foundation: Nonprofit focused on civic engagement, volunteerism, and values-driven leadership development — adjacent peer sharing the character/civic-leadership mission and fellowship/corporate partner model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheHOWInstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9OVFPueUTqgn2btz5gYpHQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-how-institute-for-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The HOW Institute for Society