Good Work Institute

What Good Work Institute does

Good Work Institute (GWI) is a 501(c)(3) worker self-directed nonprofit founded in 2015 and headquartered in Kingston, New York, within the Mahicantuck/Hudson Valley region. Its mission is to cultivate and support a diverse network of people, initiatives, and organizations committed to "Good Work" — framed around a Just Transition model emphasizing ecological repair, democratizing communities and wealth, racial and social equity, cultural diversity, and relocalizing economic power. GWI delivers its work through a portfolio of workshop series (Just Transition Primer, Navigating Conflict, Democratizing Work, Navigating Feedback), cohort programs (Good Work Fellowship, Solidarity Leaders Lab), community-building events at The Greenhouse (its 65 Saint James Street community hub), a long-running weekly radio program on Radio Kingston, and author talks hosted with regional partners. Since 2018, GWI has operated a Model C fiscal sponsorship program that has supported 33 mission-aligned projects in raising $8.4M cumulatively, including the incubated Kingston Common Futures community-designed grant fund.

The organization employs 1–10 people operating under a worker self-directed governance model adopted in 2019, and its work centers on facilitation methodologies, Nonviolent Communication, somatic practices, and Liberating Structures rather than proprietary technology. Revenue is generated through three principal streams: tax-deductible donations and grants (including a 10th-anniversary campaign targeting $100K in 2025 and a $150K NoVo Foundation grant for Kingston Common Futures), sliding-scale workshop and program fees ranging from $0 to $600, and fiscal sponsorship administrative fees on pass-through funds. Customers and participants span Hudson Valley nonprofits (Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Kingston Food Coop, Rock Steady Farm, Scenic Hudson), educational institutions (BARD, Vassar, SUNY New Paltz, Union College, Zena Democratic School), cooperatives and worker-owned enterprises, government partners (Ulster County Department of Mental Health), and individuals seeking facilitation, conflict navigation, and democratic governance training.

GWI distributes its offerings through a hybrid model combining the physical Greenhouse hub, regional partner venues, online/virtual workshops, and media partnerships. Its competitive position is anchored by a dense regional network of 20+ partner organizations, brand authority around the Just Transition framework (aligned with Movement Generation), a permanent community hub, and a five-year-plus radio partnership — though the organization remains small, regionally focused, and dependent on foundation and donor funding for both operations and major initiatives.

Name

Good Work Institute

Legal name

Good Work Institute

Website

https://goodworkinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Good Work Institute is a worker self-directed 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 in Kingston, NY, that delivers Just Transition workshops, fiscal sponsorship, and community programming to Hudson Valley nonprofits, cooperatives, educational institutions, and individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Capacity Building and Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ)

Keywords

• Nonprofit capacity building
• Just transition training
• Facilitation workshops
• Fiscal sponsorship services
• Democratic governance consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Good Work Institute relies on donations and grants as a primary revenue stream. They conduct annual fundraising campaigns (10th anniversary fundraiser raised over $75K with a goal of $100K for 2025). Individual donors, foundations, and community supporters contribute to their operations.
2. Workshop and Program Fees: GWI generates revenue through workshop fees using a sliding scale pricing model. Workshops range from free ($0) to $600 depending on program type and organizational budget. This includes multi-session series like 'Democratizing Work' (3 sessions, $150-$600) and 'Navigating Feedback' (5 sessions, $200-$375 sliding scale).
3. Fiscal Sponsorship Program: GWI started their fiscal sponsorship program in 2018 to help mission-aligned initiatives access charitable dollars. Their fiscally sponsored projects (Model C) raised $430K in 2024 alone. They have helped 33 projects raise $8.4M to date. Kingston Common Futures was launched as a fiscally sponsored project under GWI with $150,000 in pilot funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Good Work Institute is a worker self-directed 501(c)(3) nonprofit that cultivates and supports a diverse network of people, initiatives, and organizations committed to Good Work. Its core paid offerings include a suite of sliding-scale facilitation workshops (Just Transition Primer, Navigating Conflict, Democratizing Work, Navigating Feedback), a Model C Fiscal Sponsorship Program that has helped 33 projects raise $8.4M, and a community hub (The Greenhouse) hosting 150+ events annually. The organization also operates the weekly Good Work Hour radio show on Radio Kingston and offers cohort programs such as the Good Work Fellowship and Solidarity Leaders Lab.

Product overview

Good Work Institute is a worker self-directed nonprofit organization (501(c)3) founded in 2015, based in the Mahicantuck/Hudson Valley of New York. The organization offers a portfolio of programs, workshops, and community spaces designed to foster deep democracy, Just Transition, and regenerative communities. Core offerings include: the Good Work Fellowship (cohort-based leadership development), The Greenhouse (community hub), Fiscal Sponsorship Program (Model C, started 2018), Kingston Common Futures (community-designed grant fund), and various workshop series (Just Transition Primer, Navigating Conflict, Democratizing Work, Navigating Feedback). Supplementary programs include The Good Work Hour radio show, Author Talks, Building Community Wealth, Rooted Resources Festival, Liberating Imagination, Community Response Fund, and Solidarity Leaders Lab. The organization also provides resources through the Good Work in Groups collection. These offerings work together to cultivate a network of people and initiatives committed to building a regenerative, just, and life-affirming economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fiscal Sponsorship Program A Model C fiscal sponsorship service that helps mission-aligned initiatives access charitable dollars by providing administrative infrastructure, legal compliance, donor management, and fundraising support. Has helped 33 projects raise $8.4M to date, including Kingston Food Coop, Rock Steady Farm, Rise & Root Farm, Center for Post Carbon Logistics, Kingston Common Futures, and others.
• Just Transition Primer Workshop A foundational single 2-hour introductory workshop exploring the Just Transition framework, its principles, and practices for building regenerative, just, and life-affirming communities. Suggested donation $25, with no one turned away for inability to pay.
• Navigating Conflict Workshop Series An 8-session workshop series focused on building resilience for working relationships through Nonviolent Communication, somatic practices, and empathy development. Pricing on a sliding scale of $240-$480, with a requested amount of $400.
• Democratizing Work Workshop Series A 3-part workshop series exploring shared power, shared leadership, and democratic decision-making in organizations, including a GWI case study of worker self-direction. Co-developed with Co-op Hudson Valley. Tiered pricing $150-$600 based on organizational budget, covering up to 5 workers per organization.
• Navigating Feedback Workshop Series A 5-session workshop series focused on deepening collaboration through feedback conversations using the Feedback Spiral approach and Nonviolent Communication principles. Sliding scale pricing $200-$375 with a requested amount of $300.
• Good Work Fellowship A cohort-based fellowship program cultivating leaders committed to Good Work and Just Transition principles in the Hudson Valley region.
• Solidarity Leaders Lab A cohort-based leadership development program focused on developing solidarity leaders and facilitating the future through collaborative leadership development. Accepts applications (e.g., Feb 8 deadline for current cohort).
• The Greenhouse Community Hub A physical community hub at 65 Saint James Street in Kingston, NY, serving as a space for experimentation, workshops, meetings, and community events. Hosts over 150 events annually with space offered on sliding scale or free to community organizations. Four resident organizations are offered affordable upstairs spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 projects raised $8.4M through fiscal sponsorship since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Co-op Hudson ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024Collaborative partner for the 'Democratizing Work' workshop series exploring tools, policies, practices, culture, and models for shared leadership and democratic decision-making. Co-op Hudson Valley supports worker-owned cooperatives to start and grow in the Hudson Valley region.
• Radio KingstoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024Weekly Good Work Hour radio show partnership broadcasting every Tuesday evening for five years. Also collaborated on author talks bringing national voices like Dr. Resmaa Menakem into the community. Radio Kingston Community Fund provides emergency financial assistance to Kingston City School District residents.
• Kingston Common FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024Incubated project launched as a fiscally sponsored initiative. Kingston Common Futures is a community-designed grant fund distributing $150,000 in pilot year. GWI provides fiscal sponsorship, operational infrastructure, legal compliance, and community outreach support. Amanda Cassiday and Clay Moodey serve as core team.
• Hudson Valley Regional PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024Network of regional partners including: Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Earth Designs Cooperative, Hudson River Watershed Alliance, CCE Orange, Celebrating African Spirit, Scenic Hudson, Land to Learn, YMCA Farm Project, Kingston Food Coop, Circularly, Ulster County Department of Mental Health, HV Food Systems Coalition, Nature Connection, Kingston Executive Director Circle. Also BARD College, Vassar College, SUNY New Paltz, Union College.
• Liberating StructuresminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024GWI uses Liberating Structures microstructures as facilitation tools for collaboration. Liberating Structures provides easy-to-learn microstructures that replace controlling approaches and enhance relational coordination and trust.
• Rough Draft Bar & BooksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2024Host venue for author talks including Dr. Resmaa Menakem and T. Mychael Rambo. Supports community literary and intellectual events in Kingston.
• Community Response Fund PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2020Six regional organizations supported through the 2020 Community Response Fund: Collectively Helping Our Neighbors (Newburgh), Community Matters 2 (Poughkeepsie), Dutchess Responds Fund, Family of Woodstock, Friends of Hudson Youth, and Radio Kingston Community Fund. Raised over $16,000 from 116 donors in 9 days.
• Movement GenerationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginator of the Just Transition framework that GWI's work aligns with. Movement Generation articulated the national framework for advancing systems change at every level of society that GWI has adopted and facilitates throughout the Hudson Valley region.
• Headwaters Facilitation Training Program (AORTA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended resource for emerging facilitators. AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance) trains, mentors, and coordinates facilitators in core facilitation principles.
• Community at WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended resource organization. Publishers of 'The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making' - an extraordinarily helpful guide to becoming a more inclusive and effective facilitator.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Project Equity: National organization helping businesses transition to employee ownership, with overlapping focus on cooperative economics, community wealth, and Just Transition values. Operates more broadly than GWI but on a directly related mission.
• Movement Generation: Originating organization of the Just Transition framework that GWI adopts and facilitates. Movement Generation operates at the national movement-building level while GWI focuses on regional implementation, making them framework licensors rather than direct competitors but highly comparable in mission.
• The Working World: Nonprofit that finances and supports worker cooperatives and democratic workplaces through revolving loan funds and incubation. Direct comparable in worker-owned cooperative support, though larger and more capital-focused.

Direct peers

• Community at Work: Publisher of 'The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making' and a provider of facilitation training. GWI references Community at Work as a recommended resource, indicating direct overlap in participatory decision-making training offerings.
• Democracy at Work Institute: National institute for cooperative business education and research, focused on expanding the cooperative economy. Highly comparable in mission to GWI's cooperative and worker self-direction work, though at a larger national scale.
• AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance): Cooperatively-run facilitation training organization that trains, mentors, and coordinates facilitators in core facilitation principles. GWI explicitly recommends AORTA's Headwaters Facilitation Training Program, indicating direct overlap in facilitation methodology and audience.
• Liberating Structures: Provides easy-to-learn facilitation microstructures that replace controlling approaches. GWI uses Liberating Structures tools in its workshops, making them a methodological peer and training partner in the facilitation space.
• Ayni Institute: Movement-building organization that supports social justice networks with strategy, facilitation, and organizational development. Shares GWI's intersection of facilitation, cooperative economics, and Just Transition values.
• Co-op Hudson Valley: Regional cooperative development organization supporting worker-owned cooperatives in the Hudson Valley. GWI co-delivers the Democratizing Work workshop series with Co-op Hudson Valley, making them complementary direct peers in the cooperative ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Beautiful Solutions: Collaborative platform curating replicable solutions for regenerative economy, with overlap to GWI's Just Transition and community wealth-building themes. Acts as a peer knowledge base rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/do_good_work
• Facebookfacebook.com/goodworkinstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodworkinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/good-work-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Good Work Institute