The Harnisch Foundation
The Harnisch Foundation is a New York-based private nonprofit that developed a proprietary improv-based social-emotional learning curriculum for girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3-8, delivered at no cost through partnerships with The Second City and Funny Girls™ in Chicago.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Harnisch Foundation does
The Harnisch Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation headquartered in New York that developed a single proprietary asset: an improv-based social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum for girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3-8. The curriculum, created in 2015, is built around the "Yes, And" principle of improvisation and is designed to build leadership skills, confidence, and social-emotional competencies through interactive improv exercises rather than through traditional classroom instruction.
The Foundation does not deliver the curriculum directly. Instead, it operates through core co-development partnerships with The Second City, which supplies teaching artists, and Funny Girls™, which jointly delivers the Chicago Leadership Program for Girls. Teaching artists are deployed into classrooms and community spaces across the Chicago metro, providing no-cost, in-person programming to the target demographic. The Foundation's organization is small (1-10 employees) and product surface is narrow — one curriculum, one geography, one distribution mechanism.
The Foundation is a nonprofit, and no revenue, funding rounds, grants, or financial flows are disclosed in available data. The program is offered at no cost to participants, and no pricing tiers, donations, or endowment figures are documented. As such, the Foundation's economic model appears to be grant/donation-funded philanthropic operations, with the curriculum functioning as an in-kind programmatic asset deployed via partner organizations rather than a commercial product.
The Harnisch Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Harnisch Foundation
- Website
- https://thehf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Harnisch Foundation is a New York-based private nonprofit that developed a proprietary improv-based social-emotional learning curriculum for girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3-8, delivered at no cost through partnerships with The Second City and Funny Girls™ in Chicago.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Harnisch Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Leadership Development Programs
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG), Positive Discipline & Behavior Support Programs (EDACALAD)
Keywords
Where The Harnisch Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Harnisch Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | No-cost program |
Distribution channels1 record
The Harnisch Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Harnisch Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that develops and funds social impact initiatives, with its core offering being an improv-based social-emotional learning curriculum for girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3-8. The curriculum, built on the 'Yes, And' principle of improvisation, is delivered at no cost through partners such as The Second City and Funny Girls™ in Chicago-area classrooms and community spaces.
Product overview
The Harnisch Foundation is a single-offering organization that developed an improv-based social-emotional learning curriculum in 2015. This curriculum, which blends leadership development with improvisation exercises grounded in the 'Yes, And' principle, is now licensed and delivered through partners such as The Second City and Funny Girls™ in programs serving girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3-8.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Improv-Based Leadership Curriculum
Companies that use The Harnisch Foundation
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Harnisch Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Harnisch Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- The Second CitycoreThe Second City is a co-development partner in the leadership program for girls and gender-expansive youth. The partnership originally began in 2015 when The Harnisch Foundation developed the curriculum. The Second City provides teaching artists who deliver the program in classrooms and community spaces.
- Funny Girls™coreFunny Girls™ is a co-development partner in the Chicago Leadership Program for girls. They partner with The Second City and The Harnisch Foundation to deliver the no-cost, improv-based leadership curriculum.
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Harnisch Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Second City: Improv comedy institution and co-development partner in The Harnisch Foundation's leadership program; comparable as a youth-facing improv-education provider in Chicago.
- YWCA USA: Federated nonprofit running youth empowerment, leadership development, and SEL programs for girls and women across local chapters, including Chicago, with comparable community-based delivery to schools.
- Girls Inc. National nonprofit delivering out-of-school programming that builds leadership and self-confidence in girls and gender-expansive youth, directly overlapping with The Harnisch Foundation's target audience and SEL/leadership mission.
- Step Up Women's Network: Nonprofit delivering mentorship and leadership programs for girls and young women, overlapping with The Harnisch Foundation's grade 3-8 leadership focus and youth-development mission.
- Polk Bros Foundation: Chicago-based family foundation funding youth education and development programs, directly comparable as a small private foundation with a similar mission focus.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago: Local chapter of a national youth-mentoring nonprofit serving Chicago children in grades roughly K-12, comparable in target audience and community-based delivery model.
- The Joyce Foundation: Chicago-based private foundation funding education and youth development initiatives, with comparable grantmaking profile and geographic focus to The Harnisch Foundation.
Emerging players
- iO Chicago (Improv Olympic): Chicago improv school offering youth classes and workshops that blend improv skills with confidence and communication development, an adjacent educational offering to the Harnisch/Second City curriculum.
- RULER (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence): Evidence-based SEL framework widely adopted in K-8 schools; comparable as a competing or complementary SEL curriculum targeting the same grade range as the Harnisch Foundation program.
Broad incumbents
- Crown Family Philanthropies: Chicago-based family foundation with a broader grantmaking portfolio including education and youth programs, comparable in structure and geography as a private philanthropic foundation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Harnisch Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Harnisch Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Harnisch Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Harnisch Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Harnisch Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The Harnisch Foundation
What does The Harnisch Foundation do?
The Harnisch Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that develops and funds social impact initiatives, with its core offering being an improv-based social-emotional learning curriculum for girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3-8. The curriculum, built on the 'Yes, And' principle of improvisation, is delivered at no cost through partners such as The Second City and Funny Girls™ in Chicago-area classrooms and community spaces.
Is The Harnisch Foundation a public or private company?
The Harnisch Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Harnisch Foundation founded?
The Harnisch Foundation was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Harnisch Foundation based?
The Harnisch Foundation is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Harnisch Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Second City, YWCA USA, Girls Inc., Step Up Women's Network, Polk Bros Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago and The Joyce Foundation. Emerging players are iO Chicago (Improv Olympic) and RULER (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence). Crown Family Philanthropies is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Harnisch Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Harnisch Foundation.
What industry is The Harnisch Foundation in?
The Harnisch Foundation's product category is Youth Leadership Development Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGADAD, Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.