The School For Moral Ambition

What The School For Moral Ambition does

The School for Moral Ambition is a Netherlands-headquartered nonprofit foundation (Stichting School for Moral Ambition, founded 2023) that operates a portfolio of programs designed to redirect professional talent toward neglected global problems including food systems, tobacco control, tax fairness, and democratic resilience. The core product is a 7-month Moral Ambition Fellowship combining one month of advocacy training with six months of paid placement at leading NGOs and think tanks, with EU fellowships offering stipends (€4,000/month benchmark in Belgium, adjusted for cost of living in Kenya at $2,000/month and Canada at 6,500 CAD/month) and a US Food System Reform Fellowship operating on a consultant/contractor model where each fellow raises approximately $70,000. Supporting offerings include Moral Ambition Circles (a peer-led program of three modules and nine sessions using an "SSS" framework), an owned community platform (community.moralambition.org, migrated from Hivebrite to Circle.so in May 2026) hosting 25,000+ members in 150+ countries, and the Moral Ambition Films documentary series.

Underlying technology is intentionally lean: no proprietary AI or platform is disclosed, with the community infrastructure built on Circle.so (SOC 2 Type II) and website analytics on Plausible Analytics (EU-hosted, cookie-free), and a single in-house "AI Innovator" staff role coordinating with third-party sub-processors (OpenAI, AWS) used by the platform provider. Revenue is donation- and grant-led under Dutch ANBI and US 501(c)(3) status, supplemented by book royalties (Rutger Bregman's "Moral Ambition," in 20+ languages, all royalties donated), paid corporate talks and workshops, and host-organization contributions to fellowship programs. The organization operates three regional offices (Amsterdam headquarters at the World Trade Center, New York, and Brussels at Norrsken House), is governed by separate EU and US boards, and in June 2025 spun out Profit for Good — a corporate alliance co-founded with Peter Singer and Julia van Boven, anchored by Rituals and Who Gives A Crap — as its first official external venture.

Name

The School For Moral Ambition

Legal name

Stichting School for Moral Ambition

Website

https://moralambition.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The School for Moral Ambition is a 2023-founded Amsterdam-based nonprofit foundation that runs 7-month fellowships, peer-led Circles, and a 25,000+ member community platform to help senior professionals redirect their careers toward solving neglected global problems such as food systems, tobacco control, and tax fairness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Fellowship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Social impact fellowships
• Nonprofit talent mobilization
• Community organizing platform
• Career transition programs
• Moral leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: Primary funding source is significant donations from individuals and grants from foundations. Donations are tax-deductible in the Netherlands (ANBI status), United States (501(c)(3) status), and countries recognizing Dutch or US status. US donations received by US entity; all others by Dutch foundation.
2. Fellowship Program Contributions: Host organizations participating in the fellowship program contribute to program costs. In the US Food System Reform Fellowship, fellows themselves fundraise approximately $70,000 to cover their stipend and support infrastructure.
3. Book Royalties: The book 'Moral Ambition' by Rutger Bregman generates royalties that are donated entirely to the foundation. The book is available in multiple languages.
4. Paid Talks and Workshops: The organization receives income from speaking engagements and workshops delivered to corporations and organizations. Company donations are accepted in return for talks or workshops provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The School for Moral Ambition is a nonprofit foundation that runs multi-month fellowships, peer-led Moral Ambition Circles, and a global online community platform to help talented professionals redirect their careers toward neglected global problems. Its fellowships combine training, paid placements at leading NGOs and think tanks, and ongoing coaching for cohorts focused on food systems, tobacco control, tax fairness, and democratic resilience. The foundation is funded primarily by donations, foundation grants, book royalties, and paid speaking engagements.

Product overview

The School for Moral Ambition operates a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on mobilizing talent toward solving neglected global problems. The core offerings include the Moral Ambition Fellowship (policy fellowships in food transition, tobacco control, and tax fairness; university fellowships; and the Founding to Give entrepreneurial track), Moral Ambition Circles (peer-led action groups), and a Community Platform connecting 25,000+ members. Supporting offerings include the Moral Ambition book manifesto, Moral Ambition Films documentary series, podcast content, the Profit for Good business alliance, and Democratic Resilience initiatives. The organization is structured as a nonprofit foundation with independent entities in the Netherlands, US, and Belgium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Moral Ambition Fellowship A seven-month fellowship combining one month of intensive advocacy training with six months of paid placement at leading NGOs and think tanks, plus professional coaching and an alumni network. Open to professionals with 5+ years of experience in law, economics, policy, consulting, research, finance, or marketing; US Food System Reform variant runs on a contractor model where fellows raise approximately $70,000.
• Moral Ambition Circles A peer-led structured program of three modules with three sessions each (nine sessions total) that guides participants in identifying and acting on global problems using the SSS framework. Facilitators can complete Circle Starter Training and join the Circle Pioneer Club.
• Moral Ambition Community Platform Online community platform hosted on Circle.so that connects 25,000+ members across 150+ countries for networking, collaboration, event access, and Circle coordination. Free to join.
• Moral Ambition (Book) A published manifesto book by Rutger Bregman arguing that conventional definitions of success are harming individuals and the planet, and that talent should be redirected to solving the world's biggest problems. Sold commercially with all royalties donated to the foundation.
• Moral Ambition Films A documentary series spotlighting fellowship pioneers and behind-the-scenes content of the Moral Ambition Fellowships, distributed via YouTube and other video channels.
• Moral Ambition Podcast A podcast series featuring interviews and discussions about moral ambition, career transformation, and taking action on the world's biggest challenges, distributed on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
• Profit for Good Alliance A corporate alliance of business leaders who commit to directing a portion of profits to global challenges lacking business-model solutions. Founding partners Rituals (10% Profit Pledge) and Who Gives A Crap (50% of profits donated) anchor the network; SMA provides operational and communications support.
• Democratic Resilience Program A program area focused on strengthening democratic institutions and resilience against authoritarian threats, supported through country coordinator volunteer positions and dedicated program development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ members connected globally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Profit for GoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Profit for Good is the first official spin-off of The School for Moral Ambition, created in June 2025 by Peter Singer and Julia van Boven. SMA provides operational and communications support to help the Alliance grow and amplify its impact. The initiative aims to redirect 10% of global corporate profits ($10 trillion estimated annual) to problems lacking business model solutions.
• RitualscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Rituals Cosmetics is a founding partner of Profit for Good. The wellness and beauty brand introduced the 10% Profit Pledge in 2024, committing at least 10% of annual net profits (expected to amount to €300 million over 10 years) to initiatives supporting children's mental health, community strengthening, and environmental protection. Rituals is a B Corporation with 1,400+ stores in 33 countries.
• Who Gives A CrapcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Who Gives A Crap is a founding partner of Profit for Good. Founded in 2012, the company sells toilet paper (made from recycled paper or bamboo) and donates 50% of profits to charities providing toilets and clean water. Products available in 36 countries; over $18 million donated to date. The company sought investors willing to accept no more than half the profits to enable faster growth and greater impact.
• Peter SingercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Professor Peter Singer is co-founder of Profit for Good. Widely regarded as one of the most influential moral thinkers of our time, best known for work on effective altruism, animal ethics, and global poverty. Philosopher and Princeton professor.
• Julia van BovencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Julia van Boven is co-founder of Profit for Good and also co-founder of The School for Moral Ambition. She built the foundation for a growing global community. Previously spent seven years bringing ethics to business at ABN AMRO.
• Ambitious Impact (AIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIM operates the Founding to Give Program in partnership with SMA. AIM leads program design, selection, and delivery; SMA supports outreach. The program helps founders pledge to donate at least 50% of personal proceeds over $900K from future exits to effective charities. Provides 3-month stipend, covers flights and housing during in-person phase, connects to aligned capital.
• CircleCo, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCircle provides the community platform infrastructure (Circle.so) for the Moral Ambition community and mobile application. Community migrated from Hivebrite to Circle.so in May 2026. Circle acts as data processor under DPA with EU Standard Contractual Clauses. SOC 2 Type II certified with AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit.
• Harvard UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Fellowship pilot program for Harvard sophomores (class of 2028). Part of initiative to put impact work on same recruiting timeline as banks and management consulting firms.
• Princeton UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Fellowship pilot program for Princeton sophomores (class of 2028). Part of initiative to put impact work on same recruiting timeline as banks and management consulting firms.
• Newman's OwnminorOthersFirst member of Profit for Good Alliance. Company known for giving all profits to charity.
• HumanitixminorOthersFirst member of Profit for Good Alliance. Event ticketing platform that donates profits to education projects.
• Norrsken FoundationminorOthersNorrsken House Brussels provides office space for SMA's Brussels operations. Norrsken is a Swedish foundation supporting entrepreneurs tackling global challenges.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norrsken Foundation: Swedish impact foundation supporting social entrepreneurs and providing office space to SMA's Brussels operations. Comparable in supporting impact-focused founders and serving as an ecosystem hub for the same talent pool.
• Giving What We Can: Effective altruism movement organization that promotes the 10% pledge and evidence-based giving. Highly comparable to SMA's mission of redirecting resources toward high-impact causes, with similar donor base and overlapping philosophical foundations.
• Acumen Academy: Operates the Acumen Fellowship and other programs that train leaders tackling poverty. Comparable as a mission-driven fellowship provider developing talent for social impact, with a similarly selective admissions approach.
• 80,000 Hours: Effective altruism-aligned career guidance organization that helps high-impact professionals redirect careers toward solving pressing problems. Closely comparable to SMA in target audience (ambitious talent from high-status careers) and mission (talent mobilization for global problems), and frequently cited as part of the same EA ecosystem.
• Echoing Green: Provides fellowships, seed funding, and leadership development for emerging social entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a selective fellowship provider in the social impact space, targeting similar early-career talent pools.
• Charity Entrepreneurship: EA-aligned incubator that launches new high-impact charities, with which SMA closely collaborates through co-founder Julia van Boven and the Founding to Give program. Both organizations operate in the talent-to-impact career pipeline.
• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation: Selectively funds early-stage social entrepreneurs through a multi-year fellowship model. Comparable in providing funding, mentorship, and community to high-potential social impact leaders with selective criteria.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Meridian Partners: Philanthropic pooled-fund that provides large-scale capital to proven poverty-fighting initiatives. Comparable as a donor-side institution channeling philanthropic capital toward high-impact causes, though at a much larger scale.
• New Venture Fund: Fiscal sponsor and incubator for impact-oriented projects across multiple causes, including climate and democracy. Comparable as a multi-cause nonprofit platform mobilizing resources for advocacy and policy work.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit that runs one of the world's largest fellowship programs for leading social entrepreneurs. Comparable in fellowship-based talent mobilization, though Ashoka focuses on system-changing entrepreneurs across all sectors rather than specific policy issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MoralAmbition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moralambition
• Instagraminstagram.com/moralambition

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The School For Moral Ambition