GreenLight Fund

GreenLight Fund offices are closed today in observance of Juneteenth.

We join communities across the country in celebrating Black freedom, resilience, and joy, while recognizing the lasting impact of slavery and generations of racial injustice that still persist today. Juneteenth is a time to reflect and recommit to the work of building a more just and equitable future.

What does it take to change the way philanthropy works?

GreenLight Fund Twin Cities Executive Director Simone Hardeman-Jones recently joined Brandon Butler on Butternomics: The Business of Culture podcast to discuss what it means to reimagine philanthropy through listening, shared accountability, and community-centered decision-making.

Watch or listen to the conversation: greenlightfund.org/simone-hardeman-jones-on-butternomics-reimagining-philanthropy-from-the-inside-out/

Simone Hardeman-Jones on Butternomics: Reimagining Philanthropy from the Inside Out - GreenLight Fund We actively engage with local communities to identify needs not being met and invite in best-in-class nonprofits uniquely suited to address them.

At GreenLight Fund, we are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), recognizing and celebrating all LGBTQIA+ identities this month and every month. 🌈

At Guardian Summit 2026, GreenLight Fund CEO Ali Knight joined Tulaine M. (Former CEO and Proximity Fellow, New Profit) and Darren Isom (Partner, The Bridgespan Group) for a panel discussion on what more durable and equitable funding approaches could look like in practice.

During a time when funding for racial equity has declined sharply, the discussion focused on what it takes to move beyond a philanthropic model that too often keeps equity-driven organizations in constant survival mode. Thank you, Camelback Ventures, for inviting Ali to be part of the conversation.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re bringing mental health and well-being inFocus.

Across the GreenLight Fund network, portfolio organizations including Fathers' UpLift, Inc., Inner Explorer, Becoming a Man, and Working on Womanhood are helping expand access to support that builds trust, strengthens relationships, and creates more pathways for children and families to heal, grow, and thrive.

Read more about how GreenLight is bringing mental health and well-being inFocus: https://greenlightfund.org/infocus-mental-health-well-being/

At the ABFE Harambee Conference 2026, leaders across philanthropy, nonprofit, and community systems gathered around a central question: what does it truly take to create lasting change? Across sessions and conversations, a set of themes emerged - grounded not in theory, but in lived experience, community voice, and the daily work of building a more just and inclusive society.

Reflections from Tish Johnson-Jones (GreenLight Fund Greater Newark), Simone Hardeman-Jones (GreenLight Fund Twin Cities), and GreenLight Fund CEO Ali Knight highlight four key ideas shaping our work: patience and long-term investment, holding urgency and transformation together, centering humanity in transformative change, and community-centered system building.

Read the full blog post: https://greenlightfund.org/lessons-from-harambee-2026/

This week, we’re celebrating the incredible team members across GreenLight Fund who help keep our work connected, responsive, and moving forward.

Across the network, our Site Support Teams help drive GreenLight’s community-driven approach by supporting local operations, strengthening partnerships, and staying grounded in community priorities.

Our National Support Team provides the cross-functional expertise that strengthens collaboration across the network, supports local sites, and advances national initiatives, keeping our work aligned and connected across cities.

We are grateful for the dedication, care, and commitment they bring to this work every single day.

Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities and new risks. In a new article for Youth Today, GreenLight Fund CEO Ali Knight explores what it will take to ensure young people aging out of foster care are not left behind.

Drawing on lived experience and GreenLight’s work alongside communities nationwide, Ali highlights three priorities:
1. Building real infrastructure for independent adulthood.
2. Treating AI and workforce readiness as essential skills.
3. Strengthening relationships while using technology to support, not replace, human connection.

GreenLight portfolio organizations, including First Place for Youth, Hopeworks, and Youth Villages, are helping young people build stable, fulfilling futures in a rapidly changing world.

“Foster youth should not be left behind; they should have every opportunity to move forward in a changing world.”

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4dFzx6V

Last week, GreenLight staff from across the country came together in Denver. As our team of nearly 70 continues to grow, so does our belief that meaningful change happens when we lean into our collective power, learn from one another, and work with communities to break down barriers to opportunity.

Throughout the week, we explored what inclusive prosperity truly looks like in communities, reflected on GreenLight’s evolution and future, and strengthened the relationships that power our work every single day.

Deep gratitude to the incredible speakers and partners who joined us, including Indira Guzman, Co-Founder & CEO of the Community Language Cooperative, alongside interpreter Genaro Ortiz, for a powerful conversation on language justice and creating spaces where every voice is heard; our Co-Founder John Simon and CEO Ali Knight for a thoughtful discussion on GreenLight’s growth and vision; and Colorado leaders Noah Atencio, CEO of Philanthropy Colorado, and Roweena Naidoo, Vice President for Policy and Community Initiatives at Mile High United Way, for sharing insights on equity, collaboration, and place-based philanthropy.

We left Denver feeling grounded, inspired, and reinvigorated by GreenLight’s mission.

Thank you, GreenLight Fund Denver, for hosting us!