Together, let’s change the way social impact is achieved.
Spring Point Partners is a social impact organization that invests in the transformational leaders, networks and solutions that power community change and advance justice. We do this by:
+ Seeking out and supporting community leaders who have the vision to see what’s possible and the drive to make that real
+ Connecting the experience of partners with comprehensive and flexible supports for sh
01/20/2026
At Spring Point Partners, our values guide our impact strategy. Driven by these core beliefs, we listen to and learn from our network of impact partners, sharing comprehensive and flexible supports to drive lasting change and to accelerate and advance equity and justice in our communities.
Because together, change is possible.
"Most of us have never actually built something that lasts and that sustains and changes the whole world. We're doing it new." - adrienne maree brown
In this moment, visionary writer, activist, and facilitator adrienne maree brown reminds us that true resilience is built through strong relationships and shifting mindsets.
Look back on our 2025 learning journey and hear more from adrienne about the patience and humility needed for lasting change: https://thespringpoint.com/shared-learnings/adrienne-maree-brown-moving-at-the-speed-of-trust/
Across our portfolio, Spring Point Partners supports individuals and ideas making a catalytic impact in their communities and on our society. Get to know our impact areas!
Our Learners in Residence 🌱program, launched in 2020, is an 18-month residence that provides time, space and resources for social justice thought leaders to develop new ways to engage and shift narrative in their respective fields. It’s as crucial as ever to invest in these artists, journalists, and changemakers as they realize their ambitions and add value to their movements.
Learn more about our Learners: https://thespringpoint.com/shared-learnings/new-2025-learners-in-residence/
In our newest podcast conversation, SPP’s Uva Coles and Rodney McKenzie Jr. —faith leader, organizer, and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Freedom Together Foundation—discuss how to design spaces that remember the who and why at the core of their work. You’ll hear how Rodney’s work in philanthropy invites us to lead not just with strategy but with values.
Stream now for reflections on the urgency culture that plagues our systems, the invitation to slow down, and how healing journeys—personal and collective—can become the foundation for social change.
Stream the latest episode here: https://podcast.thespringpoint.com/episodes/the-soul-of-leadership-building-spaces-with-heart-and-hope
10/29/2025
Join Spring Point Partners to dive deeper into the science of adolescence as we zoom in on… purpose.
Too often, adolescents are portrayed with words such as “lazy” or “lost.” Science tells another story: young people think deeply about who they have been, who they are, and who they are in the process of becoming.
In our November session, leading experts Dr. Kaylin Ratner (University of Illinois) and TeRay Esquibel (Purpose Commons) will show how people, programs, and the broader community can promote young people's search for purpose. Whether you work directly with youth, shape policies and systems, or fund programs that support young people, you'll leave this session poised to help adolescents find their purpose and become leaders of tomorrow.
Grab your spot:
Adolescent Brain Science Webinar Series: The Science of Purpose
📅 November 18th
⏰ 12-1 PM ET| Virtual
Register here: https://ow.ly/ehnQ50XhJ2Q
10/28/2025
A new curriculum rooted in Native values, How One Treats Dogs (H.O.T. Dogs) teaches children that when we care for dogs, we care for each other.
The pilot program from Life of Riley grantee partner Native American Humane Society helps students build empathy, responsibility, and practical skills -- tools to make their community safer for four-legged and two-legged members alike.
As we head into Native American History Month, it's great to see an educational campaign underscoring dogs' ancestral role at the heart of tribal communities.
How might love and hope shape and strengthen our leadership lens?
In our latest episode of Our WellSpring, we explore the profound connection between leadership, love, and hope—and why leading from a place of wholeness is now more crucial than ever.
In “The Soul of Leadership: Building Spaces with Heart and Hope,” with Rodney McKenzie Jr.— Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Freedom Together Foundation--Rodney invites us to consider how our relationship with ourselves, with others, and with our highest aspirations can shape the way we lead, learn, and build community.
Rodney also shares how his upbringing taught him the enduring power of hope and instilled a deep calling to honor the people often made invisible.
Stream the latest episode here: https://podcast.thespringpoint.com/episodes/the-soul-of-leadership-building-spaces-with-heart-and-h…
10/27/2025
At last week's Grantmakers for Education national conference, ember grantee partner Libertas School of Memphis hosted a fireside chat with former US Secretary of Education Dr. John King. His new book, "Teacher by Teacher," demonstrates how teachers helped him engage in learning and overcome challenges in his youth to become the nation's public school leader.
In a powerful conversation with Libertas social studies teacher Meagan Tate, Dr. King emphasize the need for diverse families to educate and advocate together—not only to empower young people but to benefit society overall.
Libertas—a strong example of ember's focus on human-centered learning, community, and equity—proved the perfect environment to explore how schools today can help fulfill the promise of the Supreme Court's landmark Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation ruling.
10/27/2025
This fall, SPP investment partner Dria Ventures closed a debut fund backing founders solving everyday cost crises.
In a recent Venture Capital Journal interview, Founder and Managing Partner Megan Maloney shares her investment thesis, which targets the root causes of high costs in healthcare and Main Street productivity.
Learn more (with a free subscription): https://www.venturecapitaljournal.com/dria-ventures-brings-institutional-rigor-to-pre-seed/
10/23/2025
Meet Day 3's featured speakers! Today, Life of Riley's program director, Chetana Mirle, interviews Purdue University's Dr. Candace Croney and CARE's James Evans. Their stories will demonstrate how deep engagement with communities is essential to improving animal wellbeing.
Dr. Croney's work was featured in an episode of Our WellSpring last year. Get to know her leadership style and origin story by listening to Humanity in Animal Welfare: https://podcast.thespringpoint.com/episodes/humanity-in-animal-welfare
James and the CARE team led our January webinar, Inclusion as a Solution to Animal Welfare Challenges Associated with Dog Breeding. Watch for insights from their research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYFGkh8ZQBw&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Flor.dog%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Flor.dog&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY
10/23/2025
On November 12th, ember partner Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium hosts a conversation about building belonging for immigrant students and families. The event will showcase immigrant communities' resilience and demonstrate how organizations are confronting challenges in education and beyond.
You'll walk away with concrete strategies you can use this school year to welcome students and families across language and culture.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/pVJN6J5eQEap7NLEydOrxA #/registration
10/22/2025
This afternoon at Life of Riley's national convening, featured voice Mindi Callison shares her story of advocacy in action. We'll hear how her personal experience with puppy mills inspired her to found Bailing Out Benji at a young age.
Last September, Mindi showcased Bailing Out Benji's work in From Horror to Hope: An Anti-Puppy Mill Advocate’s Eye-Opening Journey Inside of USDA Kennels. Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFdyojmKZes&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Flor.dog%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Flor.dog&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY