Catalyst Directory
Breaking cycles and changing lives
From coast to coast, dynamic social entrepreneurs are leading transformative nonprofit organizations with a shared mission to help people transform their lives and build stronger, safer communities where all people can discover their full potential.
Education Opens Doors
KEY ISSUE AREA
Education Opens Doors inspires low-income students to achieve their full potential by revealing the many opportunities within their reach. It fills the gaps that a traditional guidance counselor may leave, providing students and parents from marginalized communities with crucial information to help them make well-informed college and career decisions. It intervenes as early as middle school, fueling excitement about possibilities and putting students on an early track to success that they might not have known was possible.
HQ: DALLAS, TX
- Dorchester, MA
- Dallas, TX
- Lawrence, MA
- Fort Worth, TX
- Waterbury, CT
- Cedar Hill, TX
- Troy, MO
- Lexington, KY
- Marlin, TX
- Wolf Point, MT
Elevate USA
KEY ISSUE AREA
Elevate USA harnesses the power of healthy, long-term relationships to help youth develop a sense of stability and self-confidence. While some adults may come in and out of a child’s life, Elevate’s teacher-mentors build trusting relationships with students, helping build character, life skills, and leadership. By providing ongoing support in and out of school, teacher-mentors help students develop their strengths, assets, and relationships and build a strong foundation for future success.
HQ: GOLDEN, CO
- Navajo, NM
- Birmingham, AL
- New York, NY
- Lowell, MA
- Overland Park, KS
- Denver, CO
- Richmond Heights, MO
- Dallas, TX
- Jacksonville, FL
- Bridgeport, CT
- Phoenix, AZ
- Indianapolis, IN
- Savannah, GA
- Atlanta, GA
- Maitland, FL
- Orange, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Tampa, FL
- Augusta, GA
- Cottondale, AL
Embarc
KEY ISSUE AREA
Embarc is a three-year program that provides community-driven, experience-based learning opportunities to low-income high school students to inspire and prepare them for college and career success. By offering mentoring, leadership opportunities, and travel experiences that give young people new frameworks, Embarc opens students' eyes to new horizons and opportunities.
HQ: CHICAGO, IL
EMERGE
KEY ISSUE AREA
EMERGE empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from selective colleges and universities across the nation. Through partnerships with traditional public school districts, EMERGE eliminates barriers and builds systems to ensure more students have the information, tools, and support to be highly competitive applicants.
HQ: HOUSTON, TX
Emma's Torch
KEY ISSUE AREA
Emma’s Torch provides professional training for in-demand jobs in the restaurant industry for refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of human trafficking. In addition to creating pathways for professional success, Emma’s Torch empowers refugees with community support and individualized mentorship to reach personal goals within and outside of the culinary space.
HQ: BROOKLYN, NY
Empower Ever Green
KEY ISSUE AREA
Empower supports Wichita's North End residents by providing educational, workforce readiness, and small-business development resources. Empower seeks to spark new ideas and new opportunities for the North End, increasing the quality of life and place, and helping make Wichita a stronger community.
HQ: WICHITA, KS
- Lee's Summit, MO
Empowered Network
KEY ISSUE AREA
Empowered Network walks alongside survivors of human trafficking to create an individualized Empowerment Plan, focusing on housing, education, and career stability. By breaking cycles of trauma and poverty, the organization provides a pathway to lasting independence and economic empowerment. Through strong partnerships and a commitment to personal transformation, Empowered Network equips survivors with the tools, support, and guidance they need to set and achieve their goals, rebuilding their lives on a foundation of security and opportunity.
HQ: NEW LONDON, CT
Entrepreneurs Forever
KEY ISSUE AREA
Entrepreneurs Forever organizes small-business owners nationwide into facilitated, peer-to-peer groups operating in communities with unmet needs. Entrepreneurs Forever is filling an important need for entrepreneurs who are isolated, disconnected, and priced out of mainstream peer-to-peer organizations. Through these groups, entrepreneurs build peer relationships, share solutions, and set the stage for long-term success.
HQ: PITTSBURGH, PA
Entrepreneurship for All
KEY ISSUE AREA
Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) empowers aspiring entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities by providing no‑cost business training, mentorship, and networks they need to start and grow successful ventures. By focusing on inclusive entrepreneurship, EforAll works to break down barriers to opportunity, helping founders build sustainable businesses that drive economic and social impact in their communities.
HQ: LOWELL, MA
- Lowell, MA