Riff wins at PRWeek Awards, new partnership w/ Mercedes, UCSF & solutions to decarbonize manufacturing
We face seemingly insurmountable challenges. With global humanitarian crises, a rapidly warming planet, and a mental health epidemic, it can be hard to be optimistic.
But a new generation of impact-driven leaders and organizations gives us hope.
Manufacturing is an often overlooked leading cause of climate change. With COP28 in our rear window, we must rapidly decarbonize all industries with scalable solutions. Tech and climate leaders recently joined forces to help reinvent manufacturing powered by 100% green energy with Seurat Technologies.
From building winning multiracial coalitions with Way to Win, to creating the first-ever national mental health quality of care standards with Blueprint, the people and organizations behind the movements at the forefront of change inspire our work everyday.
In October, Urban Alchemy was honored as Nonprofit of the Year and Riff was named Small Organization of the Year at the PRWeek Purpose Awards, serving as a testament to what we can accomplish when we put purpose over profit.
As we celebrate the holiday season, check out what we’ve been up to lately!
Partner Spotlights
Way to Win
With the presidency, Senate, and House majority at stake in ‘24, Democrats have little room for error. The economy is the number one issue for voters and Republicans have held a clear advantage on the issue for decades.
As featured in The Atlantic, Way to Win unveiled research to help Democrats craft a more compelling economic story. The research suggests reframing the narrative around “who is fighting for a better life for you,” a message and formula that persuades key parts of the winning multiracial coalition.
TogetherSF Action
More than 70% of San Franciscans believe the city is on the wrong track, and an outdated governance structure is holding back progress on issues like the fentanyl crisis, public safety, homelessness, economic revitalization, and more.
Featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, TogetherSF Action announced a bold reform package for the November ‘24 ballot to improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of San Francisco’s city government. Backed by recently released research from Claremont McKenna’s The Rose Institute, the package reduces and streamlines the City’s commissions and restores powers to the Office of the Mayor to provide more accountability.
Protect Our Defenders
President Biden recently signed the most transformative military justice reform in our nation’s history. Protect Our Defenders (POD) has been at the forefront of this decades-long effort and supporting service members who have experienced military sexual assault.
POD is working to codify service members’ ability to sue the military in civilian court in cases of sexual assault and harassment – as the largest military sexual assault scandal in U.S. history comes to light. Survivors turned to POD to break the story with the Washington Post and are working with POD’s Legal Services Program in their pursuit of justice.
The Kresge Foundation
Community engagement and participation is essential to public health, and philanthropy can play a key role in improving health inequities. The Kresge Foundation is funding public health and community leaders across the U.S. to tackle issues like maternal and infant health, food insecurity, and healthcare access. Inside Philanthropy had the exclusive!
Donors of Color Network
Alongside the HBCU Green Fund, Columbia University Climate School, and Columbia World Projects, Donors of Color Network (DOCN) hosted a Climate Week discussion on how the private and public sectors can improve disinvestment and pollution in communities of color. Building on this momentum, DOCN announced 10 new foundations’ commitment to allocate at least 30% of their climate funding to BIPOC-led, justice-focused groups as part of its Climate Funders Justice Pledge.
Seurat Technologies
As billions in new funds pour into U.S. manufacturing, factories face increasing pressure to slash carbon emissions and embrace sustainability. 3D metal printing leader Seurat Technologies is powering its factories with 100% renewable energy to usher in a new era of green manufacturing.
With a recent $99 million Series C backed by Nvidia and covered by Axios, Seurat is building local printing factories to decarbonize manufacturing.
Pico MES
Small to mid-sized factories are the backbone of American manufacturing, but 90% of these manufacturers still run on pen and paper. With $12 million in new Series A funding, Pico MES is digitizing the factory floor to better train and retain workers, increase productivity, eliminate errors, and create the first connected supply chain. Check out how they modernized Indiana-based RV manufacturer MORryde in Forbes!
Worldcoin
In the age of AI, the line between humans and machines is blurring. Proof of personhood is fundamental to determining what’s real vs. fake online.
Sam Altman’s Worldcoin is building the world’s largest identity and financial network to unlock universal access to the global economy. World App, Worldcoin’s first wallet for the ecosystem, now has over four million total downloads and one million monthly active users, ranking as one of crypto’s most popular wallets. With the recent launch of World ID 2.0, a digital passport for the age of AI, Worldcoin now supports integrations with Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify, and Mercado Libre. Read more in TechCrunch!
Blueprint
Despite wide access to mental health care, many patients aren’t getting better. Clinicians need tools to analyze and compare quality of care to curb our mental health crisis and save lives.
That’s why Blueprint introduced the first-ever national quality metrics for mental health care, backed by the nation’s largest data set ever on anxiety and depression, to help clinicians deliver more effective treatment and improve patient outcomes. Learn more about the next stage for measurement-based mental health care in Fierce Healthcare!
New Client Spotlight
Mercedes High-Power Charging
Our EV revolution has a major problem: charging stations often don’t work and we need a lot more of them. We’re proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz to launch a new national network of reliable and fast charging stations – open to all drivers regardless of the car brand.
The first is now open in Atlanta, and we can’t wait to see where they go next!
Pegasus
Leaders worldwide are struggling to finance climate change solutions as ESG funding dwindles.
As a pioneer in climate funding and United Nations partner, Pegasus Capital Advisors has already invested $2.6 billion in climate funds and over $1.5 billion in its global project pipeline. With breakthrough projects in the works with partners at Global Fund for Coral Reefs and Subnational Climate Fund, Pegasus is funding the most innovative climate solutions of our time.
UCSF Health
As the city’s second-largest employer, UCSF Health has generated over 43,000 jobs and $8.9 billion in economic impact for our local communities. As San Francisco faces increasing public health needs and overwhelmed hospitals, UCSF will be expanding its community-based and world-class care to even more San Franciscans.
Quick hits
- Axios: Progressives warn Biden’s, Dems’ economy messaging not resonating with Latinos
- Boston Globe: An old Coast Guard scandal emerges and casts a harsh light on the service’s sexual assault policies
- Chronicle of Philanthropy: Climate Giving Flatlined in 2022, but Foundation Giving Rose Slightly
- Engineering.com: Manufacturing execution systems transform traditional factories one problem at a time
- Fierce Healthcare: Few therapists measure outcomes. A startup’s new framework aims to change that
- Forbes: COP28: Barbados Achieving NDCs Through ‘Godsend’ Blue Green Bank
- Fortune: The Sam Altman-backed crypto project Worldcoin announces plans for decentralization as it expands its eye-scanning ambitions
- GovTech: As Holidays Approach, Beam Aims for Better Benefit Payments
- Business Insider: The 25 most promising education-tech startups of 2023, according to top VCs
- New York Times: Automakers Delay Electric Vehicle Spending as Demand Slows
- New York Times: Where Has All the Left-Wing Money Gone?
- Reuters: Nvidia-backed startup Seurat hints at IPO after $99 million fundraise
- Wall Street Journal: One Supreme Court Case Could Mess Up Chunks of the Tax Code
