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Summary: Fast Forward empowers nonprofits building tech for humanity. We firmly believe that technology has the power to solve some of the world’s biggest problems — especially when harnessed by those close to the issue. Since 2014, we’ve supported tech nonprofit builders with funding, resources, and partnerships. Because their success moves us all forward.

Our longest-standing program is an accelerator for tech nonprofits, which has launched an impressive portfolio of 100+ tech nonprofits that have touched 186M lives and raised $753M+ in follow-on funding. Beyond the accelerator, Fast Forward is all about empowering the tech nonprofit sector. We offer a range of resources for the world’s 1,000+ tech nonprofits. Aside from the Accelerator, Fast Forward's programs and products include its Tech Nonprofit Job Board, Pitch Camp, tech nonprofit playbooks, and philanthropic support, as well as newsletters like What’s Good in Tech, AI for Humanity, and Funding Forward. Alongside these programs, we are championing AI for Humanity, a movement empowering builders to deploy AI for the communities that need it most. This work is fueled by an ecosystem of partners who believe in the power of tech nonprofits.

Portfolio: We have an incredible portfolio of tech nonprofit entrepreneurs deploying tech for social impact. All are featured in our Tech Nonprofit Directory, some are featured on the bottom of the Accelerator page, and most of their Demo Day pitches are on our YouTube channel. If you are interested in learning about any of these builders, please email press@ffwd.org.

• Founded: 2014 by Shannon Farley (Executive Director) and Kevin Barenblat (President)
• Links: www.ffwd.org | LinkedIn | X
• Contact: press@ffwd.org
• HQ: San Francisco, California
• Funders: Google.org, BlackRock, The HPE Foundation, Ballmer Group, Bloomberg, Salesforce, Okta, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Twilio.org, ServiceNow, Dell Technologies, Arrow Impact, The Solid Foundation, Reid Hoffman, Endless Network, Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, Deloitte Health Equity Institute,The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Splunk, Pinterest, EY, eBay Foundation, The Equinix Foundation, The UPS Foundation, Akamai Foundation, Lemnis, Greenbridge Family Foundation, Arnold Ventures, CDR Johnson Family Foundation, The Gitlab Foundation, Kamath Family Foundation, Comcast Business, Cadence, OpenAI, HubSpot, CTIA Wireless Foundation, New Relic, and Docusign.

• Direct Investments: $44M+ in philanthropic capital into tech nonprofits
• Employees: 17 FTEs
• Accelerator Portfolio: 100+ tech nonprofits
• Portfolio Lives Impacted: 186M+
• Portfolio Follow-on Funding Raised: $753M+
• Portfolio Demographics:
  • 84% have a founder who is proximate (lived experience)
  • 62% have a founder who is a woman
  • 73% have a founder who is a person of color
  • 26% have a founder who is Black

Shannon Farley, Co-Founder and Executive Director, LinkedIn | X

Shannon Farley co-founded Fast Forward to see the world’s best tech solve humanity’s biggest challenges. Given many of the best technologies are AI-powered, Shannon focuses on AI-powered nonprofits — 501(c)(3) organizations deploying AI to advance core impact objectives. By championing this work, Shannon helps ensure that AI makes a difference for historically marginalized communities. As the Executive Director of Fast Forward, Shannon has helped improve the lives of over 186M people globally and raised $753M in follow-on funding for tech and AI-powered nonprofits. Before Fast Forward, Shannon was the founding Executive Director of Spark, the world's largest network of millennial philanthropists. Prior to Spark, Shannon helped start The W. Haywood Burns Institute, a MacArthur Award-winning juvenile justice reform organization. Shannon holds a B.A. in American studies from Georgetown University and an M.S. in gender and social policy from the London School of Economics.

Forbes: The Visionary Leaders Backing the Builders of AI for Humanity
Forbes: Tech Nonprofit Wins Google.org AI Award to Help 30M Children Across India Become School-Ready

Kevin Barenblat, Co-Founder and President, LinkedIn | X

Kevin Barenblat co-founded Fast Forward to support builders of nonprofits deploying tech and AI to solve humanity's pressing challenges. Fast Forward's network unites the tech sector with philanthropic investors in support of these mission-driven entrepreneurs, equipping tech and AI-powered nonprofits with the resources, capital, and mentorship needed to succeed. Since founding Fast Forward, he has supported hundreds of social entrepreneurs. Barenblat worked across tech — from startup to big tech and venture capital — before finding his calling supporting tech nonprofits. He earned a B.S. in engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

TriplePundit: Nonprofit Builders are Pioneering AI for the Public Good
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Mapping the Landscape of AI-Powered Tech Nonprofits
Harvard Business Review: What the Best Nonprofits Know About Strategy