Insights

Fall 2024 New Ashoka Fellows
Introducing 6 new Ashoka Fellows in the U.S.
Bianca Tylek
Removing The Financial Incentives For Incarceration
Aisha Nyandoro headshot
Why Not Invest Directly In Families? It Works.
Motley Fool Foundation Mapping
Demystifying Financial Freedom
A Motley Fool Foundation & Ashoka Report
Diana Adams
How Expanding The Legal Definition Of Family Helps Us All
Byron Kominek Forbes article
Solar Is Here To Stay—Let’s Do It Right
Meet the 2024 Ashoka Fellows in the U.S.
Keith Wattley forbes
Ready For Parole: What If Prisons Helped People Address Trauma And Heal?
The Industrial Commons
What Will It Take To Build An Ownership Economy?
Stephen Friend Ashoka Forbes Articles
Higher Education For The Age Of AI And Climate Change
Molly Hemstreet
Worker Ownership And The New Appalachian Economy
Heber Brown on PBS Newshour
PBS Newshour: A Brief but Spectacular take on nourishing your mind, body, and soul
Cristi Hegranes headshot
Local Journalists Are The Key To Improving The Global News Industry
Sascha Haselmayer headshot
Why Slow And Steady Might Be The Formula For Lasting Social Change
Jen Pahlka headshot
Why We Need A Culture Shift In Government
Saket Soni Headshot
Climate Disasters And The Rise Of A New Workforce
Sixto Cancel of PBS Newshour
A Brief But Spectacular take on prioritizing kinship care
Raj Jayadev PBS Newshour
A Brief but Spectacular take on participatory defense
Jessica Sager All Our Kin
Why Investing In Child Care Strengthens The Economy
Brittany Young headshot
Black Genius Revs Up To The Nation's First Dirt Bike Campus
Marc Freedman Brief But Spectacular
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on making the most of the multi-generational moment
Simon Kohl and colleagues
When Students Build Their Own Learning Platform
Jelani Anglin headshot
Meet The Start-Up Founder Connecting Arrestees To Free Legal Support
Introducing a New Book from Ashoka: America’s Path Forward!
Armin Salek - Youth Justice Alliance
The Case For Earlier Investments In Legal Diversity
Ian McSweeney - Agrarian Trust aerial view
For Next Gen Farmers, Evolving The Land Trust Structure Is Key
Lorenzo Lewis The Confess Project
Meet The Barbers Starting A Conversation About Mental Health
Rosanne Haggerty
How 100 Communities Are Solving Homelessness
Meet the new Ashoka Fellows in the U.S.
Welcome New Ashoka Fellows!
Next steps image
Systems Change Funding: Practical Next Steps for Moving to Action
Project Equity
Bridging The Gaps: Two Paths To Financial Freedom
Sharon Terry headshot
Making Genomic Testing Available To All—And Safeguarding People’s Control Of Their Health Data
Amelia Franck Meyer
Keeping Children Safely With, Not From, Their Families—Foster Care, Transformed
Eboo Patel Headshot
Eboo Patel And The Vision For An Interfaith America
Francisco Quinones Cuartas
What This Pioneering High School For Transgender Students In Argentina Can Teach Us All
Stacey Epperson
As Housing Costs Soar, A Revolution In Affordable Homes
Who is Ashoka?
Reflections by Ashoka Fellows
Welcome Change
How Strengthening Democracy Begins With Better Local News
Welcome Change
The Leading Edge: What Inuit Can Teach Us About Climate Monitoring And Adaptation
Coalfield Development
From Coal To Clean Energy: Welcome To The New Appalachian Economy
Chloe McKenzie
The Myth Of Financial Literacy—And Why Wealth Justice Is A Better Goal
How To Fix The Drug Pricing Crisis—And The Patent Problem Fueling It
How To Fix The Drug Pricing Crisis—And The Patent Problem Fueling It
Drug prices are increasingly out of reach for millions, but there is gathering momentum to course-correct,...
Uplifting fathers and cultivating healthy masculinities
Uplifting fathers and cultivating healthy masculinities
Why community and emotional connectedness are key
How Co-Creation Strategies Lead To Success: An Example In Affordable Housing
How Co-Creation Strategies Lead To Success: An Example In Affordable Housing
True Cost Of Food: What We Measure, Matters
True Cost Of Food: What We Measure, Matters
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on making a sustainable living
 Want A Better Asylum Process? Ask Asylum Seekers For Ideas
Want A Better Asylum Process? Ask Asylum Seekers For Ideas
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on the Appalachian economy
Fashion Industry Support Allows FABSCRAP To Expand Its Reach
Fashion Industry Support Allows FABSCRAP To Expand Its Reach
Ashoka Fellow Jessica Schreiber on her work, FABSCRAP.
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on protecting ‘Black genius’
Why Play Is Essential, Especially Now
Why Play Is Essential, Especially Now
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on need for global health setup
A Pivotal Week For Young People Aging Out Of Foster Care
A Pivotal Week For Young People Aging Out Of Foster Care
America Can Stop Gun Violence—Here’s What Actually Works
America Can Stop Gun Violence—Here’s What Actually Works
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on valuing caregivers
How we build welcoming communities as borders re-open (for some)
How we build welcoming communities as borders re-open (for some)
Ashoka Fellows bust myths and show why belonging begins with us.
Why children need empathy, especially now
Why children need empathy, especially now
Mary Gordon on the pitfalls of academic testing, and what parents can do
Social entrepreneurs respond to India’s deepening Covid crisis
Social entrepreneurs respond to India’s deepening Covid crisis
Why decentralized approaches, long-term thinking and tough questions are key
Building Black-Owned Businesses In Mississippi
Building Black-Owned Businesses In Mississippi
Tim Lampkin on addressing the racial wealth gap as a result of institutional racism and...
How changemakers are reclaiming Indigenous foodways
How changemakers are reclaiming Indigenous foodways
Sean Sherman on inspiring a more sustainable food system
	 Redesigning Substitute Teaching And The Power Of Small Tweaks
Redesigning Substitute Teaching And The Power Of Small Tweaks
By the time a student graduates from high school in the U.S., one entire year...
The right to sign: Deaf culture and language access
The right to sign: Deaf culture and language access
Melissa Malzkuhn on digital storybooks for Deaf children and why the future is 3-D
‘Make Algorithmic Audits As Ubiquitous As Seatbelts’—Why Tech Needs Outside Help To Serve Humanity
‘Make Algorithmic Audits As Ubiquitous As Seatbelts’—Why Tech Needs Outside Help To Serve Humanity
Ashoka Fellow Gemma Galdon, founder of Eticas Consulting & Foundation based in Spain
Only 20% Of People With Eating Disorders Get Help—This Startup Is Out To Change That
Only 20% Of People With Eating Disorders Get Help—This Startup Is Out To Change That
Former Representative, Patrick J. Kennedy interviews Ashoka Fellow Kristina Saffran and her co-founder Erin Parks.
The MacArthur Foundation awards Community Solutions $100 million to accelerate an end to homelessness in the U.S.
The MacArthur Foundation awards Community Solutions $100 million to accelerate an end to homelessness in the U.S.
Building community wealth across the Mississippi Delta
Building community wealth across the Mississippi Delta
How Tim Lampkin is supporting and expanding Black business ownership in the U.S.
We’re Living Through A Carbon Bubble—Here’s What We Can Do About It
We’re Living Through A Carbon Bubble—Here’s What We Can Do About It
Mutualism And The Next Economy
Mutualism And The Next Economy
How parents are protecting Black genius
How parents are protecting Black genius
Creating learning environments rooted in community wisdom
Who cares? Carers on the global agenda
Who cares? Carers on the global agenda
Social entrepreneurs reimagine how society supports those who care for others.
Deaf Culture, Deaf Creatives, And The Quest For Language Exposure
Deaf Culture, Deaf Creatives, And The Quest For Language Exposure
Motion Light Lab founder Melissa Malzkuhn on how creativity and technology are helping a new...
How we bring generations together
How we bring generations together
Marc Freedman wants to see younger and older people work together
Defending privacy in the age of surveillance
Defending privacy in the age of surveillance
Defending privacy in the age of surveillance
What’s ahead for asylum seekers in the U.S.
What’s ahead for asylum seekers in the U.S.
How a group of more than 20,000 asylum seekers in the U.S. are reshaping the...
Civic faith and what’s ahead for American democracy
Civic faith and what’s ahead for American democracy
Ashoka Fellow Eric Liu on fostering a culture of powerful citizenship
Rethinking education in the long run
Rethinking education in the long run
Four education innovators reflect on the challenges and opportunities of the pandemic moment.
Rising up to reclaim recovery
Rising up to reclaim recovery
In pandemic times, here’s what communities in recovery can teach us all.
Who will get the Covid-19 vaccine?
Who will get the Covid-19 vaccine?
Addressing deep-rooted inequities in access to medicine
Seeing the unseen: the bias of algorithms
Seeing the unseen: the bias of algorithms
Yeshimabeit Milner on why we need data for Black lives
How a new savings plan can rescue low wage workers
How a new savings plan can rescue low wage workers
Ashoka Fellow Ronnie Washington started Onward to build a culture of financial savings among American...
Why we need data for Black lives
Why we need data for Black lives
What role can data scientists play at this moment? Read our interview with Ashoka Fellow...
Supporting Black genius
Supporting Black genius
How parents are helping teachers lift up and support the gifts and strengths of Black...
What will the future look like?
What will the future look like?
We’re in a moment when we are seeing just how broken many of our systems and...
From Competition to Sharing
From Competition to Sharing
How her children’s rare disease led Fellow Sharon Terry to revolutionize medical research
Why it’s time for a new normal
Why it’s time for a new normal
Ashoka Fellow Nick Tilsen on how Indigenous people are being affected by the crisis and...
The Right To Relate: Cycling Without Age
The Right To Relate: Cycling Without Age
How a Danish-led global movement is combating isolation among our elders, and adapting fast in...
Fact-Checking Stories About Covid-19
Fact-Checking Stories About Covid-19
How a worldwide network of scientists, organized by Fellow Emmanuel Vincent, is kept very busy.
When Orders Get Cancelled
When Orders Get Cancelled
How a new generation of Bangladesh’s women-led factory workers, led by Fellow Nazma Akhter, is...
 Coordinating and Improving Frontline Medical Care
Coordinating and Improving Frontline Medical Care
Read how Ashoka Fellow Sanjeev Arora is responding to the Covid-19 crisis in partnership with...
Preventing Disease Outbreaks
Preventing Disease Outbreaks
Wildlife veterinarian, public health advocate, and Ashoka Fellow Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka shares lessons from Uganda.
Respirators From 3D Printers
Respirators From 3D Printers
How the Spanish maker community, led by Ashoka Fellow David Cuartielles, fights Covid-19 from their...
Philanthropy Needs a New Playbook
Philanthropy Needs a New Playbook
Effectively funding systems change begins with a new mindset, new values, and new behaviors.
Tackle root problems, not symptoms
Tackle root problems, not symptoms
Learn the 5 principles to support systems change in our new report with McKinsey &...
Year At A Glance | Ashoka US
Year At A Glance | Ashoka US
Look how Fellows are shaping the country and some of our priorities for the year...
How baby ‘teachers’ in classrooms are teaching older kids empathy
Toronto-based Ashoka Fellow Mary Gordon shows us what infants can teach us about empathy.
Look ahead with our 2019 Ashoka Fellows
Look ahead with our 2019 Ashoka Fellows
How do we update our labor movements for 21st century work? What happens when data...
No, You Don’t Need to Start a Business
No, You Don’t Need to Start a Business
Reflections from Ashoka’s founder Bill Drayton: In social entrepreneurship is business thinking crowding out social...
Future Of…
Future Of…
Weekly series! We ask Ashoka Fellows what trends they’re seeing, where they get their inspiration,...
The Erosion of Privacy, And Why We Need A New Social Contract
The Erosion of Privacy, And Why We Need A New Social Contract
Privacy expert and Ashoka Fellow Sascha Meinrath on how government and business are watching us.
Thriving In a World of Change
In a fast paced world, a new inequality is emerging. Ashoka is making sure no...
Sharing the Abundance of Rural America
Sharing the Abundance of Rural America
Ashoka partnered with Organic Valley to help U.S. Fellows come together in Wisconsin for our...
AI, Health, And The Future Of Human Agency
AI, Health, And The Future Of Human Agency
How can AI help us live healthier lives? Konstanze Frischen asks Ashoka Fellow Stephen Friend.
Culture Change for Climate Change
Culture Change for Climate Change
What do fishermen, school cafeterias and the Catholic Church have in common? It turns out they...
Why Supporting Small-Town Social Innovation Matters
Why Supporting Small-Town Social Innovation Matters
Curious what social innovators are working on in Appalachia, the Navajo Nation, rural Minnesota, and...
‘Small Towns, Big Ideas’
‘Small Towns, Big Ideas’
Jim Fallows, author and national correspondent, posts a recap of Welcome Change on his blog...
The Groundwater Issue: Insights From Social Entrepreneurs About Race
The Groundwater Issue: Insights From Social Entrepreneurs About Race
What are the experiences and insights of social entrepreneurs working day to day on de-segregation...
So You Want To Start A Movement? Read This First.
So You Want To Start A Movement? Read This First.
At their best, social movements activate the possibility of everyone a changemaker. But what does...
We Hold the Key: Making the Law Work for All
We Hold the Key: Making the Law Work for All
What’s the next frontier in legal innovation? Five insights from Ashoka Fellows at our inaugural...
If We Don’t All Win, We All Lose
If We Don’t All Win, We All Lose
Explore global patterns and themes of Ashoka Fellows including: diversity and inclusion, climate change, migration, women, science and technology, health, media, and young people in charge.
How To Cross The Bridges That Divide Us: Lessons From The Field
How To Cross The Bridges That Divide Us: Lessons From The Field
Konstanze Frischen, leader of Ashoka North America, highlights three strategies social entrepreneurs use to build...
Look Ahead With Our 2018 U.S. Fellows
Look Ahead With Our 2018 U.S. Fellows
What will our food system look like in 10 years? What are the right fixes...
Ashoka’s Raj Jayadev Recognized as 2018 MacArthur Fellow
Ashoka’s Raj Jayadev Recognized as 2018 MacArthur Fellow
Ashoka Fellow Raj Jayadev was just named a 2018 MacArthur Fellow for exceptional creativity as the creator and champion...
Where American Renewal Begins
Where American Renewal Begins
Sarah Hemminger grew up in Indiana understanding the debilitating power of social isolation. When she...
When Families Lead Themselves Out of Poverty
When Families Lead Themselves Out of Poverty
Seventeen years ago, Mauricio Lim Miller, a leader in the field of social services, received...
Everyone a Changemaker
Everyone a Changemaker
Bill Drayton invented the term “social entrepreneur” and founded Ashoka, the organization that supports 3,500...
Want True Equality? Make Everyone Powerful
Want True Equality? Make Everyone Powerful
I just heard a story that I adore. It comes from Ali Raza Khan, an...
Let’s Redraw the Map
Let’s Redraw the Map
Through a new initiative, Ashoka hopes to make the field of US social entrepreneurship more...
Is Social Entrepreneurship Being Misunderstood?
Is Social Entrepreneurship Being Misunderstood?
Since coining the term “social entrepreneurship” in 1980, Ashoka has seen exponential growth and transformation...
A New Alliance for Global Change
A New Alliance for Global Change
We are witnessing a sea change in the way society’s problems are solved, work is...
2x-2
If You Want to Change the World, You Need the Kids
Bill Drayton is fostering the “skill that society is desperate for” by raising a generation...
The caretaker
The Values Revolution: Embedding Empathy in the New Economy
Much has been written about how our economy is changing, particularly in light of the...
blogs
We’ve Lost Trust In The Media. Social Entrepreneurs Can Restore It.
Last week in the U.S., Congress grilled Mark Zuckerberg about his company’s data privacy breaches,...
Look Ahead with Our 2018 U.S. Fellows
merlin
Is the Business World All About Greed?
DAVOS, Switzerland — When I visit university campuses, I’m periodically asked if students who seek...
Blogs
Dear Jeff Bezos: Philanthropy For The ‘Right Now’ Is Not Good Enough
Last week Jeff Bezos tweeted a request for ideas for how to develop a philanthropic...