Applications for the Startup Accelerator are open! 🎉 Are you a tech or AI-powered nonprofit founder on a mission to change the world? Then this one’s for you. 👉 Fast Forward’s Startup Accelerator program is specifically tailored for builders dedicated to tackling global challenges — from health and education inequities to poverty and climate change. Join our network of 100+ alum making a real difference. Apply (ffwd.org/accelerator) by Monday, September 9.
Fast Forward
Non-profit Organizations
San Francisco, CA 8,565 followers
Fast Forward accelerates tech nonprofits building tech to solve our biggest social problems.
About us
Tech is ubiquitous. Tech solutions for social problems are not. An emerging class of startups is building tech to solve these social problems. They are tech nonprofits. Fast Forward bridges the tech and nonprofit sectors to build capacity for tech nonprofits, so they can scale solutions to our world’s most urgent problems. As the first and only organization focused exclusively on scaling startups that combine the best tech with sustainable nonprofit business models, Fast Forward’s mission is to accelerate impact. Fast Forward's flagship program is an accelerator, which across ten years has helped over 100 tech nonprofits impact over 186M lives and raise $753M in follow-on funding.
- Website
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https://www.ffwd.org/
External link for Fast Forward
- Industry
- Non-profit Organizations
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2014
- Specialties
- Tech, AI, Nonprofits, and Philanthropy
Locations
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Primary
1002A O'Reilly Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94129, US
Employees at Fast Forward
Updates
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We’re back with another edition of the AI-Powered Nonprofit Series in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The topic? 👉 AI-powered nonprofits reimagining education. Fast Forward's Kevin Barenblat collaborated with Brooke James from Teaching Lab Ventures on this one. They explore how EdTech APNs are transforming learning globally. From enhancing early childhood education to providing offline solutions in remote areas, these nonprofits are bridging educational divides. Featured AI-powered nonprofits include Rocket Learning, Khan Academy, and Learning Equality.
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Tech Nonprofits: Seeking to scale your impact? Apply for Fast Forward’s 2025 Startup Accelerator! Gain $25K, community, mentorship, top-tier curriculum, and more. But don't just take our word for it. Here's what Namya Mahajan from Rocket Learning has to say 👇 "We feel uniquely supported by Fast Forward. Every chat offers new insights — from building a founder 'love bank' (which we quote constantly) to managing cash during crises. We're grateful to be in Fast Forward’s orbit." 👉 ffwd.org/accelerator
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In this month's edition of AI for Humanity, Kevin Barenblat takes stock of global economic opportunity. 📈 Learn how nonprofits like Karya, CareerVillage.org, Tabiya, CodePath, and others are investing in our collective future with their AI solutions. Plus, get access to upcoming virtual AI events and discover new funding opportunities.
Make It Make Cents
Fast Forward on LinkedIn
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Fast Forward reposted this
Please join us on August 27 for a series of panel discussions from our EmergingTech Economic Research Network (EERN) on how philanthropy and nonprofit organizations throughout our District’s Bay Area are navigating the emergence of generative artificial intelligence in the communities they serve. We’re excited for you to join us for this robust dialogue, featuring funders and organizations, that will spark new ideas, grapple with questions, and drive forward-thinking solutions for economic empowerment. RSVP today! ⬇ #EERN #genai #philanthropy #nonprofit
GenAI for Economic Opportunity: Learnings from Philanthropy & Nonprofits
www.linkedin.com
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Exciting Panel Alert! 📣 This Tuesday, 8/27 at 10 AM PT, catch Fast Forward’s Kevin Barenblat as he explores AI's role in economic opportunities with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Discover how philanthropy and nonprofits leverage GenAI to boost economic prospects for low-income communities. Joining him 👇 Raffi Krikorian (Emerson Collective), Nick Arevalo (Tipping Point Community), and Lili Gangas (Kapor Center). Don’t forget to register and tune in! 👉 https://sffed.us/4cuueDy
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Huge congratulations to all Echoing Green finalists! We’re thrilled to see so many familiar faces from Fast Forward’s alum network this year. 👉 Unlocked Labs’ Jessica Hicklin, Joy Education Foundation’s Demetrius Lancaster, M.Ed, MPA, Adalat AI’s Utkarsh Saxena, Ersilia’s Gemma Turon, and accesSOS’ Gabriella M. Wong. 👀 Sign up for updates on the 2025 application cycle: https://bit.ly/3STbvKL
Echoing Green — Social Impact Talent Report 2024
https://echoinggreen.org
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Three weeks left to apply to the Startup Accelerator! Selected tech nonprofits receive 12 weeks of mentorship, expert training, a tight-knit community, and a $25K grant. Stuck on an application question? ⚒️ Join our workshop on Wednesday, August 28! 👉 https://bit.ly/3LHTHOK
Applications for the Startup Accelerator are open! 🎉 Are you a tech or AI-powered nonprofit founder on a mission to change the world? Then this one’s for you. 👉 Fast Forward’s Startup Accelerator program is specifically tailored for builders dedicated to tackling global challenges — from health and education inequities to poverty and climate change. Join our network of 100+ alum making a real difference. Apply (ffwd.org/accelerator) by Monday, September 9.
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Karya ✖️ Adalat AI 🟰 an exciting AI for humanity partnership! We love seeing our alums join forces! These two AI-powered nonprofits are improving lives across India — Adalat AI by enhancing the Indian judicial system, and Karya by creating fair wage opportunities for rural communities. By partnering, they're developing training data specifically tailored to Indian accents and languages. Enhancing Adalat’s AI models will help address the 50M+ cases pending in Indian courts more efficiently.
We are absolutely thrilled to announce a new partnership between Adalat AI and Karya to develop training data specifically tailored for legal models in Indian accents and languages. Karya and its cofounders have been among our earliest and strongest supporters, and we’ve been deeply inspired by their work and mission, making this collaboration especially meaningful for us. This partnership will not only enhance the effectiveness of our AI models in the Indian legal context but also create fair wage opportunities for workers from some of India’s most underserved communities. Together, we are committed to making a lasting impact on both the justice system and the lives of those who need it most.
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A reminder: We're accepting applications for the 2025 Startup Accelerator! Rebecca Nall, founder of ineedana.com, was part of our 2024 cohort. She shares 👉 “The entire Fast Forward program transformed our organization and me personally. I started 'I Need An A' to build a better online experience for abortion seekers — not because I wanted or knew how to lead a nonprofit tech organization. I’ve learned a lot along the way, but I’ve always looked for mentorship and community from those who’ve walked this path before. Fast Forward has given me just that.” Tech nonprofits could earn a $25K grant, gain access to curated content, receive mentorship from seasoned tech professionals, and grow with a community of peers. Apply now through Monday, September 9 ➡ ffwd.org/accelerator
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