PLATINUM2021

COMMON Foundation

Serving People, Planet, and Peace

aka COMMON Foundation, Dragons Fund, Boulder Dot Earth, Dream Biography, COMMON Artist in Residence, Institute for Environmental Peacebuilding, Fearless, Futurity, Living Green,   |   Boulder, CO   |  https://ourcommonfoundation.org/

Mission

Founded by Dr. Matthew King in 2007, COMMON Foundation combines the power of an incubator with philanthropy and social entrepreneurship to support, promote and develop non-profit ideas and organizations in the US and abroad for the benefit of people, planet, and peace. We serve the non-profit and philanthropic interests of social and environmental entrepreneurs, individuals, families, companies, foundations, and philanthropists. We offer fiscal sponsorship for non-profit projects, donor-advised funds, conduct philanthropic advising, set up scholarship programs, conduct legacy research and development, develop non-profit strategies, and offer a full suite of consultative services for people, planet, and peace.

Notes from the nonprofit

We're grateful for all those who donate and support our efforts for the benefit of people, planet, and peace.

Ruling year info

2011

President and Chairman of the Board

Dr. Matthew King

Main address

3980 Broadway, Suite 103-PMB-164

Boulder, CO 80304 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Living GREEN DC

Living GREEN

Living GREEN Network

Living GREEN Foundation

EIN

26-1421917

NTEE code info

Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (T12)

Other Art, Culture, Humanities Organizations/Services N.E.C. (A99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

COMMON Foundation combines the power of an incubator with philanthropy and social entrepreneurship to support, promote and develop non-profit ideas and organizations in the US and abroad for the benefit of people, planet, and peace. We serve the non-profit and philanthropic interests of social and environmental entrepreneurs, individuals, families, companies, foundations, and philanthropists. We offer fiscal sponsorship for non-profit projects, donor-advised funds, conduct philanthropic advising, set up scholarship programs, conduct legacy research and development, develop non-profit strategies, and offer a full suite of consultative services for people, planet, and peace.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Environmental Security, Peacebuilding, and Governance

COMMON Foundation conducts research and advises clients and partners on how to improve environmental security and governance in the US and abroad. COMMON Foundation is a founding member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association.

Population(s) Served

Mariposa Legal Program's mission is to advocate on behalf of and with immigrants through interprofessional collaborations that provide comprehensive and holistic legal representation, community education initiatives, and proactive data-driven responses to challenging immigration enforcement efforts.

Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Economically disadvantaged people
Researchers
Farmers
Ethnic and racial groups
Economically disadvantaged people
Researchers
Farmers

The Artist in Residence Program's mission is to support, promote, and mentor artists and their collaboration with others who actively support pro-democracy movements in the US and abroad.

Population(s) Served
Activists
Activists
Activists
Artists and performers

COMMON Foundation Market-Based Approaches to Conservation program researches, mentors, advises, and educates the public on innovative market-based approaches to conservation in the US and abroad.

Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Economically disadvantaged people
Students
Activists
Farmers

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Environmental Peacebuilding Association 2018

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total number of competitions held

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Environmental Security, Peacebuilding, and Governance

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In 2020 we redirected the majority of our efforts toward COVID relief grants for indigenous communities worldwide including, but not limited to, Nepal, Indonesia, Peru, Guatemala, Senegal, etc.

Number of students enrolled in service-learning courses

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Students

Related Program

Environmental Security, Peacebuilding, and Governance

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of entities served by expertise

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Young adults

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

In 2020 we reduced the number of programs incubated due to the global pandemic so we could focus our efforts more precisely on the needs of those supported.

Number of opportunities teachers have to provide and receive mentoring

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Environmental Security, Peacebuilding, and Governance

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

COMMON Foundation combines the power of an incubator with philanthropy and social entrepreneurship to support, promote and develop non-profit ideas and organizations in the US and abroad for the benefit of people, planet, and peace.

Vision: COMMON Foundation envisions a world full of inspired citizens, donors, and clients who advance their causes in ways that are effective, conscientious, and innovative.

Culture: Our work is an authentic expression of our collective interests, intrinsic strengths, and passions. Our team is one of inspiration and motivation. We like to have fun, and we love what we do.

Imagination, creativity, innovation, integrity, agility, passion, ethics, energy, and foresight, are the core set of principles and values to which we adhere.

COMMON Foundation combines the power of an incubator with philanthropy and social entrepreneurship to support, promote and develop non-profit ideas and organizations in the US and abroad for the benefit of people, planet, and peace.

We’ve launched dozens of projects since our founding in 2007 and IRS exempt approval in 2009. After a decade of experience working in research, impact investment, philanthropy, and non-profit sectors, we’ve expanded our capabilities to include: donor-advised funds, conducting philanthropic advising, setting up scholarship programs, conducting legacy research and development, developing non-profit strategies, and we offer a full suite of consultative services for people, planet, and peace.

We have conducted research to support the development of projects and programs (R&D) in the fields of conflict/violence prevention, coral reef conservation, food security, governance, and a range of other topics relevant to our partners and clients.

We have also helped several organizations and institutions launch new projects and programs including, but are not limited to: Mariposa Legal, Dragons Global Education Fund; Boulder Dot Earth; Sidney and Phyllis Krystal Foundation; Garcia-Meza Scholarship Fund; Nueva School Scholarship Fund; 17 Accelerator; FearLess Revolution; Power of Hope Kibera; Infuse2; Nepal Earthquake Relief; Mountain Flower Goat Dairy; National Park Experience: a film series; Donate Boulder Mudslingers - Community Organized Flood Relief; Wild Horse Project; Little Guy Certified; Farm to Restaurant Survey Project; and the Burger Documentary; etc.).

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    We are actively engaged with our programmatic leaders and those we serve. We continuously remain open to feedback and take action when deemed appropriate. We have well established advisory boards and seek the input of outside observers.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Our Dragons Fund program which supports international educational opportunities for minority and underserved communities was impacted as a result of the global pandemic. In order to best serve the interests of donors, supporters, educators, and scholarship recipients associated with minority and underserved communities we worked closely with the program director to merge Dragons Fund with another non-profit entity facing the same challenges so that they could pull resources and sustain their efforts over the long-term.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

COMMON Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

COMMON Foundation

Board of directors
as of 12/26/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Dr. Matthew King

COMMON Foundation

Term: 2009 -

Lina M Barrera

Conservation International

Hugh Robert

Sherwood, McCormick & Robert

Matthew Wilburn King

COMMON Foundation

Glenn Ricci

University of Rhode Island

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 12/26/2021
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 08/12/2019

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.