PLATINUM2023

Material Innovation Institute

Growing Next Gen Materials

aka Material Innovation Initiative   |   Napa, CA   |  http://www.materialinnovation.org

Mission

The Material Innovation Initiative accelerates the development of next-generation sustainable materials for the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries, with a focus on replacing animal-based materials. We work to shrink the environmental footprint of existing fibers, such as synthetics, and to seed plant-based and lab-grown innovations

Ruling year info

2020

Executive Director

Nicole Rawling

Main address

952 School Street Suite 175

Napa, CA 94559 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

84-3847333

NTEE code info

Management & Technical Assistance (K02)

IRS filing requirement

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

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2022, 2021 and 2020.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Founded in 2019, MII is a global nonprofit that accelerates the development of next-generation sustainable materials for the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries, with a focus on replacing animal-based materials. We work to shrink the environmental footprint of existing fibers, such as synthetics and cellulose, and to seed plant-based and lab-grown innovations. Our ecosystem consists of entrepreneurs, scientists, academics, brands, and retailers committed to better materials. This includes not only new innovations, but also improving on the circularity of materials commonly used as alternatives to animal material.

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?

Science and Technology

Revolutionary science and technology are the foundation of next-gen material innovation. MII’s Science and Technology team serves as the leading resource for scientists, material innovation companies, investors, and other stakeholders to gain insights into scientific trends and technologies in the materials industry. We provide open-access scientific insights and research, stimulate new startups, inform investments, foster a network of researchers across the industry, provide technical advice for next-gen material companies, and develop best practices for environmental impact analysis.

To learn more about our other programs, please visit us at https://www.materialinnovation.org/what-we-do

Population(s) Served
Adults

Fostering Connections and Driving Innovation
Our Innovation team works to build and accelerate the next-gen materials ecosystem by sharing industry insights, igniting funding interests, and creating connections.

We create leading industry resources freely to help stakeholders understand the state of the industry, analyze whitespace opportunities, jump-start formation of startups, and provide data and insights in the language of investors to boost funding into innovation in this space.

Our experts serve as a nexus for collaboration in the business community, forging impactful partnerships amongst entrepreneurs, corporates, and investors to accelerate innovation and growth of next-gen materials. We essentially play matchmaker among innovators, startups, venture capitalists, and brands to make deals happen and smooth the path from concept to commercialization.

Population(s) Served

Bringing Next-Gen to the Global Brands
Expanding the next-gen material ecosystem requires existing corporations’ engagement and adoption.

MII’s Brand Partnership Department serves as the leading resource for global brands to get insights into current and expected trends and technologies in the materials industry. We introduce these brands to next-gen material companies for partnership, sourcing, and investment.

MII’s brand partnerships offer specialized insight into the development of the next-gen materials industry. This can involve industry and technology overviews, positioning advice and marketing support, access to our science and innovation experts, and specialized sourcing advice and introductions to next-gen material companies.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Awards

Standout Charity 2021

Animal Charity Evaluators

Top Rated 2022

Great Nonprofits

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

Number of meetings held with decision makers

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

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

In 2022, of this total, we met with 41 leading brands in the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries, 105 next-gen material companies, 11 scientists, and 39 investors.

Number of media articles reflecting preferred issue framing

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

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We only started our media program in 2020, so we do not have any articles in 2019.

Number of requests for advocate products or information, including downloads or page views of online material

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

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Number of page views for our website.

Number of reports written/published

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

This metric englobes published reports of all our programs. To view our reports, visit https://www.materialinnovation.org/reports

Number of individuals attending briefings and presentations

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

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Among the attendees, there were investors, brands (fashion, automotive, and home goods), and material companies.

Number of briefings or presentations held

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

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

The majority of these were presented to Material Companies, Brands, and Investors.

Number of downloads of the organization's materials and explanations

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The number of report downloads from our website. MII reports can be found on: https://www.materialinnovation.org/reports

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.

Our main goal is to help transition the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries away from unsustainable and animal-based materials. In order to make that transition, these industries need high quality materials at reasonable prices and sufficient volume.

We work with companies, entrepreneurs, scientists, universities, investors, and nonprofits all over the world to identify white space opportunities for new research and new companies, create new companies, support existing start-ups and material companies, and help brands find the right products for their needs.

Nicole Rawling, one of our cofounders, developed and oversaw all five of The Good Food Institute’s (GFI) international programs for two years. MII is using the same theory of change and programs to make the same transition in the materials industry that GFI accomplished and is working towards in the food industry. She is also a lawyer and managed diverse teams on internal investigations and securities litigation in Silicon Valley at Orrick Herrington and Sutcliffe. Nicole has a long history of nonprofit management. As well as being the Director of International Engagement at GFI, she was the executive director of an animal sanctuary in Napa, California, the deputy director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and served on multiple nonprofit boards. Nicole also has a degree in international politics and philosophy from Georgetown School of Foreign Service, a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law, and completed graduate classes in nonprofit leadership, finance, marketing, and law at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Stephanie Downs, our other cofounder, is a serial entrepreneur with experience in corporate engagement for international animal protection organizations. She is also the cofounder of the largest plant-based meat company in India, Good Dot.

Our scientists, researchers, and sustainability, fashion industry, and communications professionals are dedicated to our mission.

We invite you to review our 2021 Annual Report for a comprehensive look at what we were able to accomplish last year: https://www.materialinnovation.org/reports

Additionally, some of our 2022 accomplishments thus far include:

❏ Published the Next-Gen Materials Brand Engagement Report via an exclusive launch with Vogue Business. The report aims to provide the appropriate stakeholders with centralized information to make quicker and more informed decisions on how to engage with this new space.
❏ Hosted the the Next-Gen Materials Innovation Conference, which brought together stakeholders in the next-gen materials industry—including some of the most influential material companies and fashion brands—to explore the industry’s key opportunities and challenges.
❏ Released our second annual State of the Industry Report, which provides an overview of key players in the next-gen sector, driving forces accelerating material innovation, and the latest investment data for next-gen materials.
❏ Launched the Environmental Data Coalition, which convenes key stakeholders to explore issues that persist in environmental impact analysis within the next-gen materials industry.
❏ Hired Chief Partnerships Officer
❏ Hired Major and Corporate Gifts Officer
❏ Hired Project Coordinator
❏ Hired Operations Coordinator
❏ Hired Environmental Data Scientist

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.

  • 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

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

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, 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 engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

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

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

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.

Material Innovation Institute

Board of directors
as of 08/04/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Jacqueline Kravette

Linne Caudell

Integer

Alicia Cahill

Makinson Cowell

Naomi Sachs

Jacqueline Kravette

Angela Padilla

Amy Rosenfeld

Kirsty Stevenson

John Bartlett

Elizabeth Novogratz

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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 8/4/2023
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

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 09/28/2022

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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • 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 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 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.