Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Founded by the Stanford Graduate School of Business class of 1980, Project Redwood is a non-profit partnership that applies its partners’ collective resources to funding and coaching individuals and organizations that create innovative solutions to the worldwide problems of poverty and its effects.

Mission. Project Redwood is a non-profit partnership that uses a venture-philanthropy approach to apply its Partners’ collective resources to support the funding, mentoring, and coaching of individuals and organizations that provide innovative solutions to alleviate the causes and effects of poverty.

Project Focus. Project Redwood’s focus areas are those that mitigate the causes and effects of severe poverty wherever it exists. Examples include:

• Improving health and eliminating hunger.
• Improving infrastructure such as water and sanitation facilities.
• Improving educational and training opportunities.
• Providing business capital to ensure availability of critical services.
• Restoring or improving institutional services.

Social Venture Capital Approach. Project Redwood uses a venture capital approach to philanthropy. This approach:

• Identifies needs and entrepreneurial solutions that promise significant social results.
• Infuses grantees, both entrepreneurs and existing organizations, with the knowledge, skills and contacts of its Stanford MBA Partners.
• Applies traditional venture-capital approaches such as due-diligence standards.
• Seeks three to five year collaborative relationships rather than providing one-time funding. This longer-term perspective enables us to support capacity building in our grantees, including organizational development, staff training, administrative systems, facilities, technology and/or access to growth capital.

Project Redwood is separate from, and not affiliated with, Stanford University.