The Moxie Foundation is a family foundation focused on enriching communities and empowering changemakers through the spirit of innovation. We work with organizations around the world, while also maintaining a deep commitment to our local San Diego community. Each of our family members brings unique passion and expertise to the foundation, bound by our common commitment to social change. Together we partner with trailblazers in the field who are tackling challenges in education, the environment, health and global development.
The Moxie Foundation takes a personal approach to grant making. We do not accept proposals, rather we work deeply with a network of close partners to live out our mission. Learn about some of our key featured partnerships here:
Education
Ashoka U
The Moxie Foundation has a longstanding partnership with Ashoka U, focusing on the growth and capacity of its Changemaker Campus Consortium, among other global expansion programs and strategies. Changemaker Campuses are leading colleges and universities for social innovation. In addition to Ashoka U’s 40+ Changemaker Campuses, the organization works closely with a network of almost 200 institutions of higher education.
Learn more at www.ashokau.org
California Institute of Technology – Resnick Sustainability Institute - Rocket Fund
The Resnick Sustainability Institute at Caltech supports cutting-edge research and creative problem-solving in order to change the balance of the world’s sustainability. The Institute’s Rocket Fund program enables students and recent graduates to start cleantech companies and gain practical entrepreneurship skills.
In collaboration with a consortium of major California utilities, the Moxie Foundation partners with Resnick on the Rocket Fund initiative, which enables clean technology innovations to progress towards commercial reality, where they can have an impact beyond the university laboratory. The Rocket Fund provides grants for building prototypes and field testing with customers.
Learn more at www.flow.caltech.edu
San Diego Unified School District – Linked Learning at Clairemont High School
The Moxie Foundation is supporting an intensive effort to transform Clairemont High School into a regional demonstration school based on a groundbreaking approach known as Linked Learning. Linked Learning is based on the idea that students work harder and dream bigger if their education is relevant to them. Linked Learning integrates rigorous academics that meet college-ready standards with sequenced, high-quality career-technical education, and work-based learning to help students stay on track.
The Foundation has partnered with San Diego Unified School District and ConnectEd: The California Center: The California Center for College and Career to roll out four Linked Learning pathways at Clairemont High School, as a model that integrates academic and technical education with work-based learning for all students.
Learn more at www.sandiegounified.org/schools/clairemont/academies-2 and www.connectedcalifornia.org
San Diego State University – Zahn Innovation Platform
The Zahn Innovation Platform (ZIP) at San Diego State University is a centralized hub for creative problem solving, the exploration of new ideas, and the launch of new ventures. Here, the SDSU community rolls up its sleeves to tackle significant problems that face our world and explore thoughtful, cutting-edge, human-centered solutions.
The Moxie Foundation has a longstanding partnership with SDSU, with a goal to ingrain a campus-wide culture of innovation. In addition to ZIP, the foundation supports the Irwin Zahn Spirit of Innovation Prize, awarded annually to a graduating student – and a Professorship of Creativity and Innovation, awarded semi-annually to a faculty member
Learn more at www.ziplaunchpad.sdsu.edu/about and www.idealab.sdsu.edu/
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School – Irwin Zahn Innovation Lab
The Moxie Foundation helped establish the Irwin Zahn Innovation Lab at Stuyvesant, a facility designed to maximize creative problem solving within a curricular and co-curricular context. Here, students have the opportunity to ideate and innovate in a state-of-the-art environment that introduce them early-on to advanced computer-aided design and fabrication equipment.
Learn more at www.stuy.edu
The City College of New York
The City College of New York (CCNY) has a rich history and strong legacy of access, opportunity, and transformation for its students. As a public institution with a public purpose, CCNY prides itself on attracting students who have a tenacious desire to learn – and producing citizens who make an impact on the cultural, social, and economic vitality of New York, the nation, and the world.
The Moxie Foundation has been a longstanding partner with CCNY. It 2012 it helped establish the Zahn Innovation Center, a startup incubator that emphasizes real-world application, and works closely with students to launch cutting-edge ventures. With a dual-focus on technology-enabled startups and social impact ventures, the center’s goal is to equip the next generation of young entrepreneurs with 21st Century problem-solving skills.
In 2018 the Foundation spearheaded the Moxie Initiative to spur outside the box thinking, experiential learning, and academic innovation throughout every discipline across the College. This initiative supports faculty and students through the design of new courses that utilize hands-on, problem based learning to teach critical competencies for effective change-making.
Learn more at www.zahncenternyc.com and www.ccny.cuny.edu
University of California San Diego – Ubiquitous Computing Project
With the Foundation’s support, the Ubiquitous Computing program has offered project based learning opportunities for students to incorporate sensors and interaction devices (e.g., web cams, mobile phone based sensors, digital pens, Microsoft SenseCam, Microsoft Kinect, Google glasses, etc.) and wireless mobile computing devices to pursue applications that can transform lives.
The Moxie Foundation helped UCSD Computer Science & Engineering students to develop innovative devices for individuals with a condition known as “Locked-In Syndrome.” Individuals with this condition can hear, see, and feel pain but are mute and completely paralyzed due to a damaged brainstem.
Learn more at www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/, www.thiscourse.com/ucsd/cse118/fa12/
University of San Diego – Global Social Innovation Challenge
The University of San Diego’s Center for Peace and Commerce (CPC) aims to enable students and faculty to build a more prosperous and peaceful world through innovative thinking and action, by integrating business principles and effective management with positive peacebuilding and poverty alleviation.
The CPC hosts an annual social venture pitch competition, the Global Social Innovation Challenge, which recognizes, resources, and rewards student-led social ventures focused on sustainable change. The Moxie Foundation supports this annual competition and helped launch the competition’s first “San Diego Track”, which opened the competition to college and university students throughout the city.
Learn more at www.sandiego.edu/cpc/gsic/
Whatever It Takes
Whatever It Takes (WIT) is an afterschool program where teens learn entrepreneurial and leadership skills by designing, launching and collaborating on social impact projects. It provides the only 6-unit college credit social entrepreneur and leadership program for high school teens in the country.
WIT was founded in 2009 after elementary school teacher, Sarah Hernholm, received her fourth pink slip. She’d always encouraged her students to do whatever it takes to reach their goals, and her program inspires teens to make a difference by doing just that. The Moxie Foundation is supporting WIT’s growth.
Learn more at www.doingwit.org
Environment
Environmental Protection Network - Environmental Integrity Project
The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) advocates for effective enforcement of environmental laws, premised on the belief that all people deserve a healthy environment in which to work, play, and raise their children. EIP lives out its mission by advocating for fair enforcement of laws; writing and distributing reports and data; taking legal actions, when necessary, against big polluters; and by teaching communities how to participate in the public process regarding environmental decision making.
Learn more at www.environmentalintegrity.org/tag/epa/
Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) conducts research and analyses on financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a clean, diverse, sustainable, and profitable energy economy – and to reduce dependence on coal and other non-renewable energy resources.
The Moxie Foundation supports IEEFA’s efforts to train and educate environmental advocates and attorneys to achieve greater financial literacy, and a deeper understanding of current issues related to the coal, natural gas, and oil industries.
Learn more at www.ieefa.org/
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) works to safeguard the earth – its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. The organization is one of the most effective environmental action groups in the world, combining the power of more than three million members and activists with the expertise of scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates around the world.
The Moxie Foundation supports NRDC’s international programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build the collective impact of countries, cities, regions, companies, and citizens.
Learn more at www.nrdc.org/
Nature and Culture International
Nature and Culture International (NCI) is a conservation organization committed to protecting ecosystems in Latin America by working with local people to conserve the environment. NCI protects the areas in South America and Mexico that contain the greatest biodiversity on the planet. Its projects are diverse and driven by a deep respect for local communities and culture. Its success is defined by allowing nature to thrive so the people who depend on it can too. Since 1996, NCI has helped saved millions of acres of endangered ecosystems.
The Moxie Foundation supports the establishment of 500,000 acres of new municipal reserves in the Sangay-Podocarpus Andean Corridor of Ecuador. This effort conserves key ecosystems that provide clean water for the Andean communities, while providing biological and resource connectivity along the Andes.
Learn more at www.natureandculture.org
The Climate Museum
The Climate Museum will be a public space where people can gather to learn about climate change, face fears, share solutions, and commit to change. It will serve as a hub for education, leadership, and civic engagement, bringing people together to relate to climate challenges in a new and solution-driven way. Its mission is to employ the sciences, art, and design to inspire dialogue and innovation that addresses the challenges of climate change, moving solutions to the center of our shared public life and catalyzing broad community engagement.
Learn more at www.climatemuseum.org/
Health
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood is a leading provider of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education. The organization provides comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services, advocates policies to guarantee reproductive rights, provides educational programming, and promotes research in reproductive health care. Planned Parenthood also works with partner organizations worldwide to improve the sexual health and well-being of individuals and families everywhere.
Learn more at www.plannedparenthood.org/
Salk Institute
The Salk Institute is a collaborative, state-of-the-art research environment where scientists come together to explore the basic foundations of life and discover new realities in neuroscience, genetics, and immunology. Its major study areas are aging and regenerative medicine, cancer biology, immune system biology, metabolism and diabetes, neuroscience and neurological disorders and plant biology. Salk research provides new understanding and potential treatments for a range of diseases, from AIDS and Alzheimer’s to cancer and cardiovascular disorders.
The Moxie Foundation supports the Moxie Fund for Regenerative Medicine at the Salk Institute, which supports revolutionary research in the field of regenerative medicine. Expertise in specialized human stem cell growth and manipulation techniques in the emerging field of advanced genome editing technologies will be advanced as a result.
Learn more at www.salk.edu/
Shiley Eye Institute
The Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego is an academic eye center offering the most advanced treatments across all areas of eye care. Its research is at the forefront of developing new methods for diagnosis and treatments of eye diseases and disorders. In addition to state-of-the-art teaching, Shiley’s clinicians and surgeons serve the San Diego and global community, providing patient care to prevent, treat and cure eye diseases.
The Moxie Foundation supports an ophthalmic medical incubator program that seeks to “dream, design and develop” patient-centered medical devices to improve the vision-related quality of life of patients with potentially blinding eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
Learn more at www.eyesite.ucsd.edu/
Global Development
Acumen
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in early-stage companies whose products and services enable the poor to transform their lives. Acumen makes patient long-term debt and equity investments in companies that provide critical water, clean energy, housing, agriculture, education, and health services to people living on less than four dollars a day. In addition, Acumen supports its companies with the tools, networks, technical assistance, and strategic guidance needed to succeed and scale into long-term solutions to poverty. Since 2001, Acumen’s investments have impacted 230 million people.
The Moxie Foundation is proud to partner with Acumen as they work to reach $150 million in investments that will disrupt existing systems by increasing opportunity for the poor to change their own lives.
Learn more at www.acumen.org
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee – Tikkun Olam Ventures Initiative
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) works in 70 countries to alleviate hunger and hardship for all, create lasting connections to Jewish life, and provide immediate relief for all victims of natural and man-made disasters.
The Moxie Foundation is an early-stage supporter of Tikkun Olam Ventures (TOV), an initiative that brings Israeli agricultural technology and training to smallholder farmers across the developing world. JDC is piloting TOV in vulnerable rural communities in Ethiopia, offering access to loans, business development training, and links to markets in addition to Israeli technologies that have been adapted to local needs.
Learn more at www.jdc.org
Bead for Life – Street Business School
BeadforLife (BFL) creates sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of poverty through a unique entrepreneurial training program called Street Business School. The organization has a dozen years of experience helping thousands of Ugandan women become self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Some women earn income by selling beaded jewelry; others have an existing tiny business or the dream of starting one. The Moxie Foundation has helped Street Business School expand its operation globally.
Learn more at www.beadforlife.org and www.streetbusinessschool.org
Project Concern International
PCI is a global non-profit, humanitarian and development organization that drives innovation from the ground up to empower people to enhance health, end hunger and overcome hardship — resulting in meaningful and measurable change in people’s lives. Founded in 1961, PCI works in 16 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas, including along the U.S.-Mexican border, impacting the lives of more than 19 million people last year alone. PCI provides tools, resources, and training for those living in desperate conditions to create opportunities and build better lives for themselves, their families, and communities.
The Moxie Foundation has been a long-term supporter of PCI’s work throughout the world.
Learn more at www.pciglobal.org
Tostan International
Tostan’s mission is to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights. Tostan uses a Community Empowerment Program that focuses on empowering communities to lead their own development. It currently operates in over 450 communities in 10 West African countries, promoting literacy and increasing community engagement in the areas of health and hygiene, child welfare, human rights and democracy, the environment, and economic development.
Since 1991, more than 7,200 West African communities have declared that they will abandon female genital cutting, forced marriage, and child marriage as a result of Tostan’s leadership.
Learn more at www.tostan.org
Unreasonable Institute – East Africa
The Unreasonable Institute East Africa (UEA) accelerates the growth of early stage companies across East Africa. It focuses on for-profit and financially sustainable non-profit businesses across diverse sectors with positive social/environmental impact integrated into their models. UEA runs 10 month programs designed to get early stage high potential companies in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda what they need to grow, including knowledge, mentorship, connections, and financing.
The organization believes that the power of entrepreneurship is the key to solving some of the toughest social and environmental challenges faced in East Africa like inequality, unemployment, poverty and the lack of basic human needs (food, shelter, healthcare, education, safe clean drinking water and many more). The goal of its program is to help each of its companies grow to eventually meet the needs of over 1 million people each.
Learn more at www.unreasonableeastafrica.org
San Diego Community
Coastal Roots Farm
Coastal Roots Farm is a nonprofit community farm and education center in Encinitas, California, a project of the Leichtag Foundation. Inspired by Jewish wisdom and centuries-old agricultural traditions, they practice sustainable farming and share the harvest with people who lack access to healthy food.
Learn more at www.coastalrootsfarm.org
The International Rescue Committee in San Diego
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of people, forced to flee violence and persecution, are welcomed by the people of the United States into the safety and freedom of America.
The IRC works with government bodies, civil society actors, and local volunteers to help them translate their past experiences into assets that are valuable to their new communities. In San Diego and other offices across the country, the IRC helps them to rebuild their lives.
Learn more at www.rescue.org/united-states/san-diego-ca
Kitchens for Good
Kitchens for Good is a social enterprise with a mission to break the cycles of food waste, hunger, and poverty through innovate solutions in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise. The organization rescues surplus and cosmetically imperfect food from wholesalers and farmers and engages students in a culinary apprenticeship program to transform these ingredients into nutritious meals for hungry families.
In addition to tackling issues of food waste, hunger and poverty, Kitchens for Good ensures its own sustainability by building a profitable food enterprise at the core of every kitchen. These enterprises include a robust catering and events operation, a line of retail condiments, and contract meal services.
Learn more at www.kitchensforgood.org
Leah's Pantry
Leah’s Pantry provides community-based programming in order to inspire healthy eating habits and build resilience in children, adults, and seniors in low-income communities across California. The organization believes that healthy eating is not only about what you eat but also about a positive connection to food and the people you share it with. It takes a trauma-informed approach to both public health nutrition and hunger relief.
Learn more at www.leahspantrysf.org
Mission Edge
Mission Edge provides nonprofit and social enterprise communities with the resources and knowledge necessary to make business processes easier and maximize social impact.
The organization offers ongoing services such as fiscal sponsorship and start-up services, HR and leadership development, accounting, and financial support, in order to allow companies to focus on making a difference in their community.
Since 2012 Mission Edge has worked closely with nearly 200 social sector organizations.
Learn more at www.missionedge.org
San Diego Hunger Coalition
The San Diego Hunger Coalition coordinates the work of local food pantries and food drives. Long term, it partners with organizations on sustainable, systemic solutions offered through federal nutrition programs. The Moxie Foundation supports the San Diego Hunger Coalition’s CalFresh Outreach Program, targeting Head Start families in East County and low income seniors with chronic health conditions countywide.
Learn more at www.sandiegohungercoalition.org
San Diego Museum of Man
The San Diego Museum of Man is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and housed in the historic landmark buildings of the California Quadrangle. The museum strives to inspire human connection by exploring the human experience by serving as San Diego’s dynamic place to go to learn from each other, reflect on our place in the world, and build a better community.
The museum features a variety of unique, interactive exhibits that cover a vast range of human history and culture such as: Living with Animals; Cannibals: Myth & Reality; Climb the California Tower!; BEERology; Monsters!; Race: Are we So Different?; Ancient Egypt; and Maya: Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth.
Learn more at www.museumofman.org
Zoological Society of San Diego
The Zoological Society of San Diego is a conservation, education, and recreation organization dedicated to the reproduction, protection and exhibition of animals, plants and habitats. It aims to lead the fight against extinction and save species worldwide by uniting expertise in animal and plant care with science and commitment to inspiring passion for nature.
ZSSD operates the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, and the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES). The Zoological Society of San Diego is the largest zoological membership association in the world, with more than 250,000 member households and 130,000 youth memberships, representing more than a half million people.
Learn more at www.sandiegozooglobal.org