Creating a Marketplace

Marketplace Growth and Practices

To date GPN has met with more than 250 funders, philanthropy associations, and advisory firms nationally and locally who are interested in contributing to high-impact expansion initiatives. These funders and advisors collectively represent thousands of capital providers and billions of dollars of annual giving. Each year GPN will grow the network by developing direct relationships with new national and local funders, family foundations, philanthropy associations and advisory firms who work with major donors.

Over time, GPN plans to help establish a network of issue-specific and geographic-specific growth funds across the country to help syndicate financing for expansions.

GPN implements a set of practices to enable a robust marketplace to thrive:

• Use standard investor materials, growth business plans and common term sheets
• Exchange information and connect funders and nonprofits through a common electronic platform to lower transaction costs and increase investor knowledge
• Syndicate capital among marketplace funders to finance growth business plans
• Provide large, multi-year funding, including capitial for operations and infrastructure
• Implement rigorous reporting on results and impact
• Conduct donor education and share best practices