Frequently Asked Questions

Our Programs

  • The Levine Impact Lab powers equitable transformation by investing in grassroots leadership, building community organizations’ capacities, and building their capacity to accelerate positive change.

    We combine venture-capital expertise and inspired philanthropic thinking to radically amplify the value of giving.

  • While billions of dollars are poured into big-bet climate technology, just a fraction of those resources benefit community-centered nonprofits, despite those same nonprofits’ clear potential to expand impact and scale. When offered the same best-in-class resources as for-profit companies at similar levels of risk-tolerance, nonprofits have the potential to create scalable impact, thriving organizations, and more resilient communities.

  • Currently, only U.S.-based organizations are eligible to be a part of the Levine Impact Lab. The Lab’s four inaugural cohorts, launched in early 2023, were selected on an invitation-only basis. In future years, a transparent application process will be made available as part of an open call for participants.

  • As the Levine Impact Lab cohort members learn, iterate, and grow, the strategies, workshops, and resources created through the Lab will be available in an open-source format to any organization registered as a charitable entity within their country of origin.

  • No. This opportunity is being offered exclusively for nonprofit organizations.

  • LIL is the best fit for small-to-medium sized community-based nonprofits who work with their local communities on issues related to social and environmental justice.

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Our Cohorts

  • A cohort is, in short, a small group of nonprofit organizations that have been selected by the Levine Impact Lab to take part in this unique program.

  • Cohorts participate in LIL for a three-year period and receive tailored support throughout their engagement with the program.

    LIL’s holistic program design includes comprehensive consulting and coaching opportunities at both the individual leadership and organizational level, unrestricted grant funding, invigorating in-person and virtual community-building events, cross-cohort networking, and access to a wide array of subject matter experts to tap into.

    Peter Levine has drawn from best practices learned in venture capital investment and nonprofit capacity building and adapted a recipe for success that meets the needs of participating nonprofits. Support includes executive coaching, network-building, fundraising and marketing, recruiting and HR, business planning and strategic goal setting, board composition, and financial management. In addition, participating organizations receive unrestricted grant support to support their organization’s ongoing work.

    The Lab will also connect cohort members to peers in the nonprofit space, ensuring that best practices in the nonprofit space are utilized and iterated upon to drive scalability and long-term impact.

    Cohorts will participate in the Lab for a three-year period and receive tailored support throughout their engagement with the program.

  • The Lab’s goal is to provide both resources and tools needed to build durable, scalable, and maximally impactful organizations. Consultation, mentorship, skill building, and networking services will be the Lab’s core focus, and value.

    Each year during their participation in the Lab, cohort members will receive unrestricted funding to bolster their organizational capacity and help them immediately implement ideas created and iterated upon during their time in the Lab.

  • Levine Impact Lab (LIL) supports grassroots nonprofits working in the climate space. LIL Partner organizations are often working in their local communities to find solutions that address a combination of social, economic and environmental justice issues. Due to its collaborative and cohort-based design, we strive to have every cohort be made up of organizations and individuals that are eager to share their ideas and build towards more equitable, sustainable nonprofit organizations and justice movements.

    LIL is unique in that it offers space to two leaders from each participating organization. Both leaders must commit to fully participating as co-leaders throughout the program, and one of these leaders must be the organization’s executive director or CEO.

  • This three year program provides participants with flexible levers of support that are adapted to fit each organization. This individualized approach is complemented by a variety of core components.

    A sample of participant commitments are as follows:

    • Annual 3-5 day in-person retreat (3 total retreats over the 3 years)

    • Quarterly cohort-wide virtual convenings

    • Monthly impact advising calls with Peter Levine (1 hour a month)

    • Internal planning and development work with your co-leader and team members back home (5 hours a month)

    • Virtual collaboration and communication with peer cohort members (1 hour a month)

    • Additional consulting, coaching, and capacity-building training (varies by need and interest)

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Our People

  • Peter created this philanthropic foundation to help make for a better, environmentally sustainable world.

    Peter hopes to use his resources to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of environmentally focused nonprofits. Peter will be closely involved in Lab visioning and execution, from development of Lab curriculum to serving as the lead advisor to Lab cohort members.

  • The Levine Impact Lab is expanding its team of volunteer impact advisors. Impact advisors work alongside cohort members as they progress through LIL by helping to identify and strengthen the skills they need to maximize their organization's impact. We are looking for mentors from a range of backgrounds and industries to serve as advisors, from entrepreneurship, tech start-ups, social impact strategy, financial management, and organizational development. If you have the skills – and the desire to help - please reach out.