Interested in joining the outcomes movement? We want to hear from you.

Finding Common Purpose was founded by, and received an initial donation from, Andrew Wolk. He spent his career building: running Root Cause, teaching at MIT, working with foundations and nonprofits. From the outside, it looked like success. But over time, he realized that as much as he and his organizations were doing, it wasn’t really changing the bigger picture.

The same problems were still there. People were working hard, but life wasn’t getting easier for them. That disconnect made him rethink how he wanted to use the rest of his career and his own resources.

That’s how Finding Common Purpose started. It’s the first time Andrew Wolk has built something that he’s also funding himself. This work has the potential to scale if others recognize its value and invest. The goal is simple: help communities focus on outcomes that actually improve everyday life: things like how much of a paycheck goes to housing or whether kids are reading at grade level.

Outcomes are measurable metrics that track progress towards community held goals. FCP believes that tracking outcomes publicly empowers communities to shift collaboration, allocate resources and drive policy that make systemic change possible.

A community dashboard is a digital platform that publicly shares outcomes and tracks progress toward community visions for economic and social wellbeing.

We believe that the power for sustainable change lies in placed-based work—local, coordinated efforts led by passionate and invested community residents—and that accessible data-sharing practices are imperative for setting clear visions and moving power to community members.

We partner closely with grantees, offering both funding and thought partnership that strengthens infrastructure, capacity and approach. Beyond the infrastructure developed, we see the long-term benefits of an outcome-based approach in the improved strategy, increased access to funding and more robust community engagement that grantees see. Our commitment to continuous learning and improvement also support grantees in examining and strengthening their approaches.

We fund work across three key pathways: efforts to develop and strengthen community infrastructure for tracking and sharing outcomes, efforts to expand understanding of an outcomes-based approach in the social sector and efforts to protect and reimagine public data infrastructure. Our funding also supports place-based partnerships in implementing the six effective practices in their outcomes efforts. Please visit our granting page to learn more.

We do not currently grant through open calls. Instead, we connect with and fund organizations whose goals and efforts align with our mission. Connect with us if you see potential alignment in our efforts.

Yes, FCP is a pooled philanthropic fund powered by a collective commitment to see communities, and the nation as a whole, thrive.

We are not currently hiring, please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on LinkedIN to learn about future opportunities.