1. "Enabling Local Communities: A Journey of Scaling Change Nationally with John Simon" 2. "Creating Lasting Impact: How Greenlight Fund Transforms Local Communities into Agents of Change" 3. "Scaling Change: How Greenlight Fund Enables Local Communities to Make a National Impact" 4. "From Local to National: How Greenlight Fund Empowers Communities to Create Sustainable Change" 5. "Harnessing the Power of Local Communities: The Story of Greenlight Fund's National Impact" 6. "Building a Nationwide Network: How Greenlight Fund Enables Local Change to Scale Nationally" 7. "Driving Change from Within: Greenlight Fund's Path to Nationally Impacting Local Communities" 8. "Sustainable Solutions: Greenlight Fund's Approach to Enabling Local Communities for National Change" 9. "Transforming Local Change into National Impact: The Story of Greenlight Fund's Success" 10. "Creating Change at Scale: How Greenlight Fund Empowers Local Communities to Make a National Difference"

Greenlight Fund, sustainability visioning, building institutions, cities, programs, initiatives, longevity, homelessness prevention, asset building, early literacy, childcare, health care access, returning citizens, foster care, community Swiss army knife, locally driven, customized solutions, collaboration, learning network, Boston, Philadelphia, Bay Area, metrics, outcomes, data, mental health, Inner Explorer, resiliency, depression, anxiety, sustainability, executive directors, fundraising, international expansion.

Topic: Introduction to Greenlight Fund and its Mission - Greenlight Fund's focus on sustainability visioning and building institutions for the long haul - Operating in 12 cities currently, with plans to expand to 15 cities soon - Bringing 50-60 programs or initiatives to these cities - Prioritizing locally driven and customized solutions - Collaboration and learning from other cities in the network Topic: Greenlight Fund's Impact and Approach to Change - Tackling various issues such as homelessness prevention, asset building, early literacy, childcare, healthcare access, returning citizens, and foster care - Acting as a community Swiss army knife, addressing what is missing or needed in each community - Local drive and national resources for scaling proven initiatives - Greenlight starting in Boston and expanding to other cities like Philadelphia and the Bay Area - Evaluation and success metrics in these cities - Learning network and adding one new city per year - Goal to impact millions of children and families in 30 cities Topic: Importance of Data and Metrics - Data-driven decision making in addressing social issues - Metrics related to mental health in schools - Example of Inner Explorer's guided meditation platform and its positive impact - Using data to measure outcomes and enable success and expansion Topic: Sustainability and Success of Greenlight Fund's Initiatives - Development of roadmaps and joint efforts to ensure long-term success - Track record of finding sustainable and successful solutions - Executive directors in different cities facilitating communication and collaboration - Sharing of thoughts and ideas through weekly conference calls - Disseminating learnings internally and externally through a head of learning Topic: Funding and Expansion of Greenlight Fund - Funding through corporate supporters, foundations, and donors - Raising upfront funds and committing to delivering outcomes and impact - Follow-on funds for future expansion in cities - Over $100 million in commitments raised over the past 20 years Topic: Podcast Conclusion and Call to Action - Acknowledgment of listeners from Ireland and Kuwait - Encouragement to take steps towards positive impact - Thanking John Simon for his work and participation - Instructions for submitting topic and guest suggestions - Appreciation for the dedication of listeners in making a positive impact - Reminder to take care during intense times Topic: Background of John Simon and Greenlight Fund's Origins - John Simon's involvement in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors - Interest in helping scale change nationally by paying attention to local communities - Founding of Greenlight Fund in 2004 with the goal of changing outcomes in a city over 20 years - Approach to scaling by identifying city needs and successful models to fill gaps

John Simon is a co-founder and board chair of the Greenlight Fund, where he spends half of his time. He is also involved in the venture capital business, where he invests in and mentors software entrepreneurs through his firm, Sigma Prime. John's journey began with a passion for creating and building things. After college and graduate school, he joined Charles River Ventures, a venture capital firm, and discovered the magic of entrepreneurship. Inspired by this, he started his own company at 27, using technology licensed from Harvard Medical School to develop treatments for prostate cancer and other urological disorders. This company grew into a multi-100 person public company, which John eventually sold. He then co-founded General Catalyst, a venture capital firm, and spent the next three decades investing in and mentoring software entrepreneurs nationwide. This experience led John to recognize the need for innovation in the non-profit sector, prompting him to create the Greenlight Fund. Through this organization, he aims to scale a nationwide network that will positively impact 10% of children and families living in poverty across 30+ cities in the United States.

(Background music fades in) Host: Welcome back, dear listeners, to another exciting episode of Awarepreneurs! I'm your host, Paul Zelizer, and today we have a very special guest joining us. Please give a warm welcome to John Simon, the co-founder and board chair of Greenlight Fund. In this episode, we dive deep into the incredible work of Greenlight Fund in enabling local communities to create change that scales nationally. (Listener applause fades in) Host: Greenlight Fund has been making waves in the world of sustainability visioning and building institutions for the long haul. With operations in 12 cities and plans to expand to 15 more, they have brought between 50-60 programs and initiatives to these cities, addressing a wide range of critical social issues. Imagine the impact they've made! (Gentle music plays) Host: In our conversation, John Simon opens up about the innovative model behind Greenlight Fund and how they prioritize locally driven and customized solutions, while also collaborating and learning from other cities in their network. Their approach focuses on metrics and data, leveraging insights to identify broken systems and determine which issues to tackle next. (Captivating music grows) Host: We also explore the powerful outcomes of their initiatives, with John Simon sharing stories of transforming lives and creating opportunities for vulnerable children and families. The success rate of their programs is truly inspiring, and their dedication to sustainability ensures long-term impact. (Slow, thoughtful music plays) Host: Plus, we delve into the importance of data-driven decision making and the vital role it plays in shaping social change strategies. John highlights the organization Inner Explorer and its profound impact in improving mental health outcomes. We learn about their groundbreaking work in Atlanta, where they raised an astounding $6 million for initiatives and have big plans for the future. (Uplifting music fills the air) Host: As always, we can't forget our incredible listeners! Your support and dedication in creating a positive impact in the world is what fuels this podcast. We encourage you to take John's advice and make a New Year's resolution to do one thing that makes a difference. (Listener applause fades in) Host: So sit back, relax, and join us as we explore how Greenlight Fund is enabling local communities to create change that scales nationally. Welcome to Awarepreneurs! (Background music fades out)

02:22 Half-time co-founder of Greenlight Fund, VC investor.

06:27 Scaling with city needs, not national hub.

10:44 Focused on Boston, changed outcomes for children.

13:43 Scale and impact grew steadily, learning network.

16:09 Greenlight is a data-oriented organization, focused on metrics and results. They prioritize metrics that are broken and use data to address issues, like mental health in Atlanta schools.

22:25 5-step annual cycle selects successful initiatives.

23:14 Inner Explorer in Atlanta: 10-year roadmap for success

29:20 Addressed homelessness, addictions, asset building, literacy, childcare.

30:34 Dynamic changes in healthcare, prison recidivism, education.

33:54 Sharing ideas, data, and learnings for growth.

39:52 National support expands network, impacts thousands.

41:15 Raising large funds for future projects, nationwide.

45:28 $3 billion/year for economic and social change.

48:14 People want to make an impact, but don't know how. Get involved in green light projects to create change. One step can lead to big things.

50:31 Commitment and patience lead to success.

Scaling Impact: "In in my capacity at Greenlight, it's, you know, helping scale a nationwide network that is hopefully gonna impact 10% of children and families living in poverty across eventually 30 cities plus across the United States." — John Simon 00:02:22 00:04:12

Reversing the Scale: "We kinda thought about it from the reverse side, not the headquarters point of view, but from a city's point of view, starting with what do cities need that they don't have? What does local school systems need that they don't have in terms of programming? What does a local community need that it doesn't have? What do residents need that they don't have. What are the metrics that residents wanna change in their city? And then thinking about Once once you've set up an entity, we call it a green light to help a community sort of decide that, Then we systematically say, okay. For this issue, then if this community really wants change with an added piece of the puzzle or an added fabric that's missing, Now let's go find something that's worked in multiple cities and let's pull it in. So we've we've sort of envisioned Replication or scale as something that gets pulled from from the the the outside spokes in a network, Not that it's driven from a national hub. And I think that's a really important thing because it's really people that are Experiencing poverty or navigating poverty in cities that should be deciding for themselves what's missing as opposed to, you know, somebody somewhere else deciding that." — John Simon 00:07:51 00:09:01

Scaling Impact: "We saw something that was surprising to us, which was the metrics around change and scale and leverage of state and federal dollars And real outcome change quantitatively was even better, in our 1st 3 years in Philadelphia in the Bay Area than it had been In our 1st 5 years in Boston" — John Simon 00:13:43 00:14:03

Greenlight's Metric Oriented Culture: "So the first, which is really fundamental, is when we're doing our...the first thing we're looking for is what's a metric that's broken in Atlanta?" — John Simon 00:16:55 00:16:58

Inner Explorer's Roadmap for Expansion: "What's gonna be year 1, year 2, year 3, year 4, year 5? Ultimately, what's gonna look like After year 10, which is, you know, hopefully, that it's gonna be a cash flow breakeven, organization, You know, paid for by the public school systems in aggregate, reaching, you know, a 100,000 plus children and families a year and changing these kinds of outcomes And maybe even getting ready to expand further across the state of Georgia to other school systems, We we develop a whole road map. How do you go from just bringing it and just serving 20,000 kids in the Clayton County Public school system the 1st year and us funding a little bit of the founding deficit, how do you go from year 1 to year 10." — John Simon 00:23:17 00:24:04

Community Impact: "We've done something rather dynamic around that. In Boston, for instance, by bringing care messaging to Boston, we have done things around returning citizens and helping dramatically change prison recidivism rates and helping change access to credit and access to benefits for returning citizens." — John Simon 00:30:52 00:30:59

Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Sharing: "And kind of a weekly conference call about how things are going and what we're learning. But as an executive director, let's say the ED of Greenlight Kansas City is running her cycle looking at certain issues can call upon all the data resident in our data banks, As well as our national team to which supports all our city teams, as well as peers who've brought similar things to cities to say, all right, you brought Inner Explorer to Atlanta in partnership with the public school system. What did you learn from that that you wish you did better? If you could wave a magic wand because And then over a 4 year period, you got such and such a footprint expanding from this school system, that school system, that school system, but you're still not statewide yet. If we do this in Kansas City, how could we get it to spread faster throughout the school systems, and how could we get it statewide faster? And then we go and use that learning in Kansas City. And then let's say we're looking at a similar issue in Charlotte. Well, how do we learn from both what we did in Atlanta and what we did in Kansas City to do it even better in Charlotte? And that's the way this learning happens." — John Simon 00:34:12 00:34:53

Expanding Impact through National and Local Funding: "With this national support, in the next 5 years, we'll add another 5 to 6 cities to the network, which eventually is gonna impact, You know, half a 1000000 to a 1000000 children and families in those cities, and that's what our national donors are getting." — John Simon 00:39:54 00:40:07

Greenlight's Vision of Economic and Social Mobility: "With all the things Greenlight is doing to tear down barriers and change outcomes, you know, hopefully, that metric will be way different. There'll be way more economic and social mobility because of these gaps we will have filled in communities across the country." — John Simon 00:46:06 00:46:20

Taking the First Step: "The biggest thing is I just think there are so many people out there that wanna have impact, But they don't know where to take the 1st step or how to take the 1st step." — John Simon 00:48:15 00:48:27

[Upbeat music playing] Voiceover: Are you passionate about creating change in your local community? Then you need to listen to this episode of Awarepreneurs! Our host, Paul Zelizer, sits down with John Simon, the co-founder and board chair of Greenlight Fund, a remarkable organization that enables local communities to create change that scales nationally. [Cut to snippets of Paul and John's conversation] Paul: "How does Greenlight Fund approach scaling?" John: "We first determine if a city needs and wants our services, then bring successful models from multiple cities to fill the gaps in the local community." [Cut to snippets of John discussing Greenlight Fund's initiatives] John: "We address various issues, such as homelessness prevention, early literacy, and healthcare access." [Cut to John talking about the importance of data] John: "Metrics and data are critical in addressing social issues in cities. We use data to measure outcomes and enable success and expansion." [Cut to Paul emphasizing the impact of Greenlight Fund] Paul: "With a track record of finding sustainable solutions, Greenlight Fund aims to impact millions of children and families across 30+ cities." [Cut to John urging listeners to take action] John: "Take the first step in making a difference. Make a New Year's resolution to do one thing to make the world better." Voiceover: Join us on Awarepreneurs and be inspired by the powerful work of John Simon and Greenlight Fund. Together, we can create change that scales and transforms communities. Check out the full episode for more incredible insights! [End with podcast logo and website] Voiceover: Awarepreneurs: Creating Change, Scaling Impact.

🎙️ Exciting news from the latest episode of Awarepreneurs! 🎉 In this episode, Paul Zelizer, the host of Awarepreneurs, had the pleasure of interviewing John Simon, the co-founder and board chair of Greenlight Fund. This episode sheds light on how Greenlight Fund is enabling local communities to create change that scales nationally. Here are 3 key takeaways from this insightful conversation: 1️⃣ Locally driven, nationally scaled impact: Greenlight Fund operates in 12 cities and will soon expand to 15 cities, with a vision to eventually reach 30 cities. By prioritizing customized and locally driven solutions while collaborating and learning from other cities in their network, Greenlight Fund is building institutions for long-term sustainability and addressing a range of social issues such as homelessness prevention, early literacy, and more. 2️⃣ Data-driven decision making: Metrics and data play a vital role in Greenlight Fund's model. They use data to identify broken metrics and make informed decisions about the issues and initiatives they address. With an emphasis on mental health metrics, they assess outcomes related to depression, anxiety, resiliency, and substance abuse when considering new initiatives in schools. 3️⃣ Creating impact through collaboration: Greenlight Fund brings together executive directors from different cities in weekly conference calls to share thoughts, ideas, and learnings. With a strong focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing, Greenlight Fund is building a sustainable network of change-makers who are working collectively to create economic and social mobility in communities. I highly recommend listening to this episode to gain more insights into the work of Greenlight Fund and how they are empowering local communities to effect change on a national scale. Let's learn from their success and get inspired to make a positive impact in our own communities! You can find the episode on the Awarepreneurs podcast website or on your favorite podcast platform. Don't forget to check out the show notes for additional resources mentioned in the episode. #AwarepreneursPodcast #GreenlightFund #CommunityChange #DataDrivenImpact #CollaborationForGood

Subject: Enabling Local Communities to Create Change that Scales Nationally Dear [Podcast Name] Community, We hope this email finds you well and filled with inspiration to make a positive impact in the world. In this episode of [Podcast Name], we had the pleasure of welcoming John Simon, co-founder and board chair of Greenlight Fund, to discuss how local communities can create change that scales nationally. Greenlight Fund, a visionary organization focused on sustainability, is currently operating in 12 cities with plans to expand to 15 cities soon. They have brought between 50-60 programs or initiatives to these cities, addressing unique community needs such as homelessness prevention, early literacy, mental health, healthcare access, and more. By acting as a community Swiss army knife, Greenlight Fund fills the gaps and works towards long-term solutions. One key aspect of Greenlight Fund's approach is prioritizing locally driven and customized solutions while also collaborating and learning from other cities in their network. Their success in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and the Bay Area has led to the expansion of their footprint and the creation of a learning network that continuously improves outcomes. Metrics and data play a crucial role in Greenlight Fund's model. They use data to identify broken metrics, measure outcomes, and make informed decisions. This enables them to address pressing issues, such as mental health, by supporting initiatives like Inner Explorer, a guided meditation platform that has shown statistically significant results in improving resiliency and reducing depression and anxiety rates. During the episode, John Simon shared his passion for empowering local communities and the importance of data-driven solutions. He highlighted the impressive impact Greenlight Fund has made by raising funds, expanding to new cities, and bringing sustainable and successful solutions to communities that need them the most. We believe that the lessons shared by John Simon and the work done by Greenlight Fund serve as powerful inspiration for change-makers like you. As we approach the new year, we encourage you to take the first step in making a difference. Make a resolution to do one thing that will contribute to making the world a better place. We apologize for the sound quality in this episode but assure you that the valuable insights and information shared by John Simon make it well worth listening to. And as always, we appreciate your dedication and commitment to creating positive change in the world. We invite you to check out the show notes for more details on the episode and explore the resources mentioned by John Simon. Remember, you can also submit your topic and guest suggestions for future episodes. Thank you for being a part of the [Podcast Name] community, and we wish you all the best in your endeavors to make a difference. Take care and stay inspired, [Your Name] [Podcast Name] Team.

🌟THREAD🌟 Are you ready to be inspired and learn about an organization making a massive impact across multiple cities? Join me as we explore the incredible work of @GreenlightFund with their co-founder and board chair, John Simon! 🌍🌱 1/ Let's kick things off with an important fact: Greenlight Fund is focused on sustainability visioning and building institutions for the long haul. Their goal is to create economic and social mobility in communities by removing barriers and changing outcomes. 💪✨ 2/ With a current presence in 12 cities and plans to expand to 15 more, Greenlight Fund is tackling various pressing issues such as homelessness prevention, early literacy, foster care, health care access, and more. They aim to address what each community needs the most. 🏙️🚀 3/ Greenlight Fund is like a community Swiss army knife, addressing the missing pieces and needs in each city. They prioritize locally driven and customized solutions, while also collaborating and learning from their network of cities. 🤝💼 4/ Starting in Boston 20 years ago, Greenlight Fund took on the challenge of at-risk children, reading readiness, and asset building for families below the poverty line. And the results were impressive! 📚💰 5/ Greenlight Fund realized they had a learning network that kept improving, so they decided to expand to other cities like Philadelphia and the Bay Area. Surprisingly, the metrics and outcomes in these new cities were even better than in Boston. Success breeds success! 📊✨ 6/ Data and metrics are crucial to Greenlight Fund's model. They use this information to identify broken metrics, make informed decisions, and address pressing social issues in cities. Metrics related to mental health play a significant role in their initiatives. 📈🧠 7/ One incredible example @GreenlightFund shared is the guided meditation platform, Inner Explorer. This innovative solution has shown significant results in improving resiliency, decreasing depression rates, and reducing anxiety rates. This is the power of data in action! 🙏💚 8/ Sustainability is at the core of Greenlight Fund's approach. They develop roadmaps and collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure long-term success for the initiatives they support. Their track record proves they know how to make significant and lasting change. 🗺️💼 9/ They also value collaboration and knowledge sharing within their network. With weekly conference calls, executive directors in each city, and a head of learning, Greenlight Fund ensures their ideas and learnings reach all the corners of their organization and beyond. 📞🌐 10/ Funding plays a crucial role for @GreenlightFund, and they raise funds every 3-4 years from national corporate supporters, foundations, and donors. The commitment to delivering outcomes and impact is a shared responsibility across all cities in their network. 💰🌍 11/ Listening to this episode, you can hear the passion and dedication of John Simon, the co-founder and board chair of Greenlight Fund. His deep commitment to making a positive impact shines through, and it's truly inspiring! 🌟💚 12/ As we wrap up, let's remember @PaulZelizer's words of wisdom: dig in, get good data, stay with it, and then think about what's next. Let's amplify, learn, and explore the incredible work of Greenlight Fund. Together, we can make a world of difference! 🌎🌱 Thank you for joining me on this exciting journey of discovery and impact! Let's continue to create a better future for all. Don't forget to check out the show notes for more resources and information. Stay tuned for more incredible stories! 🙌🎉 #GreenlightFund #SocialImpact

1. How does Greenlight Fund approach creating change in local communities? What is their strategy for finding successful models to bring into different cities? 2. How does Greenlight Fund prioritize locally driven and customized solutions while also collaborating with other cities in their network? How do they strike a balance between local autonomy and sharing best practices? 3. How does Greenlight Fund use data and metrics to drive decision-making and measure outcomes? Why is this important in addressing social issues? 4. What are some examples of the specific issues that Greenlight Fund has tackled in different cities? How have these initiatives been successful in creating change? 5. How does Greenlight Fund ensure the sustainability of their programs and initiatives? What joint efforts and roadmaps have they developed to ensure long-term success? 6. What is the role of the executive directors in each city? How do they collaborate and share ideas within the network? What is the importance of having a head of learning within the organization? 7. How does Greenlight Fund raise funds to support their initiatives and expansion? What is their fundraising model, and how do they engage corporate supporters, foundations, and individual donors? 8. What are some challenges and opportunities in bringing Greenlight Fund's model and impact to other countries? How does the organization envision expanding internationally? 9. How does Greenlight Fund's model differ from traditional approaches to scaling change nationally? What are the advantages and disadvantages of their approach? 10. What takeaways can listeners gain from John Simon's experience and insights? How can individuals and communities take the first steps to make a difference and create positive change?

Post 1: 🎙️Awarepreneurs Episode: Enabling Local Communities to Create Change that Scales Nationally with John Simon 🌍 Greenlight Fund is making a real impact! From addressing homelessness to healthcare access, they bring customized solutions to cities. Tune in to learn more about their sustainable model. #Awarepreneurs #SocialChange Post 2: 🌟 Sustainable Impact, One City at a Time 🏙️ Greenlight Fund, with 12 operating cities and counting, is empowering communities for lasting change. Their locally-driven approach tackles critical issues and shares learnings across their network. Tune in to discover their inspiring journey! #GreenlightFund #CommunityEmpowerment Post 3: 📊 Metrics-Driven Change for Social Impact 💡 With Greenlight Fund, data is key. From resiliency to depression rates, they use metrics to identify problems and assess the success of initiatives. Learn how initiatives like Inner Explorer are driving positive outcomes! #DataDrivenChange #ImpactfulInitiatives Post 4: 💸 Empowering Communities Through Collaborative Funding 💪 Greenlight Fund raises funds to fuel sustainable change nationwide. They actively engage with corporate supporters and foundations, making a difference for children and families in need. Discover their innovative funding model today! #SustainableChange #CommunityEmpowerment Post 5: 🌍 Making a Global Impact 🌎 Greenlight Fund aims to expand internationally, bringing innovative solutions to cities worldwide. Together, we can remove barriers and create economic and social mobility. Join us in scaling change for a brighter future! #GlobalImpact #ScalableChange