Philanthropy Massachusetts has partnered with impala (www.impala.digital) to provide premium access to its platform for every registered nonprofit organization and philanthropic foundation in Massachusetts for 24 months — completely free of charge. The partnership will give social impact organizations across the state open access to critical information on every philanthropic foundation and nonprofit in the country and will unlock invaluable data, including every grant given and received, each organization’s impact, as well as their leadership and financial health.
Conceived in Massachusetts, impala is a new startup that’s built an online platform to network the US social impact sector, providing access to the information that nonprofits need to make impactful fundraising and grantmaking decisions.
Nonprofits and philanthropic foundations across the state will gain free access beginning October 18, 2:30 pm, when impala publicly launches the platform at an event hosted by Philanthropy Massachusetts (register to attend here), the leading membership organization for philanthropic organizations and individuals with interests in the state.
Using data that’s already publicly available, such as the forms nonprofits submit to the Internal Revenue Service each year, impala pre-creates profiles on its platform for every organization. This means the platform is ready to use immediately, and setting up a profile takes only a few minutes — drastically reducing the burden placed on busy nonprofits and foundations.
The impala platform also unlocks ecosystems-level analytics that previously were only available to the most well-resourced organizations. On issues as specific as performing arts in Somerville or as broad as statewide early childhood education, the sector will now be able to see insights, including where funding is going (and where it’s not), how different funders and nonprofits compare, and where these funders are currently overlapping (which are giving to the same organizations and causes).
Philanthropy Massachusetts is spearheading impala’s launch to position the state as a national leader in the field. “This is much more than just a data platform — it's data visualization, network mapping, a giving report, analytics — so much rolled into one," said Jeff Poulos, CEO of Philanthropy Massachusetts. "impala is filling a role that has long been unmet by others in the field. This really has the potential to revolutionize the sector and put Massachusetts at the forefront of innovation for philanthropy."
The partnership is also supported by grants from two of the state’s leading philanthropic foundations, Barr Foundation and The Boston Foundation. “We want to democratize access to essential social impact data,” said Leigh Handschuh, Senior Program Officer at The Boston Foundation. “Our aim is to level the playing field — whether you’re a neighborhood nonprofit or an internationally recognized university, access to quality information is no longer something that’s just nice to have - it’s essential.”
This work is also being supported by the Barr Foundation’s Sector Effectiveness program. “One of the most exciting parts of our work is being able to support critical infrastructure that can move the entire nonprofit sector forward,” said Rory Neuner, Learning Officer at the Barr Foundation. “We are excited about this collaborative partnership to improve data equity and help solve many of the information and transparency problems that have plagued our sector.”
impala has deep roots in Massachusetts. The Foundation for MetroWest and Essex County Community Foundation were both early adopters and continue to provide direct input into feature development and design. The company is also advised by two professional committees, and members serve in leading nonprofits and foundations across the state.
The company originally grew out of a thesis project at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where two of the company’s founders — Shahar Brukner, CEO, and Simon Dickson, COO — met. impala’s third founder, Tom Huberman, CTO, joined shortly after.
Those interested in getting first access to impala’s platform and learning more should register for the launch event on October 18, 2022, 2:30 pm ET using this link.