Collective Action Initiatives
Some of the biggest opportunities that exist in our issue areas are too big or too complex for any one organization to address on its own. But there are times when a strategic coalition of 20 or 30 organizations can unlock new possibilities. APA plays a central role in designing and executing these initiatives within our community.
Methodology
Every year, we run a systematic process with our community to:
Identify opportunities for new Collective Action Initiatives
Test and vet the most promising ideas with relevant national experts
Design them into concrete initiatives
Fundraise to get them off the ground
Steward them toward their intended outcomes
All of this is made possible by the trust and relationship that we foster in everything else we do with our community. And each year, member organizations have the opportunity to be a part of that ideation and to join the new initiatives that launch.
2025 Initiatives
The Institute for Youth Mental Health: A Collaboration Between The JED Foundation (JED) and America's Promise Alliance
The Institute for Youth Mental Health, a collaboration between The JED Foundation (JED) and America's Promise Alliance (APA), is designed for member organizations that are looking to add high quality youth mental health supports and strategies into their work. The Institute will provide the content knowledge, training, capacity building, and strategic planning necessary for member organizations to develop comprehensive and sustainable youth mental health strategies, ensuring organizations are equipped to address the evolving needs of the young people they serve.
Teacher Certification Pipeline
Through this new initiative, staff from our member organizations can get certified as teachers while working in their nonprofit. This allows our member organizations to provide a robust professional development pathway to early career professionals, will increase employee tenure, and is a major talent recruitment strategy. Ultimately, this initiative allows youth-supporting nonprofits to be a more reliable and robust pathway to diverse and experienced new talent working in schools.
Outcomes Transparency for Nondegree Postsecondary Pathways
As interest in nondegree pathway programs grows, we’re leveraging the scale and reach of our Alliance community, along with the deep relationships our members have with the students they serve, to implement a new measurement framework to assess program quality and determine which programs lead to meaningful employment. This initiative is designed to empower students to make more informed decisions about their best-fit postsecondary options, help nonprofits and schools integrate pathways into their advising models, and position high-quality programs as credible, viable postsecondary options by creating a consistent, accessible source of outcomes data.
Nonprofit-Higher Education Innovation Alliance
The Higher Education Innovation Alliance bridges the gap between postsecondary success nonprofits and higher education institutions in order to improve college access and completion rates, particularly for first-generation students. Nonprofits often support students without formal partnerships with colleges, limiting efficiency and impact, while colleges lack a structured way to engage with and learn from these nonprofits. This initiative establishes a common partnership model to foster collaboration, share best practices, and streamline data sharing. With commitments from 18 organizations, APA is leading the effort to enroll colleges, develop operational frameworks, and host annual convenings to drive innovation and scale.
What Leaders Are Saying
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![Portrait of Carmita Semaan, Founder and CEO of the Surge Institute]()
"Our ability to think expansively about partnerships and how we learn from and grow with each other—that's happened very organically in the community that I've been able to build within the Alliance, and I'm excited about what that means for our sector at-large, because we are all part of a broader ecosystem."
Carmita Semaan, Founder & CEO, The Surge Institute
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![Portrait of Marc Lesser, VP Research and Technology, National Academy Foundation]()
"There was a time when mission-driven work could reach all of its potential in small, local, disconnected silos. And while so many orgs strive to maintain those "close" place-based values, the greatest challenges of our time require connection and cooperation. I think that is the potential of this network and why I'm excited to dig in."
Marc Lesser, National Academy Foundation, VP Research and Technology
