Our Services & Initiatives

Since 2004, Root Cause has worked across the nonprofit, public, and business sectors within the social issues of economic development, education, the environment, health and health care, and youth, family, and elderly issues. Our clients and partners include social innovators who demonstrate promising approaches to social problems, social impact investors who want to make the most of their resources, and public innovators working within government to enable the spread of proven approaches.

We pursue our vision and values through four initiatives: Consulting, Social Impact Research, Social Innovation Forum, and Public Innovators.

CONSULTING

Root Cause offers a unique strategy consulting service to help organizations think and act strategically to maximize social impact. We specialize in developing rigorous business plans focused on growth and sustainability. Root Cause consultants employ the latest management strategies and tools, coupled with knowledge drawn from our own social enterprises, to conduct all phases of the business planning process. Our engagements often include executive coaching for our clients’ leadership teams to ensure timely implementation of the business plan.

Social Impact Research (SIR) is Root Cause's independent research department. SIR aggregates, analyzes, and disseminates information to help social impact investors identify and support the most effective, efficient, and sustainable organizations working to solve social problems. Modeled after private sector equity research firms, SIR produces research reports, analyzes philanthropic portfolios, and provides educational services for advisors to help their clients make effective and rigorous philanthropic decisions.

The Social Innovation Forum is Root Cause's strategic philanthropy program. Each year, the Social Innovation Forum partners with leading local funders to select outstanding Social Innovators working on the most pressing social issues in Greater Boston. We provide these Social Innovators with consulting and coaching support and introduce them to a community of social impact investors interested in supporting those organizations with their resources of money, volunteer time, in-kind resources, or partnerships.

Public Innovators, a nonpartisan Root Cause initiative, supports a new wave of government leaders at the city, state, and federal levels who ensure the creation and growth of the most efficient, effective, and sustainable solutions to pressing social problems. Public Innovators builds off of two Root Cause reports: “Social Entrepreneurship and Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Social Problems,” published by the Small Business Administration, and “Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Recommendations for Policy Makers and Government Agencies," a co-publication with The Aspen Institute.