The world's school for social change
10 Fellowships globally
A transformative leadership experience for entrepreneurs solving problems of poverty.
1,600+ Foundry members
An alumni community impacting over 25 million lives around the world.
600,000 Course takers
Our courses are for anyone, anywhere looking to create positive impact in their communities.
Who We Are
Acumen Academy was born following more than 20 years of Acumen’s impact investing experience. As Acumen grew and learned, we needed a way to scale our knowledge based on our experience working with social entrepreneurs on the ground. Acumen Academy is where builders can learn from the shared experiences and lessons of the Acumen community to solve problems of poverty around the world.
Our Founder and CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, is a social impact and moral leadership champion. You can read about her journey at Acumen.org and follow her ideas, news, and impact on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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Our Manifesto
It starts by standing with the poor, listening to voices unheard, and recognizing potential where others see despair.
It demands investing as a means, not an end, daring to go where markets have failed and aid has fallen short. It makes capital work for us, not control us.
It thrives on moral imagination: the humility to see the world as it is, and the audacity to imagine the world as it could be. It’s having the ambition to learn at the edge, the wisdom to admit failure, and the courage to start again.
It requires patience and kindness, resilience and grit: a hard-edged hope. It’s leadership that rejects complacency, breaks through bureaucracy, and challenges corruption. Doing what’s right, not what’s easy.
Acumen: it’s the radical idea of creating hope in a cynical world. Changing the way the world tackles poverty and building a world based on dignity.