UNLOCKING CRE ATIVIT Y

BLK SHP | EST 2011

“GIVE US THE BLACK SHEEP. I WANT ARTISTS WHO ARE FRUSTRATED. I WANT THE ONES WHO HAVE ANOTHER WAY OF DOING THINGS. THOSE THAT NOBODY IS LISTENING TO...”- BRAD BIRD, PIXAR

IN 2011, A GROUP OF ENTREPRENEURS, TEACHERS, ARTISTS, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS, AND WRITERS FOUND EACH OTHER WHILE WALKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED.

UNITED BY THE SPIRIT OF ARTISTRY, WE BECAME A COMMUNIT Y OF BL ACK SHEEP. DRIVEN BY CURIOSIT Y,

COMPASSION AND A BIAS TOWARDS ACTION, WE SET OUT TO DRIVE CHANGE IN CREATIVE WAYS.

NO MAT TER WHERE WE CAME FROM OR WHAT WE DID, WE WERE FRUSTRATED WITH THE STATUS QUO AND WERE TIRED OF BEING ALONE IN OUR CREATIVE SOJOURN.

M I S S I O N

A P P R O A C H

BLK SHP exists to unlock the artist within everyone. We believe that creativity and human agency are critical capacities needed to adapt and lead in times of constant change. We harness the creativity of humanity to address the most pressing problems of our time

BLK SHP is a community that acts as a connective tissue across disciplines and a platform that bridges divides to solve problems in new and creative ways. BLK SHP includes three core components: the BLK SHP Community, BLK SHP Operations and BLK SHP Media.

BUILD COMMUNITY

CATALYZE CHANGE

AMPLIFY STORIES

WHAT WE DOThrough these three core activities, we bring people together across sectors to collaborate and address systemic challenges.

EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES

CATALYZING

CHANGEBUILDING

COMMUNITY

AMPLIFYING STORIES

SYNTHESIZE

DEFINE

EMPATHIZE

DESIGN

AMPLIFY

We identify and frame

insights that emerge from

learning journeys to set

the stage for collaborative

projects, which we call

Operations.

We convene BLK SHP around

these insights to define

opportunities to solve a

problem and create shared

value in partnership with

organizations that affiliate

with our ecosystem.

Through learning journeys, we convene BLK

SHP from across the community to explore

critical issues and themes in partnership with

creative thinkers and grassroots

changemakers around the country.

We identify and place an Entrepreneur

in Residence to lead each Operation

by designing solutions with a team of

collaborators from across the

BLK SHP community.

We scale solutions across the

community, shares insights that

surface from the Operation and

amplify stories of positive change

in ways that set the stage for

future Operations.

Inspired by the creative culture of Pixar, we mobilize BLK SHP around

opportunities to amplify stories and solve problems through a design-driven approach.

HOW WE DO IT

STORYTELLING LAB

FUSECORPSPBS

GREENVILLE

PITTSBURGH

LOCAL OUTPOSTS

NATIONAL COLLABORATORS

Across the country, we maintain close ties to creative leaders within government, non-profits and some of the world’s most influential media platforms and corporations. As new initatives emerge, we assemble teams of collaborators from across the community to equip BLK SHP with the insights and resources needed to take action.

From the Deep South to the Bay Area and beyond, BLK SHP come together for dinners, events and Operations. Each BLK SHP Outpost is led by a shepherds, who hosts events and initiates projects that unlock creativity and address problems facing the local community.

DC

NYC

BAY AREA

BOULDER

LOS ANGELES

COMMUNITY

AUSTIN

MOBILE

MATTHEW DOWD“D-PROPHET”BLK SHP Austin

Analyst at ABC News, Best-selling author

HAROLD O’NEAL“THE IMPROVISER”

BLK SHP NYCArtist in ResidencePianist & Innovator

MATTHEW BISHOP“CHURCHILL”

BLK SHP NYCBest-Selling Author &

Editor at The Economist

GABRIELLE SANTA-DONATO“FAB”

Program Director at Stanfordd.school Life Design Lab

ELLEN MCGIRT“CORNDOG” BLK SHP NYC

Writer, CommentatorFast Company

GRANT OLIPHANT“THE WHISPERER”BLK SHP Pittsburgh

President of TheHeinz Endowments

ALOE BLACC“VERA”

BLK SHP LAArtist & Musician,

Social Change Advocate

ALEXA CLAY, “LOUISA MAE”

BLK SHP Entrepreneur in Residence, Author of “The Misfit Economy”

BILL EGGERS, “PATRICK HENRY”

BLK SHP DCAuthor and Global Director of

Deloitte Research

BLK SHP are united by a shared passion for unlocking creativity

for a greater purpose. Some are entrepreneurs, musicians and artists. Others are writers and

investors, policy leaders and grassroots advocates. No

matter where they work, theyembody the spirit and values of

curiosity, conviction, collaboration and creativity.

And of course, they all have nicknames.

COMMUNITY

PHIL COOLEYDetroit, MI

BLK SHP ShepherdFounder of Ponyride, Owner of Gold Cash Gold and Slows BBQ

TODD GREER“JOHNNY APPLESEED”

Mobile, AL Director of SynerVision Leadership Foundation, Chief Catalyst at The

Exchange 202

BEN RIDDLE “THE WHIZ” Greenville, SC

BLK SHP Entrepreneur in Residence, University

Innovation Fellow

MERYAM BOUADJEMI Baltimore, MD

Media Producer, Founder of Close Up Baltimore

CHRISTOPHER GERGEN “C-TOPHER”

Raleigh-Durham, NCInnovator & CEO, Forward Impact

DARIAN WIGFALL St. Louis / Ferguson, MO

Community Organizer,Founder of Verseutility Media

BLK SHP Shepherds are the “vision keepers” for the community. Through dinners and events, shepherds bring BLK SHP together to sharpen iron, build relationships and have fun. As a network, shep-herds provide a connective tissue for sharing insights, best practices and know-how across cities and sectors.

SHEPHERDS

VIKKI SPRUILL “BETTE KANE”

BLK SHP Board Member CEO at Council on

Foundations

AKSHATA MURTHY“MOTHER THERESA”BLK SHP Board Member

Founder of Catamaran Ventures

SHAIFALI PURI“SCHEHERAZADE”

BLK SHP AdvisorFormer Executive Director of

Global Innovation at Nike

HENRY TIMMS“THE CONDUCTOR”

BLK SHP AdvisorExecutive Director at

92nd Street Y

PETER SIMS“EAGLE”

Founder of BLK SHPCo-founder of Fuse Corp,

Best-selling author

LENNY MENDONCA,“YODA”

BLK SHP AdvisorFormer Director at McKinsey,

Co-Founder of Fuse Corps

As trusted leaders with experience working across sectors, the BLK SHP Board and team of advisors help steward the BLK SHP com-munity by sharing insights and creating opportunities to make an impact at scale.

BOARD & ADVISORS

ETHOS & CULTURE

DRIVING CHANGE BETTER BE FUN. OTHERWISE WHO WOULD WANT TO DO IT? Our ethos is defined by democracy and play, and ever yone in our community stands on equal footing. For the fun of it, we give each other playful nicknames like “The Eagle”, “Churchill”, and “Queen Bee”. The names usually stick, and our bias towards play defines us to this day.

In a world full of messy problems and constant change, play creates space for imagination to take shape. Inspired by the creative process, we believe that imagination sets the stage for new solu-tions to emerge from the most unlikely places.

CATALYZE CHANGE

BLK SHP Operations convene diverse teams of doers, thinkers and creatives to make little bets and take big steps towards addressing pressing problems in new and creative ways.

MARK A. THOMAS

“I’ve always viewed myself as a “sense-maker” of complex issues. I’ve taken on professional roles that have

challenged me as a communicator in the private and public sectors and pursued learning opportunities that

broadened my perspective and tested my analytical skills. I feel like I’m finally arriving at the broad competency level

I’ve always wanted in the leaders I’ve wanted to work for and follow. ”

“THE POET”, BLK SHP LAINAUGURAL FUSECORPS FELLOWLA MAYORS INNOVATION TEAM

FUSE CORPS

In 2011, we helped to conceptualize, launch, and grow FUSE Corps, a nonprofit organization that equips local government to effectively address the biggest challenges facing urban communities, from education and health to poverty, economic development and the environment.

Since then, FUSE has partnered with civic leaders across the country to identify pressing challenges and recruit entrepreneurial professionals to serve in 12 month fellowships across local government. By engaging our network of friends and partners, FUSE unlocks creativity and catalyzes culture change in the public sector by proving the potential of creative problem solving in local communities. FUSE currently partners with 15 U.S. cities and plans to engage roughly 50 fellows within the next 3 years.

W E U N L O C K E D C R E A T I V I T Y I N

L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T

T H R O U G H

FUSE CORPSS T O R I E S O F I M P A C T

- Developed the core operational and program partnerships with BLK SHP at the Stanford d.school, the White House, Starbucks, and Points of Light and others.

- Raised initial funding of over $300K from BLK SHP at Starbucks and $50K from GE, and recruited approximately 100 high quality candidates from BLK SHP network for FUSE fellowships from around the country.

- Built relationships with city leaders to assist with the national expansion of the FUSE Corps program in partnership with BLK SHP in Austin, Louisville, Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Greenville.

- Recruited a world-class advisory board including the founders of KIVA, DonorsChoose, Teach for America, and the CEO of Mozil-la, who are all part of the BLK SHP community.

- Worked closely with FUSE Corps CEO and COO on regional and national growth strategy to grow from 5 fellows in 2014 to 16 fellows in 2015. The program is slated to engage 50 fellows nationally by 2017.

- Supported the formation of cross-sector innovation partner-ships in Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

In Sacramento, BLK SHP supported the formation of a cross-sector joint venture in Sacramento public schools called “Edible Sacramento” that educated students about healthy and organic foods. We con-vened partners that ranged from UC Davis Agricul-ture to Sacramento High to local nonprofits such as the Triumph Center for Early Childhood Education.

ON THE GROUND

GIVING TUESDAY

In 2012, we partnered with the 92 Street Y and the UN Foundation to launch #GivingTuesday -- a national day of social giving after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We brought together a small group of creatives from NYC and key supporters from across our growing ecosystem to support the campaign, from social media mavens to philanthropy leaders and officials at The White House.

Since this initial effort, #GivingTuesday has introduced millions of Americans to the power of microphilanthropy, and has become a movement of its own, raising approximately $100 million in the past year.

W E H E L P E D S T A R T A N A T I O N A L M O V E M E N T

O F S O C I A L G I V I N G

“From the early days of #GivingTues-day, we relied on BLK SHP. We had very little time to launch this project (too little, some said!), but when the BLK SHP arrived like some kind of social good version of the A-Team, it was a huge support to our efforts. BLK SHP has an amaz-ing capacity to influence some of the most influential people in Amer-ica, and helped get this project off the ground, engaging everyone from The White House onwards.”

“THE CONDUCTOR”, BLK SHP NYCFOUNDER, #GIVINGTUESDAY

DIRECTOR, 92 STREET Y

HENRY TIMMS

T H R O U G H

GIVING TUESDAYS T O R I E S O F I M P A C T

- Secured significant media support to amplify the initiative in its first year, including from BLK SHP at Reuters, NPR, and the New York Times.

- Secured public endorsement from BLK SHP in The White House, which helped position#GivingTuesday as a campaign with broad support and global reach.

- Established #GivingTuesday UK through BLK SHP in London, and helped recruit over 1,000 partners such as PwC and Facebook, as well as a wide range of grassroots nonprofits including Friends of the Earth, Teacher Support, and Rethink Mental Ilness.

- Introduced #GivingTuesday team to a range of key technology influencers and partners in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, which helped #GivingTuesday raise over $100 million in year three.

MOBILIZING THE GRASSROOTS

BLK SHP introduced #GivingTuesday to grassroots champions in the United States in partnership with BLK SHP in cities like Kansas City, Mobile, Baltimore, and Omaha.

OPERATION: K12 CREATIVITY

In an age of constant change, federal mandates and shrinking budgets leave schools struggling to keep up the pace. While many teachers are eager to innovate in the classroom, they face hurdles to doing so. New approaches to teaching and learning like design thinking, project based learning, team based learning, etc. can only be implemented if teachers are empowered and given the autonomy to collaborate and create. In 2015, a group of BLK SHP recognized these prob-lems and launched Operation: K12 Creativity. While many intiatives in this space already exist, they are often siloed and disconnected. Through this Operation, we are bridging divides between grassroots networks and national partners to unlock creativity in schools around the country.

U N L O C K I N G C R E A T I V I T Y O F T E A C H E R S T O T R A N S F O R M

P U B L I C S C H O O L S

BLK SHP COLLABORATORS:

Know someone with passion for learning and an entrepreneurial mindset that’s eager to unlock creativity in education? We’d love to meet them.

In partnership with a team of advisors, funders and collaborators, the BLK SHP Entrepreneur in Residence will design and deliver solutions that address shared prob-lems and meet critical needs uncovered in the K12 and Creativity ecosystem.

ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE

- Identify and support a Social Entrepreneur in Residence to serve as the project lead for Operation K12: Creativity.

-Convene BLK SHP collaborators from Pixar and Khan Academy at the Stanford d.school to help build a community of teachers and educators that use Pixar In a Box to teach STEAM concepts in the classroom.

- Work with BLK SHP collaborators to complete a needs assessment and landscape analysis in the creativity and education environment that builds upon existing research.

- Interview teachers and educators who already incorporate design thinking methods into school and teacher leadership programs to identify patterns, problems and opportunities for design.

- Build community among isolated teachers that desire peer support, and help create access to networks and resources provided by BLK SHP collaborators.

OPERATION: K12 CREATIVITY

L I T T L E B E T S & N E X T S T E P S

AMPLIFY STORIES

BLK SHP uncovers untold stories and amplifies emergent narratives by producing and distributing original films and creative content in partnership with broadcast and distribution channels.

OPERATION: TRUE NORTH

From inception, America has been built on top of myriad narratives. Liberty. Equality. Opportunity. Mobility. Affluence. These narratives are shared and contested, actual and aspirational. Today, many new American stories stay hidden in the shadows as traditional media overlooks the voices of people living in the heartland.

Recognizing this challenge, BLK SHP initiated Operation: True North to identify and amplify the grassroots narratives and stories of transformation that define the next chapter of American life.

On the heels of a cross-country bus tour, BLK SHP is collaborating with creative media partners, distri-bution channels and local Outposts to produce an episodic documentary series that shares stories and insights from this Operation. In the season ahead, BLK SHP will work with partners across the commu-nity to develop a media action platform that posi-tions narrative as a platform for action and catalyst for grassroots innovation.

BLK SHP COLLABORATORS:

COLUMBIA DIGITAL STORYTELLING LAB

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

L E T ’ S TA L K :

L E A R N M O R E : W W W . T H E B L K S H P . O R G

PETER “EAGLE” SIMSFounder, BLK SHP sims.peter@gmail.com

Help shape a movement of doers, thinkers and creatives that are changing the way that people, communities and organizations work together to drive change. Whether you join our community, launch an Operation or identify and fund an Entrepre-neur in Residence to lead an Operation, we invite you to join us. Chances are, it won’t be long before you’re on a bus and bound for a place you never thought you’d be, with new friends and a new nickname.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY:

LAUNCH AN OPERATION:

NOMINATE A BLK SHP:

From the grassroots to the global stage, we partner with people and organizations that want to make little bets to drive big changes. To join our community, plug in to an Operation, fund the Foundation or launch an Outpost in a city near you, send us a note.

We’re always on the hunt for people, stories and projects that work against the grain and bring people together to unlock creativity for a greater purpose. Does someone come to mind? Let us know.

We identify and support Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) to launch Operations that drive change in creative ways. Join a team of renegade philanthropists who are committed to equipping creative problem solvers with the tools and space needed to get the job done.

OPPORTUNITIES:

BEN “THE WHIZ” RIDDLEEntrepreneur in Residence, BLK SHPbenjamesriddle@gmail.com

AND OF COURSE, DRIVING CHANGE BET TER BE FUN.OTHERWISE, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO IT?