A Short History
Good Work Institute was founded in 2015 as a private foundation, with a stock grant from Etsy, Inc. In 2016, we changed our name to the Good Work Institute, and became an independent public charity.
2015-2016
Good Work Institute was founded in 2015 as a private foundation, with a stock grant from Etsy, Inc. In 2016, we changed our name to the Good Work Institute, and became an independent public charity. This gave us startup funding, and allowed us to provide deep-diving cohort-based programs, including our Fellowship, all free of charge. We are now seeking public support to ensure our sustainability moving forward.
2015-2019
We designed and ran six full-scholarship, multi-month Fellowship programs, with over 175 Fellows. We cultivated an understanding of Good Work as rooted in place and practiced in collaboration. The GWI Fellows remain deeply connected with each other and Good Work Institute: they form the foundation for our growing Network of engaged community leaders, committed to their places, their Good Work, and a regenerative economy.
2019
We evolved our work by adopting Just Transition principles to guide our mission. We reoriented our programs to become more accessible to more people and better focus on systems change for a regenerative and just economy. We became a worker-self directed non-profit, aligning our governance with our values, and now our six Worker Trustees share the leadership and governance of the organization, working collaboratively with our growing board.
2020-2021
We adapted our programs in response to the impact of COVID-19 on our community, and on our ability to be together in-person, by launching new online programming. We continue to nurture and sustain Good Work through our growing programs and by cultivating our network of committed and interconnected partners, change-agents, and community members.
