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Strengthening Organizations to

Strengthen Communities

Through trusted expertise, collaborative support, and practical tools, The Exchange helps place-based partnerships build the foundation needed to achieve lasting community impact.

Built Around Your Goals

Catalyst Exchange works alongside place-based partnerships to identify priorities across key focus areas, scope capacity-building projects, and make connections to trusted expertise.

Diagnostic

Diagnostic & Sensemaking

Get help assessing operational, strategic, and implementation challenges to better understand where targeted support can create momentum.

Project

Scoping & Project Design

Through collaborative scoping, define organizational goals, align stakeholders, and shape projects tailored to local context and community priorities.
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Vetted Expert Support

Get matched with experienced Catalyst Network providers and practitioners across multiple competencies, who fit your needs and goals.
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Flexible Funding Support

With Catalyst Wallets, access partially funded support, with co-pay structures designed to make high-impact capacity building projects more accessible and sustainable.

Place-Based Partnership Focus Areas

Explore the key focus areas commonly advanced by place-based partnerships. Hover over each area to view example project titles and see how communities are putting these priorities into action.

Example Projects:

  • Cultural Placekeeping Playbook

  • Strategic Marketing Plan

  • Board Strategic Plan

  • Investable Strategic Plan

Example Projects:

  • Public Fundraising Tools

  • Fundraising Implementation Coaching

  • Campaign Readiness and Feasibility Study

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Example Projects:

  • Strategic Communications Plan

  • Strategic Marketing Assessment

  • Strategic Community Engagement

Example Projects:

  • Operations and Finance SOPs

  • Loan Fund Assessment & Redesign

  • 401K Audit

Example Projects:

  • AI Integration and Support

  • Webflow Migration & Optimization

  • Salesforce Development

Example Projects:

  • Audit & Implementation Plan

  • Data Dashboard

  • Data Strategy

Example Projects:

  • Impact Framework

  • Community Based Charter School Planning

  • Community and Stakeholder Engagement Services

Real Stories. Real Impact.

“The Resilience Hub is exactly the kind of innovative model for capacity building that the nonprofit sector needs right now. By connecting leaders to flexible real-time support, this approach empowers organizations to respond effectively to emerging challenges and strengthens their ability to sustain and grow their impact in the communities they serve.”

Heather Graham

Director of the Learning Differences Programme at Oak Foundation

“We had a need to take a concept from seed to fruition but didn’t have time, bandwidth or skillset to do it well on our own. The Resilience Hub filled that gap for us in a timely and effective way. We learned a lot through the process and our Catalyst Capacity Advisor helped build our skills along the way so that we can replicate this process again on our own in the future.”

Michelle Chaudoir

Chief of Staff and Sr. Director of Operations at Learning Heroes

Real Stories. Real Impact.

Elements Agency helped us to increase our website SEO traffic by 250% in just 3 months

Elements Image
John Carter

VP of Marketing at Webflow

Elements Agency helped us to increase our website SEO traffic by 250% in just 3 months

Elements Image
John Carter

VP of Marketing at Webflow

Elements Agency helped us to increase our website SEO traffic by 250% in just 3 months

Elements Image
John Carter

VP of Marketing at Webflow

2025 PBP Support: By the Numbers

28+
place-based partnership investees supported
17
states with partner organizations
200+
projects launched through Catalyst
100%
satisfaction with the Catalyst process

Getting Started with The Exchange

You don't need all the answers to get started. The Exchange is designed to support PBPs at different stages of growth and development. Organizations often benefit most when they are:

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Exploring a clear challenge or priority

Strategy, operations, governance, data, fundraising, or systems coordination.
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Navigating growth or transition

Launching new initiatives, aligning partners, or building long-term capacity.
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Seeking trusted expertise

Bringing in additional capacity and perspective to move work forward.

Not sure if you’re ready yet? We’ll help you clarify needs and explore your options. You don’t need a fully scoped project to begin the conversation.

In Collaboration With

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Exchange

Is there a deadline for my organization to sign up for support?

Your organization will be invited to attend an informational session and select a cohort launch window during the enrollment period. Because The Exchange operates on a rolling, staged launch model, participation is organized around set cohort start dates.

What if my organization needs support sooner than our cohort launch?
Your organization can reach out if support is needed sooner than your assigned cohort launch. While The Exchange is structured around cohort-based timing to ensure a smooth experience, Catalyst Exchange will work with your organization to explore options that meet your readiness and timing needs.
What is a Catalyst Wallet?

A Catalyst Wallet provides place-based partnerships with access to funding that helps cover the cost of capacity-building services available through The Exchange. These funds are made possible through Blue Meridian Partners and your core partner, helping organizations access trusted expertise, guided support, and practical tools at a reduced cost.

How do I use my Catalyst Wallet?

When you engage with The Exchange, eligible services and projects can be funded through your Catalyst Wallet. The wallet helps offset the cost of the work, making high-impact organizational and partnership-strengthening efforts more accessible. The Catalyst team will guide you through the process and explain any funding available for your selected project.

Will my organization need to contribute to the cost of services?

In many cases, yes. Catalyst Wallet funding is designed to partially fund services, with organizations contributing through a co-pay structure. This shared investment model helps stretch available funding and support more organizations while keeping services affordable and accessible.

Contributions are determined based on your organizational profile or participation with your Core Partner. The Exchange uses a sliding-scale approach so that contributions are aligned with organizational context, capacity, and available funding.

Does my organization need to pay for the Diagnostic, Sensemaking, and Action Planning process?

No. The Diagnostic, Sensemaking, and Action Planning process is fully covered by the initiative and does not use your organization’s Catalyst Wallet funds. Your organization is strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity as a key first step in The Exchange.

Who from my organization can participate in The Exchange?

Anyone from your organization can participate, not just CEOs or Executive Directors. Broad team engagement is encouraged. Your organization will designate a point of contact who will provide final sign-off on project decisions.

Who should my organization contact if support is needed?

About Catalyst

Who are Catalyst Capacity Advisors?

Each organization that works with us gets assigned to a dedicated Capacity Advisor, who supports their leaders and teams in getting the most out of their consulting engagements. Depending on what the organization needs, the Capacity Advisor may facilitate a capacity diagnostic, co-develop action plans, author scopes of work for projects, help leaders and teams identify the right consulting partner, and provide “roadside assistance” during a project, if needed.

What happens during the scoping call?

Your Capacity Advisor will guide you through a set of questions to better understand your needs, contexts, and goals, and develop a tailored project scope that we then share with our provider network. Our partner organizations find the scoping process incredibly helpful and have compared it to “part consultation with a strategic advisor, part speaking with a therapist”.

What kind of organizations do you work with?

Catalyst collaborates with a wide range of organizations that are dedicated to improving outcomes and fostering economic mobility for children, youth, and families. Organizations include nonprofits, schools, districts, charter schools, community organizations, and foundations.

How are organizations matched to providers?

We tag projects along various dimensions, including type, domain, and geography. In most cases, we request proposals from providers whose characteristics match the project requirements. You review the profiles and proposals of all providers who respond and decide whom to interview and whom to work with.

How are project budgets determined?

Capacity Advisors work with you to develop project scopes that take into account the intensity and complexity of the work required to achieve the deliverables and the budget that is available. The estimated budget is included in the project scope shared with providers. Providers have the option of proposing a project budget that is above or below the estimated budget given their approach and cost structures. The final project budget is based on the proposal and provider selected by you.

Who are the providers in your network?

The Catalyst Network is a diverse coalition of expert consultants, coaches, and technical assistance providers with deep expertise and experience working with and supporting nonprofits. Providers range from national and regional organizations (incl. nonprofits that offer technical assistance services, consulting firms, and research organizations) to independent consultants. 

How are the Catalyst Network providers vetted?

All providers go through a three-stage vetting process that includes an application and portfolio review, an interview, and three reference checks before they are added to the network. We evaluate relevant experience and expertise and look for demonstrated commitment to improving outcomes. The process also helps us gather the information we need to make more informed matches.

What happens if we are not satisfied with the support?

Meeting our partners’ expectations is core to our mission. You will have the opportunity to share feedback while working with the provider. You can also reach out to Matt Lynch (via email) at any point, who will work with you to ensure a successful outcome.

    

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Get Support

Tell us what support you are looking for and a Catalyst Capacity Advisor will follow up with next steps.
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Who We Are
 

Catalyst Exchange (formerly Catalyst:Ed) is a national nonprofit that helps mission-driven organizations across education, public, and social sectors build capacity and deepen their impact by connecting them to the expertise, tools, and hands-on support they need to drive transformational outcomes for the communities they serve.

Blue Meridian Partners has partnered with Catalyst to create The Exchange as a resource to help place-based partnerships access capacity-building support for their organizational priorities.