It's Time to Ditch "Nonprofit": Five & Rising Launches to Unleash the Social Sector's Full Power

National movement unveils three trailblazing communities whose leadership will fuel bold strategies, spark systemic change, and set a new standard for the sector nationwide

STURTEVANT, Wis., Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to ditch the word "nonprofit." The social sector powers 12.5 million jobs and contributes $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy, yet outdated systems, myths, and funding models limit its full potential. Today, Social Current, a partner to 1,800+ human and social service organizations in the U.S., Canada, and beyond, launches Five & Rising, a bold national movement to change that. 

Five & Rising is designed to unleash the sector's full economic power and rewrite the rules for how it's funded and valued.

"Five & Rising is here to break the limits placed on our sector and to prove what's possible when we stop treating it as a secondary player in the economy," said Dr. Jody Levison-Johnson, President and CEO of Social Current. "These pilot communities will demonstrate that when we invest in the real cost of impact and trust local leaders to innovate, we unlock change that ripples far beyond their borders. What they build will raise the bar for the entire nation."

Five & Rising takes its name from the social sector's 5.2% share of U.S. GDP. It is both a reminder of the sector's economic force and a statement that this is only the beginning.

Inspired by the documentary UnCharitable, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, which challenges conventional thinking about how the social sector should operate, Five & Rising will work with communities across the country to co-create systems that match the sector's true scale and unleash its ability to deliver lasting impact.

"I've seen firsthand how the stories we've told about charity have limited what's possible," said Gyllenhaal. "It's time we rewrite the narrative—one that reflects the truth: the social sector is a force of innovation, impact, and economic power. Five & Rising is how we break the old frame and finally fund real change."

To be considered as a pilot community, applicants identified the issue they most wanted to address, the rationale behind it, and what they hoped to achieve. They also shared what excites them most about this opportunity and why their community's involvement is essential.

Today, Five & Rising proudly unveils its three inaugural pilot communities. Together, these communities represent the bold ideas and deep engagement the movement was designed for. They will serve as proving grounds for scalable strategies that can transform how the social sector is funded, valued, and supported.

Center for Community Impact (Northwest Ohio) – Building Shared Infrastructure for Rural-Serving Organizations
In Northwest Ohio, the Center for Community Impact is proving that collaboration is the innovation in rural America. By co-creating shared systems, collaborative strategies, and readiness that attract investment, and by launching leadership boot camps to strengthen capacity and a shared services ecosystem, they show the rural social sector is not just ready to lead, they are already rising.

ChangeMakers Hawaiʻi (Hilo, Hawaiʻi) – Centering Indigenous Wisdom and Trust-Based Philanthropy
In Hawaiʻi, ChangeMakers is driving  economic equity and justice through community engagement, financial access, and support for purpose-driven professions. Through Philanthropono, a capacity-building initiative grounded in Indigenous knowledge, they are elevating the leadership of Indigenous-led nonprofits through. By partnering with funders to simplify grants, expand unrestricted multi-year funding, and build authentic relationships, they are creating a replicable, equity-driven model for trust-based philanthropy that can thrive in historically marginalized communities nationwide.

Progressive Life Center (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware) – Redesigning Foster Care as Healing Infrastructure
Across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, Progressive Life Center (PLC) is working to transform foster care as a healing, family-centered system. PLC is leading a cross-sector coalition of caregivers, providers, policymakers and those with lived experience to stabilize care, reduce risk, and replace surveillance with support. PLC is tackling systemic fragility, naming the true cost of care, promoting trauma-informed approaches, and creating a model of sustainable, equitable care that can be replicated nationwide.

"These incredible organizations are already creating meaningful change in their own communities," added Levison-Johnson. "From strengthening rural networks, to transforming foster care, to elevating Indigenous-led solutions, they are proving what's possible. As they build and scale their work, their successes will offer models and inspiration that can benefit communities across the country."

Social Current, along with a group of cross-sector partners and allies will support the three pilot communities every step of the way by providing technical assistance, securing sustainable investment, helping to shape a national roadmap and building systems that deliver a lasting impact. 

In their first year, Five & Rising pilot communities will engage in a yearlong capacity-building curriculum that will equip them to dismantle harmful myths about the sector, strengthen organizational resilience through new approaches to fundraising and governance, and amplify influence through advocacy, communications, and cross-sector partnerships. That knowledge will enable them to bring philanthropy, government, business, social enterprises, and community members together to confront root causes of local challenges, co-create bold strategies, and launch shared action plans.

This approach ensures communities are strengthening from within and building collective solutions, creating a playbook that can be scaled nationally to reimagine philanthropy and unlock the full power of the social sector.

About Social Current

Social Current is the premier partner and solutions provider to a diverse network of more than 1,800 human and social service organizations. Together with our network, we are activating the power of the social sector to effect broader systemic change that is needed to achieve our vision of an equitable society where all people can thrive. We support, strengthen, and amplify the work of the social sector in five core integrated areas including brain science and trauma-informed approaches; COA Accreditation; child, family, and community well-being; government affairs and advocacy; and leadership and organizational development.

About Five & Rising
Five & Rising is a national movement led by Social Current to unleash the social sector from the restrictions that limit its impact. Working with communities across the country, Five & Rising co-creates bold funding models, challenges broken norms, and builds the infrastructure needed for systemic change. Five & Rising is more than a campaign; it's a call to rethink how the social sector is funded, valued, and supported. Learn more and join the movement at FiveAndRising.org.

SOURCE Social Current