Social Strategy Associates helps foundations, families, businesses, and nonprofits amplify their social impact.

From strategic ideation and program design to hands-on management of grantees, we strengthen our clients’ capacity to deliver more thoughtful, innovative, and enduring philanthropy.

Inspired strategies
for transformative philanthropy.

What We Do

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Prize &
Challenge Design

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Collaborative
Initiatives

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Strategy &
Evaluation

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Convening & Facilitation

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Organizational
Development

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Next Gen
Onboarding

Multilingual
by Design

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Multilingual by Design is a collaborative philanthropic initiative to bring together education nonprofits and AI builders to create tools that put multilingual students first. Supported by four co-funders, this ambitious initiative aims to invest in tools built with and for multilingual learners, bring new tech talent into the multilingual space, engage teachers to provide real-time feedback, and create learning and relationship-building opportunities that help advance educational outcomes for multilingual learners. SSA was engaged to design and operationalize this initiative from strategy, through application and selection, to final grantee supports.

About Collaborative Initiatives

  • “I sought a thoughtful and open-minded partner well-versed in the field of social impact to carry out a landscape analysis on a burgeoning topic. SSA conducted dozens of interviews, extensive research, and structured analysis that resulted in a custom, professional report guiding our go-forward strategy. My team and I were impressed by the SSA team’s reliability, efficiency, and responsiveness to feedback.”


    Mary Ann Beyster
    President, Beyster Foundation for Enterprise Development

  • “The Social Strategy Associates team has the remarkable ability to think and act on multiple scales simultaneously, from grand vision to minute logistical detail. They can both mastermind a complex strategic problem and at the same time orchestrate the intricacies of events and programs.”


    Amy Freitag
    Former President, New York Community Trust

  • “The Social Strategy Associates team is the invisible force behind many of the greatest hits in philanthropy. Without ego, they successfully tackle pressing, nuanced, and multi-sectoral projects from which others might shy away. SSA punches above its weight and that’s why they’re my go-to consultancy.”


    Rachel Korberg
    Chief Executive Officer, IntermediaryEd

  • “Justin’s commitment and perseverance to see a project through is exemplary. I value his knowledge of the business and society space, and recommend him without reservation!”


    Judith Samuelson
    Executive Director, The Aspen Institute Business & Society Program

  • “The SSA team rolls up its sleeves and gets things done. They are thorough, consistent, and reliable. They are great problem solvers, sharing a sense of responsibility for the project’s success. They set and meet high standards, doing so with joy and positive energy.”

    Meghan Lowney
    Vice President of Strategy and Impact, The Tow Foundation

  • “The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Food and Nutrition is proud to lead the administration of Summer EBT in partnership with multiple State agencies and offices to deliver this important benefit to New Jersey families. We are grateful for SSA's support in providing strong project management that helps coordinate this complex, multi-agency effort. Their attention to detail, ability to keep the work moving forward, and focus on shared goals have been instrumental in supporting the Department's successful implementation of the program.”

    Rose Chamberlain
    Director, Division of Food and Nutrition, NJDA

  • “From the onset of the Families and Workers Fund, the SSA team has been a core partner in its success — helping stand up the Fund, support its operations, hire key personnel, and lead signature initiatives. We'd recommend them to any collaborative fund looking for a trusted partner who can help build out its infrastructure and operations.”

    YK Vandekamp
    Managing Director of Philanthropy & Operations
    The Families & Workers Fund

  • “SSA took an idea that four funders had and turned it into an actionable strategy — designing a multi-stage open call that brought together nonprofits and AI builders to better serve multilingual learners. They built the applicant experience from the ground up, managed communications with everyone from applicants to funders to our advisory board, and pulled off a three-day, in-person event without a hitch. It's rare to find a team that can move seamlessly between big-picture strategy and the level of detail this work required."

    Robert Medina
    Director of Policy and Advocacy, Sobrato Philanthropies, on behalf of the Multilingual by Design initiative