Mission

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New Rising Ventures is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of New Media Ventures. New Rising Ventures supports early-stage, nonpartisan entrepreneurs and activists transforming our democracy through innovation and bridges a critical gap not fulfilled by traditional grantmakers or venture capital. Our signature four activities include investments and grantmaking, portfolio support, field building, and convenings.

What We Do

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New Rising Ventures finds, funds, and supports social impact entrepreneurs who are growing new organizations that serve the public interest. Social entrepreneurs working on mission-oriented projects face unique barriers to funding and scaling their organizations: access to capital, introductions and networking opportunities, experienced advice, and peer-to-peer relationships that serve as a critical layer of support. Likewise, many funders lack the reach and deep industry expertise to find and evaluate great mission-oriented startup opportunities. New Rising Ventures brings founders and funders together and provides charitable and educational support to increase the scalability of companies providing opportunities to better lives for Americans. 

Democracy is more than casting a vote—it is the daily engagement with the structures that impact the majority. To build a truly equitable democracy, we must create social power in places where political interventions fall short. This means addressing the day-to-day realities that people face, like climate, education, women’s healthcare, the economy, incarceration, and cultural change—issues that remain critical regardless of electoral outcomes. 

By investing to build social power through innovation, we can create more avenues for people to have agency in their lives. As such, New Rising Ventures proudly supports brilliant, experienced individuals thinking of and building new ways to make life easier for the most marginalized across all demographics. 

Our Investment Cycle

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With the launch of The Rising Fund, New Rising Ventures is making a bold, multi-year commitment to back the builders, dreamers, and innovators who are stepping into the gaps—those reimagining democracy not just as a political system, but as a foundation for shared power and collective infrastructure.

At NRV, we believe we’re living through a rare and urgent moment—one where transformation isn’t just possible, it’s essential. The systems we’ve inherited aren’t enough—and they were never built for all of us. We’re here to back those bold enough to rethink what’s possible and build toward something better.

In the years ahead, our investments and programming will be anchored in three core principles:

  • Catalyzing Inflection Points: Identifying and investing in key moments where change is possible, accelerating movements that turn disruption into transformation.

  • Radical Reconstruction: Dismantling inequitable systems and building new models rooted in justice and collective power.

  • Amplifying Ownership: Shifting control over resources, technology, and narratives in bold ways.

Responsible AI Funding Cycle

To launch this vision, our first major initiative under The Rising Fund is our Responsible AI Funding Cycle. 

AI is rapidly shaping our democracy, economy, and daily lives, but who is it serving? As we begin to phase in these core principles, we’re seeking innovators building AI-driven solutions that protect communities, advance equity, and shift power away from extractive systems.

We’re especially interested in solutions that:

Strengthen trustworthy media ecosystems—AI-powered tools or platforms that counter disinformation, democratize information access, amplify trusted sources, challenge corporate influence over media and culture in new and unexpected ways, etc.

Reimagine civic engagement—AI applications that foster democratic participation, make institutions more accessible, bolster community organizing or create new pathways for community-led decision-making, etc.

Enhance civic life and public interest technology—AI innovations that strengthen community infrastructure, or improve access to essential resources in areas like worker and immigrant rights, climate resilience, reproductive and LGBTQ+ protections, and beyond.

Additionally, we are looking for:

  • Early-stage organizations with bold ideas and community-rooted leadership

  • Solutions with strong potential to scale

  • Organizations where a $50K grant/investment would be truly catalytic

  • Teams based in the U.S. or working toward national impact

Submissions are open now and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please note that nonprofit innovation will be prioritized for this cycle.

  • Submissions Open: March 26, 2025

  • Submission Deadline: May 22, 2025

  • Final Selections: June 20th, 2025

We can’t wait to see what you’re building—submit to either the non-profit intake form or for-profit intake form by May 22!

Who We Invest In

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Team

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Board

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FAQ

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What support do selected organizations receive?

$50K in unrestricted grants. Additionally, NRV supports the portfolio through:

– A network of founders where leaders ask questions, identify problems, and surface solutions in community.

– Webinars and one-on-one coaching to help new leaders navigate organizational and operational challenges, like setting goals and managing cash on hand.

– Catalyzing additional funding by connecting them to donors at our events and at other times of the year when possible.

–  Virtual and in-person events 

What is NRV looking for?

  • Scalable with a proof of concept: We prefer ventures with an existing user base (even if they are only beta users), demonstrated proof of concept, and a clear plan for generating revenue and/or growth. In some cases, we will fund ventures with little or no user base if there is compelling research proving the efficacy of the idea, or a clear opportunity to build power.

  • Sustainable model and impact: We have a preference for work that is sustainable and clearly builds progressive power. We’d like to invest in ventures that expect to generate revenue, although they may not now, or who have a plan for sustainable growth. Note: We do not invest in one-off media projects like documentaries, although we might invest in a company building a sustainable business model for making documentaries!

  • Strong, diverse team: We look for leadership teams that have both the technical and business talent to create something great and who understand their market intimately. We are especially interested in democratizing access to capital and encourage people who have been historically overlooked in the startup community to apply. In our experience, founders with direct experience of the challenges they are working to solve are best positioned to do so.

  • Mission-Driven & Impact-Focused: NRV is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and changemakers working to create positive social impact across the United States. We care about environmental sustainability, economic opportunity, equity, a strong democracy, and more. The startups we support are driven by a mission to make the world a better place.

If I’ve applied to NRV in the past and been rejected, can I apply again, and how?
Yes. Although rare, there have been a few instances where we have passed on an investment at a point in time and then invested at a later time. Just fill out the Startup Intake Form to let us know you would like to be considered again. We suggest emphasizing what has changed about your company since the last time you submitted.

If we’re a part of the portfolio already, can we re-apply for more funding?
Right now, we are not considering follow-on funding for our portfolio, although we are committed to helping you on your fundraising journey. Please reach out to us if we can support you as you raise!

Do you fund / make grants to startups outside of the United States?
We only support projects that are making an impact in the U.S. We will consider supporting projects led outside of the U.S., but that have a clear plan to enter the U.S. market.

What do you consider proof of concept?
We expect ideas to have encountered reality - not simply a plan on paper. This could be a prototype or a test that provides some (even if it’s relatively little) evidence or data that your venture is feasible. We often share the example of how Upworthy got started -- using a test they did through MoveOn to demonstrate that audiences would share powerful videos. 

What happens after I submit the Startup Intake Form?
Startup Intake Form submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis by NRVs’ investment team. The NRV investment team will then conduct deeper diligence on a subset of founders and make final funding decisions.

What should I expect during due diligence?
NRV conducts diligence, a thorough process to determine whether we will invest in a venture, for the opportunities that most align with our thesis.

During diligence, you can expect:

  • A few conversations, including a 45–60 minute meeting to get to know the founders, view a demo (if applicable), and answer additional questions that have come up post submission

  • An assessment of market, financial documents, competitive research, budgets, past impact reports, and board of directors

  • Customer and funder calls, financial modeling and analysis, a theory of change/power building assessment, product tests (if applicable), data room access (if applicable), etc.

  • Conversations with experts in your field, etc.

Your responsiveness is critical to moving the process forward. Although thorough, this process is meant to serve as a filter to move forward only the best opportunities for NRV, which go beyond financial goals and include vision and values alignment.

We know fundraising can be hard. If during this process we decide to pass, our team will communicate the decision promptly.

What is Airtable?
Airtable is a cloud collaboration platform used by hundreds of businesses, startups, and funders to host and share information.

Will I be required to create an Airtable account to submit my startup information?
The application does not require you to create an airtable account, though you can do so if you would like.

How long will it take for me to fill out the Startup Intake Form?
We’ve designed the Startup Intake Form to be as streamlined as possible, and we expect that it should take no more than 15-20 minutes to fill out the form.

Please note that Airtable does not have an autosave function.

Can I edit my submission once I have submitted it?
You will not be able to edit your intake form once it is submitted to Airtable. If you accidentally submit an incomplete/inaccurate intake form, you can submit a new one. If you do so, please notify us at invest@newmediaventures.org.

How will the data I submit be used? Will it be shared?
We will not share PII (Personally Identifiable Information) like email or phone numbers publicly, but we may share aggregated data on themes from the Startup Intake Form across our network of funders, founders, and activists or to the public. We will keep details about your organization (e.g., financials, pitch decks, etc.) confidential.

I’m finished! What’s next?
Once you press submit at the bottom of the Airtable submission form, you will be shown text that thanks you for your time and confirms your submission. You should also receive a confirmation email from invest@newmediaventures.org. If you do not receive this email, please reach out to us.

Thanks for sharing your work with us! We’ll be in touch soon.

What reporting requirements do you have for groups you fund?

We currently don’t have reporting requirements although we encourage you to send us annual reports and add us to any newsletter lists you have!