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Built to Thrive: Learnings from Wells Fargo

Built to Thrive: Learnings from Wells Fargo

This report offers a look into the Open for Business Fund Asset Ownership Program’s localized models, aggregate impact, and key program takeaways.

The total impact of the $100 million Open for Business Fund Asset Ownership Program demonstrates that the program did more than keep storefront lights on—it moved small businesses from chasing stability to a clear pathway for job creation, scale, and building wealth, while driving a ripple effect of impact across community partners, local small business ecosystems, and communities at large.

It did this through a targeted yet flexible overarching strategy that was laser-focused on helping business owners acquire tangible business assets like property, and equipment. In each of the five markets, local community partners designed tailored capital interventions to fit the needs of small businesses in their community, ranging from grants to acquire equipment, forgivable down payment assistance, 0% interest loans, grants for commercial property improvements, and more.

Insights across five markets describe business owners who have added production lines, hired staff, and negotiated larger contracts after securing critical assets: property, equipment, and technology. At the same time, community partners report stronger balance sheets of their own and a web of newly forged relationships that continue to pay dividends beyond any single grant.

In short, the combination of market-specific, targeted strategies, and flexible capital, plus hands-on support and ecosystem development has proven to be a scalable engine of broadly shared growth.

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Q2 2026 Social Impact Trends

Q2 2026 Social Impact Trends

NationSwell’s quarterly trend spotter provides impact professionals with visibility into the most noteworthy, timely, and material shifts in the field. For Q2 of 2026, our report explores the following five trends:

  1. Leaders wading through a uniquely opaque environment
  2. High number of CEO transitions ushers in new era of heightened expectations
  3. Worker backlash to AI transformation is real, and spreading
  4. Philanthropy is under pressure to evolve faster 
  5. Child and family wellbeing gaining much needed attention, and some traction
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Measuring the ROI of Employee Impact Programs

Measuring the ROI of Employee Impact Programs

Employee-oriented programs are a core part of most corporate impact strategies, including volunteerism, pro bono projects, and employee giving. This resource provides a framework to help leaders and organizations determine the business value of corporate impact strategies, as part of a larger ROI narrative and business case. The resource shares a conceptual ROI model, based on the underlying logic that employee participation leads to talent outcomes, which leads to business outcomes, and ultimately, to financial value. The guidance discusses various measurement approaches, framed as levels of measurement, and provides guidance for program-specific measurement. 

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The Placed-based Action Map

The Placed-based Action Map

Where is effective place-based impact actually happening, and who is involved? Until now, it’s been difficult to answer that with any clarity.

The Place-Based Impact Map allows users to explore initiatives across the U.S., making it easy to explore what’s happening in your region and others, and who to reach out to for insights. And the map offers place-base leaders an opportunity to promote their work to curious funders and regional supporters. A companion to the Place-based Impact Measurement Toolkit.

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The Principled Approach: Place-based Measurement Toolkit

The Principled Approach: Place-based Measurement Toolkit

Measuring impact can be hard to do accurately and effectively. Place Based Impact Measurement in particular, because every region and neighborhood is different. That can lead to overlapping KPIs and confusion over how to chart progress, and scale good ideas.

So, NationSwell’s Place Based Collaborative have created a new resource to address this gap:‘The Principled Approach’ — A toolkit to guide thoughtful, community-led, effective
measurement of place-based impact.

Whether you are embarking on place based work, or deep into it, this toolkit illuminates the key principles that put communities at the heart of not just the programs being funded, but the way the success of those efforts is quantified. A perfect companion to NationSwell’s Place-based Action Map.

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Impact Kit: Employee Engagement

Impact Kit: Employee Engagement

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit is focused on employee engagement.

Employees fuel the energy, commitment, and advocacy required to advance meaningful change—especially amid evolving landscapes, limited capacity, and increasing pressure to demonstrate value. When employees feel connected, empowered, and invested in, their engagement enables organizations to:

  • Strengthen culture and alignment across teams,
  • Unlock new energy, ideas, and influence, 
  • Amplify reach through ambassadorship, and
  • Achieve more sustainable, measurable impact over time.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals.

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Impact Kit: Collective Action

Impact Kit: Collective Action

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit is focused on collective action.

Collective action drives impact that no single organization can achieve alone. Organizations that invest in building partnerships, aligning incentives, and leveraging shared resources are better positioned to create lasting change with their communities. When done well, collective action enables leaders to:

  • Mobilize diverse stakeholders toward shared goals,
  • Amplify the reach and effectiveness of programs and initiatives,
  • Address systemic challenges with sustainable solutions,
  • Build trust, capacity, and resilience across communities, and
  • Translate collaboration into measurable impact that endures over time.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals.

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Impact Kit: Workforce Innovation

Impact Kit: Workforce Innovation

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit is focused on workforce innovation.

Workforce innovation unlocks opportunity—fueling stronger businesses, equitable communities, and a future-ready economy. When done well, workforce innovation enables leaders to:

  • Anticipate and adapt to shifts,
  • Build more equitable pathways to quality jobs and advancement,
  • Strengthen employee wellbeing, engagement, and retention,
  • Align business growth with positive community outcomes, and
  • Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and inclusion that endures.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals. 

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Impact Kit: Strategy Development

Impact Kit: Strategy Development

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit focuses on strategy development. 

A good strategy is the foundation of effective impact work. It buffers against the headwinds of shifting expectations, constrained resources, and heightened scrutiny. And when clear, compelling, and adaptive, a strategy enables leaders to:

  • Prioritize judiciously, 
  • Align and hold critical stakeholders accountable for action, 
  • Unlock resources and influence, and 
  • Drive measurable results over time.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals.

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Cisco | Skills-to-jobs at scale

Cisco | Skills-to-jobs at scale

How Cisco Networking Academy is transforming the lives of learners

The idea for Cisco Networking Academy was born in 1997. Cisco employees returned to an under-resourced school where they had donated state-of-the-art networking equipment. They were excited to see how students and educators were being empowered by the technology. Instead, they found the equipment sitting unused. The lesson learned that day was that technology alone is not enough; without the knowledge and skills to use it, even the best equipment’s potential will go untapped. 

Cisco recognized that for networking technology to truly expand and thrive, there needed to be a workforce capable of installing, configuring, and maintaining those networks. There was a critical skills gap: educators and students lacked the training to leverage the new technology, and there was no established pathway to build that expertise at scale.

Beyond just technical skills, Cisco also saw an opportunity to transform lives by providing inclusive access to technology education. Cisco sought to use its own technology and vast networking expertise to create clear pathways for both new learners and those reskilling or upskilling, ensuring they become prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Thus, Networking Academy was launched.

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