The Sorenson Impact Institute runs programs related to entrepreneurship and business formation housed at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. Sorenson Impact Institute was created in 2001, and, in 2013, the Institute was expanded with the help of a $13 million endowment from Jim Sorenson, the co-founder of a private equity firm in Utah and former CEO of Sorenson Media. ¹

The Institute runs more than two dozen social and environmental initiatives and has partnered with several left-of-center organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New Venture Fund, and the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation. ^{2 3}

History

The Sorenson Impact Institute, formerly the Sorenson Impact Center, was originally created in 2001 as a student-run venture. ⁴ The program expanded in 2013 when Jim Sorenson gifted $13 million to endow the program ⁵ which is housed at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. ⁶

Programs

The Institute has more than two dozen programs and research initiatives including the Founder’s Fund, Forbes OZ 20, and Project DEEP. The Joan and Tim Fenton Founder’s Fund was created in 2022 with a $5 million investment from the Fenton Foundation to support promising startups created by business students and people within the University of Utah network. Startups chosen to receive support are selected by students working at the Institute as well as individuals within the Fenton Foundation. ⁷

The Institute also partnered with Forbes to create the “Forbes OZ 20” program to highlight investors and organizations using opportunity zones to “promote responsible capitalism.” ⁸ The Institute judged finalists for the list by evaluating organizations’ “community benefit and engagement, transparency and impact.” ⁹

The Developing Equitable Economies Program, known as “Project DEEP,” assists minority entrepreneurs by providing coaching, educational programs, and technical assistance for their businesses. ¹⁰ The project is funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, JPMorgan Chase, and the Sorenson Impact Foundation. ¹¹

Partners and Funding

In 2014, the Institute received a White House Social Innovation Fund grant under President Barack Obama ¹² that was used to expand the Institute and increase staff to more than 40 employees. ¹³ In 2018, the Institute partnered with the left-of-center J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation to support the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers and “build a movement for early childhood development services.” ¹⁴ The MAPS project, a data science model for higher education enrollment trends, ¹⁵ was launched in 2019 with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ¹⁶

The Institute has several left-of-center partners for other programs including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lumina Foundation, New Venture Fund, and the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance. ¹⁷ Other partners include Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan & Chase, and the right-of-center Stand Together Foundation. ¹⁸

Leadership

James Sorenson is the founder of the Sorenson Impact Institute. ¹⁹ He is the managing partner of Catalyst Opportunity Funds, a real estate investment firm. ²⁰ He was the CEO of Sorenson Media, a company that successfully developed digital compression software for use in products such as Apple QuickTime and YouTube. ²¹ He also co-founded Sorenson Capital, a private equity firm based in Utah. ²²

Sorenson is a prominent donor of right-of-center political causes. In the 2024 cycle, he donated close to $10,000 to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign. He has also contributed to Republican political committees, having given over $40,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and more than $60,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. ²³

Geoff Davis is the CEO of the Sorenson Impact Institute. He sits on the boards of Align 17 and Arctaris Impact Capital, is an investment committee member of MIT’s Solve Fund, and is a senior advisor at Cicero Group. Before working with the Institute, Davis co-founded and managed Cicero Impact Capital and was the CEO of Unitus, a microfinance organization. ²⁴

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2. “National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/project/national-collaborative-for-infants-toddlers/.
3. “Our Story.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/our-story/.
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7. University of Utah Unveils ‘Founders Fund’ Created through an Investment from the Joan and Tim Fenton Family Foundation to Support Student-Founded Startups – Sorenson Impact Institute.” Sorenson Impact Institute, January 27, 2022. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/university-of-utah-unveils-founders-fund-created-through-an-investment-from-the-joan-and-tim-fenton-family-foundation-to-support-student-founded-startups/
8. Bertoni, Steven. “Meet the Forbes Oz 20: The Top Players Investing for Lasting Impact.” Forbes, December 12, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2019/12/12/meet-the-forbes-oz-20-the-top-players-investing-for-lasting-impact/?sh=7944d92a6805.
9. Bertoni, Steven. “Meet the Forbes Oz 20: The Top Players Investing for Lasting Impact.” Forbes, December 12, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2019/12/12/meet-the-forbes-oz-20-the-top-players-investing-for-lasting-impact/?sh=7944d92a6805.
10. “Project Deep – Sorenson Impact Institute.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/project/project-deep/.
11. “Project Deep – Sorenson Impact Institute.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/project/project-deep/.
12. “Our Story.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/our-story/.
13. “Paying for Success: The Story of How Utah Became a Leader in Social Impact Investing.” United Way Salt Lake, February 8, 2019. https://uw.org/news_post/paying-for-success-the-story-of-how-utah-became-a-leader-in-social-impact-investing/
14. “National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/project/national-collaborative-for-infants-toddlers/.
15. “Maps Project.” Sorenson Impact Center. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://sorensonimpactcenter.com/project/maps-project/.
16. “Our Story.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/our-story/.
17. “Partners and Testimonials.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/testimonials/.
18. “Partners and Testimonials.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/testimonials/.
19. “James ‘Jim’ Sorenson.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/team_bios/ab-jim-sorenson/.
20. “Jim Sorenson.” Catalyst Opportunity Funds. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://catalystimpact.com/jsorenson.
21. “Jim Sorenson.” Catalyst Opportunity Funds. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://catalystimpact.com/jsorenson.
22. “Jim Sorenson.” Catalyst Opportunity Funds. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://catalystimpact.com/jsorenson.
23. “James Sorenson – Browse Individual Contributions.” FEC.gov. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Jim%2BSorenson&contributor_employer=sorenson%2Bcapital&two_year_transaction_period=1996.
24. “Geoff Davis.” Sorenson Impact Institute. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/team_bios/geoff-davis/.