Be the Change, Inc.

The organization was also a grantmaking institution, giving out funds to several groups for the purpose of supporting veterans and encouraging civic engagement. ² Groups that received grants included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, teacher placement and training organization Teach for America, and The Mission Continues, a national philanthropy that helps ease U.S. military veterans’ employment prospects and transition to civilian life. ²

The group was staffed by individuals who have worked for left-leaning causes, including for the Clinton administration, the Obama administration, the Biden administration, and Share Our Strength, a left-leaning group working to end childhood hunger and poverty. ^{3 4 5}

Activities

Be the Change was a 501(c)(3) civic engagement and veterans’ advocacy organization. ¹ The organization has ceased its operations and merged its campaigns into several nonprofit groups. ¹ The group managed the Service Nation campaign, an effort to establish a full-time, paid service year-long opportunity for young Americans. ¹ Since Be the Change sunset, the campaign merged with programs of the Aspen Institute, a think tank focusing on leadership, common ground, and hosting discussions, and the Service Year Exchange, another service year campaign, to create the Service Year Alliance. ¹

Opportunity Nation, a civic engagement and education campaign, was merged with the Forum for Youth Investment, a nonprofit organization focused on preparing children for college throughout the U.S. ¹

Got Your 6, a veteran support campaign, was merged with the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF), a private grantmaking organization that primarily gives to veterans’ causes. ¹

Be the Change also maintained a lobbying and advocacy arm, the Be the Change Action Fund. ⁶

People

Monique Rizer was the executive director for Be the Change. ⁷ She was also an ambassador for the Aspen Institute. ⁷

Alan Khazei was the chief executive officer for the organization. ⁸ He was a senior staffer at the Aspen Institute, and has founded several civic engagement nonprofits, including City Year, an AmeriCorps education and service program that receives most of its funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and AmeriCorps through federal grants. ⁹ He was also a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House. ^{10 11}

Robert Gordon was the president of the board of directors for the group. ³ He was a staffer for City Year, a White House Fellow during the Clinton administration, and served as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy during the Obama administration. ³

Michael Montelongo was a board director for the group. ¹² He is a board director for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), a corporate leadership training nonprofit that aims to increase performance and responsibility for corporate management. ¹² Montelongo was also an advisor to several defense contracting organizations. ¹² Montelongo served in the public sector as a U.S. congressional fellow for the U.S. Army, a NASA advisory council member, and as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force managing the branch as its chief financial officer during the George W. Bush Administration. ¹²

Michael Alter was a board director for the organization. ¹³ He was a founder and is a board director for City Year. ^{13 13} Alter is also the principal owner of the Chicago Sky, a WNBA team, and he was fined $5,000 for unregistered lobbying of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), while allegedly attempting to acquire a gambling license for his team. ^{13 14}

Deborah Jospin was a board director for the group. ⁴ She is the chief of staff for Freedom House, a nongovernmental organization that researches political rights and civil liberties in countries around the world. ⁴ She is a commissioner for the Biden administration’s Commission on White House Fellows. ⁴ She also staffed for the Biden-Harris Transition Team, the Obama-Biden Transition Team, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. ⁴

William Shore was a board director for the organization. ² He is the founder and chief executive officer of Share Our Strength, a left-leaning 501(c)(3) group working to end childhood hunger and poverty. ⁵ He was a chief of staff for former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and political director for Gary Hart for President, the presidential campaign of former U.S. Senator Gary Hart (D-CO). ⁵ He was also a board member for City Year. ⁵

Fagan Harris was a board director for the group. ² Harris is the chief of staff for Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D). ¹⁵ He was a staffer at the Aspen Institute and for the White House Council for Community Solutions under the Obama administration.¹⁵ He is also a board member for AmeriCorps. ¹⁵