Summit Community Institute is a left-of-center conservation, education, and arts-focused organization. It is a project of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a Washington, D.C.-based left-of-center pass-through funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit. NVF is managed by Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm that controls a multi-billion-dollar “dark money” network in support of left-of-center causes. ¹

Background

The Summit Community Institute advocates in support of left-of-center policy on issues such as the environment, education, the arts, health care, and social innovation. ² The Summit Community Institute is part of the New Venture Fund. ³

Summit was founded in 2008 by a gathering of 19 people, and the institute went on to hold several “Summit Series” events. The institute seeks to build business collaborations to promote left-of-center social change. Summit bought Powder Mountain and renamed it Summit Powder Mountain. The group established the Summit Institute as the charitable nonprofit arm of Summit. ⁴

The Summit Institute orchestrates large-scale conservation projects. It also brings art access to communities around the world and convenes leaders to explore impact initiatives. ⁵ The Summit Institute Lab has also gathered experts to discuss topics such as “blockchain for social good,” social bonds, criminal justice issues, care for veterans, and ocean conservation. ⁶

Leadership

Ellen Gustafson is the co-director of the Summit Community Institute and a left-wing food and agriculture policy activist.  Gustafson co-founded the consumer goods company FEED Projects, the nonprofit FEED Foundation, and Food Tank. She is the author of “We the Eaters.” Gustafson also previously worked for the United Nations World Food Program and ABC News. ⁷

Kathy Roth-Douquet is co-director of Summit Community Institute. She is a lawyer who previously worked in the Clinton administration and at the Pentagon. ⁸

Greg Mauro is the chairman of the board for Summit Community Institute. Mauro is the founder and managing partner of Learn Capital. He was a co-founder at Edmodo, a global education network. He also co-founded Nextivity, SmartDrive, and Tachyon. He has been active in the charter school movement since 2000. ⁹

1. District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Search: New Venture Fund: Trade Names. Accessed June 30, 2021. https://corponline.dcra.dc.gov/BizEntity.aspx/ViewEntityData?entityId=2689437.
2. Summit Community Institute. Cause IQ. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/summit-community-institute,472323951/
3. Summit Community Institute. Open Corporates. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_dc/EXTUID_2689437
4. Summit Community Institute. Idealist. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.idealist.org/en/government/812b9815722946aa855ec8951cead329-summit-community-institute-eden
5. ^[1] About Us. Summit Community Institute. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.summitinstitute.com/
6. About Us. Summit Community Institute. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.summitinstitute.com/
7. Directors.  Summit Community Institute. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.summitinstitute.com/team
8. Directors.  Summit Community Institute. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.summitinstitute.com/team
9. Directors.  Summit Community Institute. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://www.summitinstitute.com/team