Surge Institute

The Institute has received funding from numerous prominent left-of-center nonprofits, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation. ^{2 3}

Background

The Surge Institute is a Chicago, Illinois-based nonprofit founded in 2014 devoted to developing racial-minority leaders primarily in the educational sector, but also the nonprofit and entrepreneurial sectors. The organization runs numerous fellowship programs and networking events that provide aspiring racial-minority leaders with training and mentorship. ¹

Activities

The Surge Institute’s first program was the Surge Fellowship, a leadership training program for racial minorities. As of 2026, the Fellowship had a curriculum that encompassed “finance, strategic planning, and change management,” among other subjects; training from racial minority leaders; and executive coaching and concluded with the Freedom Dreams Project, a culminating presentation concerning each individual fellow’s project goals. ⁴ The Fellowship initially operated only in Chicago, but in 2018, began to spread to other cities, starting with Oakland, California. ¹

The Institute’s Surge Academy is a “traveling national program” operating in Detroit, Michigan and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as of January 2026 that spends six months developing racial-minority leaders in particular cities. The training program is similar in structure and content to the Surge Fellowship. ⁵

The Black Principals Network is a program run by the Institute and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. The Network consists of Black school principals from across the United States who share ideas and best practices. The Network’s “principles” include “restoration” or “the intentional prioritization of rest and renewal,” and “liberation” or devotion to “collective healing.” ⁶

The Institute runs Surge Angels, a program to develop racial-minority entrepreneurs and business leaders. The program provides a seven-month series of presentations, meetings, trainings, and mentorship opportunities. ⁷

In 2023, the Institute launched Power Surge, a meeting for existing racial-minority leaders to discuss how to further develop racial minority leadership across the United States. ⁸

As of January 2026, the Institute had 414 Surge alumni, had produced content it claimed to have instructed over three million students, and had operated in eight cities. ⁹

Funding

In 2025, the Surge Foundation generated $5,977,419 in revenue, including over $4.3 million in charitable contributions. ¹⁰ The Foundation’s nonprofit funders include the Ballmer Group, the Schwab Foundation, the Schusterman Family Philanthropies, the Crown Family Philanthropies, the Finnegan Family Foundation, the Give for the Future Fund, the Joyce Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the McDougal Family Foundation, the McNulty Foundation, the Margulf Foundation, the NewSchools Venture Fund, the Polk Bros Foundation, the School Board Partners, the Schreiber Philanthropy, the Skillman Foundation, Spring Point Partners, the Square One Foundation, the Vivo Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the 1954 Project, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Osa Foundation, and the Square One Foundation. ^{2 3}

Leadership

Carmita Semaan is the founder and as of 2026 was the chief executive director of the Surge Institute. In 2012, Semaan founded C. Vaughn and Associates, a nonprofit consulting group, which she ran until 2014. From 2010 to 2012, she was the chief executive officer of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy. From 2009 to 2010, Semaan was the chief strategy officer at the America’s Promise Alliance. Earlier, Semaan worked in operations management at Proctor and Gamble. Semaan launched the Surge Institute in 2014 to overcome a lack of racial minority leaders in the numerous nonprofits in which she worked and consulted for throughout her career. ^{11 9} In 2025, Semaan earned a salary of $373,137 from the Institute. ¹⁰

According to the Institute’s website, William Collins was the organization’s chief external affairs officer as of 2026. Collins’s LinkedIn profile also lists him as the Institute’s interim chief executive officer as of November 2025. He has worked for the group since 2018, starting as the national vice president of development and external affairs. Collins also founded and continues to run Light Source Consulting. From 2015 to 2018, Collins worked at OneGoal, a post-secondary education mentoring nonprofit. Earlier, Collins worked in management at Home Depot and Target. ^{12 13} In 2024, Collins received a salary of $244,535 from the Institute.  ¹⁰

As of 2026, Janaia Nash was serving as the chief program officer of the Surge Institute, a position she had held since 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she worked in numerous roles at the Travis Manion Foundation, including spearheading the nonprofit’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts after the killing of George Floyd. Earlier, Nash served in the U.S. Army and worked at numerous nonprofits as a military-oriented mentor. Nash also previously worked in management at Target. Nash is a former member of CHIEF, a female leadership training organization. ^{14 15} In 2024, Nash earned a salary of $189,600 from the Institute. ¹⁰