Case Study | ICONIQ Impact x Prospira Global
A new collaborative fund aiming to mobilise $30 million to support 18 organisations strengthening connection, belonging, and purpose for boys and men across the United States.
Impact Summary
Prospira Global partnered with ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ Capital's platform for collaborative philanthropy, to launch the Boys & Men Co-Lab: a collaborative philanthropy fund aiming to mobilise $30M supporting boys and men across the United States to build connection, belonging, and purpose.
A new collaborative fund for an emerging field. This Co-Lab is ICONIQ Impact's first Co-Lab focused on boys and men, bringing a group of philanthropists together behind a shared, evidence-informed strategy.
Local depth and national reach. Community-based grantees aim to strengthen support for boys and men in their own communities, while national networks can scale what works across the country.
Overlooked and underfunded organisations elevated. Many grantees were not well known to most philanthropists, despite strong leadership and outstanding potential.
Proven and emerging approaches together. Models with strong evidence sit alongside earlier-stage approaches that can build the field's evidence base.
A learning agenda for the field. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning across the portfolio will build shared evidence on what works for boys and men.
“We are sincerely grateful to the Prospira team for your partnership throughout this process. Your thoughtful engagement, insightful questions, and genuine belief in our mission made this feel like much more than a traditional grant process. It felt like the beginning of a meaningful collaboration.”
Sloane Keane, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, Boys & Men Co-Lab Grantee
THE OPPORTUNITY
Across the United States, boys and men are disengaging from the relationships and institutions that give life structure and meaning. 15% of men say they have no close friends, a fivefold increase since 1990 (2021). More than one in four fathers does not live with all of their children (2026). About one in eight young men aged 16 to 24 is not in education, employment, or training (2024).
Philanthropic interest in boys and men is growing, but the field is young. Evidence is uneven, and many of the organisations doing the most promising work are small, local, and little known to funders.
To help close this gap, ICONIQ Impact brought together a group of philanthropists to launch the Boys & Men Co-Lab, with technical advisory support from Prospira Global. The Co-Lab's vision is a country where every boy and man has a strong sense of purpose and belonging, feels connected to family, community, and opportunity, and is able to contribute meaningfully to society.
The Co-Lab now supports 18 organisations helping boys and men build friendship and community, stay involved in their children's lives, and find belonging and purpose in education.
OUR TEAM
Prospira Global drew on our network of experts to ensure Co-Lab donors had the knowledge they needed to make informed funding decisions.
We also consulted specialists across research, practice, policy, and philanthropy, while our core team managed the project end to end, bringing expertise on the boys and men’s space and working alongside potential grantees, ICONIQ Impact, and the Co-Lab donors.
“We really enjoyed working with the Prospira team and appreciated the expertise as well as the energy you brought to this project! Getting donor sign off and having all the donors feel confident and excited about the Co-Lab is a testament to the work you did. ”
Joe Collins, ICONIQ Impact
WHAT PROSPIRA GLOBAL DID
18 organisations selected for multi-year funding, from approximately 150 identified
Design of a theory of impact to build connection, belonging and purpose across three pillars: Community & Fraternity, Fatherhood, and Skills & Education
Design and delivery of a learning journey for donors, many of whom were new to funding for boys and men
Ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and learning across the portfolio
1. Theory of Impact
We conducted a landscape analysis and evidence review, working with ICONIQ Impact and the Co-Lab donors to develop a theory of impact for funding boys and men. We focused on where boys and men are quietly disengaging, from friendship, family life and education, and where well-timed, relational support can change their trajectory. From this came the Co-Lab's three pillars:
Community & Fraternity
Many men have fewer close friends and less connection to community life than previous generations. Organisations in this pillar help boys and men build friendship and belonging through shared activity and service to others.
Fatherhood
Many fathers want to stay involved in their children's lives but face real barriers to doing so. Organisations in this pillar help fathers stay engaged, benefiting children, families, and fathers themselves.
Skills & Education
Disengagement from school in adolescence can harden into lasting disconnection. Organisations in this pillar build belonging, mentorship, and supportive relationships for boys in education.
2. Donor Learning Journey
An important part of the ICONIQ Impact Co-Lab experience is supporting donors on a learning journey in the Co-Lab's focus area. Many Co-Lab donors were new to funding for boys and men. We guided the group through the evidence and the wider field, helping them move from shared concern to clear priorities and confident funding decisions.
3. Grant Portfolio
Working with donors, we developed evaluation criteria to guide grantee selection. Selected grantees have:
A focus on boys and men at risk of isolation, disconnection, or disengagement
In-person, relationship-driven models that meet boys and men where they already are
Credible leadership and a clear pathway to impact and scale
We identified around 150 organisations through landscape research and expert consultation. Through robust due diligence, we narrowed this list to 24 organisations that we discussed and evaluated with ICONIQ Impact and the Co-Lab donors. From this, 18 organisations across the United States were selected. We also worked with donors to develop a grant-sizing approach that directs funding to where it can be most catalytic.
We are proud to have supported ICONIQ Impact and the Co-Lab donors in building a fund that takes the challenges facing boys and men seriously, and answers them with practical, relational solutions. We look forward to seeing the 18 grantees take their work further.
Our team brought their unique expertise to this project to help build a country where every boy and man feels connected to family, community, and opportunity, with the sense of belonging and purpose to contribute meaningfully to society.
“Boys and men are a new area of giving for many philanthropists, and the evidence is still catching up with the need. Our job was to give donors a clear view of what works, and the confidence to back promising organisations most funders haven't yet found. We're proud to have helped ICONIQ Impact and the Co-Lab donors launch this fund and look forward to learning alongside the 18 grantees to strengthen and grow the field’s impact together.”
- Elisha London, Founder & CEO, Prospira Global
At Prospira Global we have the vision to mainstream mental health in the next generation of global financing through philanthropy and investment. Our mission is to design and deliver effective mental health solutions guided by intelligence, lived experience, and data. If you are interested in learning more about the Boys & Men Co-Lab or funding for boys and men, please contact us directly at info@prospira.global.