About Us

Spirit-as-source is a powerful force for social change

Since 1980, Ashoka has developed the field of social entrepreneurship and created the first and largest community of system-changing social entrepreneurs (Ashoka Fellows).

We accelerate social innovators with transformative ideas that acknowledge everyone's potential to be a driver of change.
We enable supporting systems that help us all respond quickly and effectively to social challenges.
We collaborate with changemakers -- people who build solutions and foster ideas so that everyone has the ability to transform their societies for the better.

Through this global network of social entrepreneurs, we have recognized that spirit-as-source is a powerful force for social change, and it helps sustain energy and joy for the hard work of changemaking.

The Spiritual Changemakers Initiative was born as a platform for changemakers to connect, learn, and co-create pathways for collective impact involving spirituality, faith, or religion.

We hope to connect you to diverse and enriching perspectives. We are glad you are here!

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Spirituality, Faith, and Religion

We embrace and cherish the rich tapestry of belief and connection that defines each individual.

Spirituality represents a deeply personal journey, a bond that one might feel with the universe, God, a higher power, or one's inner self. It's a unique path where individual experiences and beliefs play a pivotal role, often transcending structured dogmas.

Faith is the radiant beacon of trust, an unwavering belief in something, often without the need for tangible proof. It's the inherent hope and conviction that guides many, even in the absence of visible evidence.

Religion offers a communal approach to spirituality through organized systems of beliefs, rituals, and practices. While centered around a higher power or deity, it provides a framework that binds communities together in shared belief, practice and support.

Whether you are just embarking on your spiritual journey or have been on this path for a while, if your heart beats with the intention to weave spirituality into meaningful action, then you've found your tribe with us. If your spiritual practices sustain your changemaking, come share!

Fundo em azul marinho com grafismos nos cantos. Ao centro, está uma foto em preto e branco de Frei David, homem negro de cabelos curtos e grisalhos nas laterais da cabeça com cavanhaque grisalho e usando óculos

The spiritual changemaking frame

We have been distilling patterns about changemaking in its relation to faith and spirituality and we have identified four main patterns of being and doing that spiritual changemakers embody and exemplify.

They bring aliveness to the work they are doing by embracing these principles:

Being Whole

In all my humanity, I am who we need. How I approach other people acknowledges their value and wholeness.

Power in Everyone

We need everyone. Distributed leadership and inclusive spaces unleash agency, self-definition of identity, and well-being for all people.

Fluid Mindset

Constant change means making room for emergence. More bridges and fewer walls make space for regenerative flows of resources, ideas, and solutions.

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Trust & Co-creation

Change moves at the speed of relationships. Spirituality and faith can be binding for trust to accelerate positive change in a deeply diverse ecosystem.

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Masterclass participants

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More about Ashoka's Spiritual Changemakers Initiative

The Spiritual Changemakers Initiative began in 2017 with Ashoka envisioning what might happen if the estimated 55% of people worldwide for whom their faith and spiritual beliefs are important in their lives could be engaged more as changemakers. In 2018 Ashoka’s partnership with the Los Altos United Methodist Church led to the first Changemaker Initiative and to the organization of that name created by the team that coalesced out of that first effort.

In 2021, Ashoka and Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies began a partnership to build an interfaith ecosystem supporting Spiritual Changemakers with the leadership skills, tools and mindsets needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century, with the goal of sustaining leaders of these efforts whether they are clergy, lay people, individual innovators, academic players, or other institutional actors.

In 2021 and 2022 Ashoka began offering Masterclasses for Faith-Inspired Changemakers around the world – in Indonesia, Philippines, and globally in English, Spanish and Portuguese, leading Spiritual Changemakers to become more engaged with each other, with Ashoka and with changemaking.

As this initiative continues globally and includes other partners, we are weaving a highly diverse ecosystem with a variety of initiatives, ideas and opportunities. We are open to all spiritual practices, faith traditions and denominations who believe in working for the good of all people.

We are in active conversation and collaboration to accelerate the transformation of our spiritual ecosystems and create room for spiritual changemakers to thrive. Join us!

The Spiritual Changemakers Initiative was born as a platform for changemakers to connect, learn, and co-create pathways for collective impact involving spirituality, faith, or religion.

Spirituality, Faith, and Religion

Spirituality represents a deeply personal journey, a bond that one might feel with the universe, God, a higher power, or one's inner self. It's a unique path where individual experiences and beliefs play a pivotal role, often transcending structured dogmas.

Faith is the radiant beacon of trust, an unwavering belief in something, often without the need for tangible proof. It's the inherent hope and conviction that guides many, even in the absence of visible evidence.

Religion offers a communal approach to spirituality through organized systems of beliefs, rituals, and practices. While centered around a higher power or deity, it provides a framework that binds communities together in shared belief, practice and support.