1DAY
10+SPEAKERS
~60ATTENDEES
5CAUSE AREAS
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About the Summit

The Y Combinator for Social Good — and We’re Building It Together

Y Combinator built one of the most powerful institutions in tech not by building products, but by giving every cohort the same infrastructure: legal templates, investor intros, mental models, and a network that compounds over decades. The result has been thousands of companies, all built from the same shared playbook.

Now imagine that same machine, built for our sector.

The DreamForge Tech for Good Summit — co-convened with PeaceGeeks and in partnership with the Science of Philanthropy Initiative and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University — is your chance to get a sneak peek at what we’re building, and to be part of building it.

This isn’t a conference about AI. It’s a co-design session for the infrastructure that will power the next generation of social innovation — and we want your fingerprints on it.

Secure Your Spot →

September 22, 2026  ·  Indianapolis, IN  ·  ~60 Attendees

Presented With

Co-Convened & In Partnership

Co-Convener
PeaceGeeks A technology nonprofit using digital tools to help people affected by conflict and displacement access safety, rights, and opportunity. PeaceGeeks is a co-architect of this Summit and a founding partner in the DreamForge co-design process.
Research Partner
Science of Philanthropy Initiative SPI bridges rigorous social science and nonprofit practice — generating evidence that helps funders and organizations make better decisions. Their research on giving behavior, donor psychology, and effective altruism grounds this Summit in what actually moves people to act.
Academic Partner
Lilly Family School of Philanthropy The world’s first school dedicated to the study and teaching of philanthropy, at Indiana University. The Lilly Family School brings the intellectual rigor, sector relationships, and convening power to make this Summit more than a single day — it’s the beginning of a longer partnership.

What We’re Building

A Startup-in-a-Box for the Social Sector

When Y Combinator needed to standardize early-stage investing, they created the SAFE Note — one legal document that eliminated months of negotiation and became standard across the entire startup ecosystem. Thousands of companies have been funded faster because of it.

We’re building the social sector equivalent.

The DreamForge platform gives changemakers the same tools that power the best-funded startups in the world: AI-powered product discovery, shared legal and operational templates, an expert network on demand, and the infrastructure to take an idea from spark to launch — without needing a technical co-founder, a six-figure budget, or a law firm on retainer.

Sneak Peek: The Social Innovation Participation Agreement

Our first shared tool is the Social Innovation Participation Agreement — a SAFE Note designed for social ventures. It exists to let funders and mission-driven organizations move at the speed of ideas. Come see it at the Summit. Help us refine it. Take it home with you.

Schedule

Full Day Agenda

8:30 – 9:30 AM
Registration & Coffee Check in, grab a coffee, and connect with fellow attendees before the day kicks off. Our team will be on hand to answer questions, make introductions, and get you oriented for the sessions ahead.
9:30 – 10:15 AM
Welcome Remarks + Fireside Chat We open with something you haven’t seen before: a fireside conversation between PeaceGeeks CEO Jennifer Freeman, SPI Research Director Sara Konrath, and DreamForge Co-Founder Brandolon Barnett — joined by Nova, DreamForge’s AI co-founder. What does it mean to build technology for human flourishing? What changes when the AI isn’t just a tool, but a collaborator in the room? This conversation sets the tone for everything that follows.
10:15 – 11:00 AM
How Institutions Change in an Era of Continuous Disruption Before we spend the afternoon building, we need to be honest about how hard systems change actually is. Moderated by Messay Derebe, this panel brings together leaders who have navigated institutional transformation at the highest levels — across federal government, philanthropy, and the private sector. We want you walking into your Innovation Circle knowing exactly what you’re up against — and what’s possible anyway.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Platform Demo + Innovation Lab The Tech for Good Certificate course meets the DreamForge Innovation Consulting practice — live. We move through the core frameworks from the course, then show how those same frameworks get applied in real consulting and innovation engagements. This is the context behind the afternoon’s Innovation Circles, made visible.
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunch + Networking Facilitated networking lunch designed to connect attendees across cause areas and disciplines. We use light prompts to spark cross-pollination — because the best ideas often come from the collision of domains that don’t normally talk to each other.
1:00 – 3:00 PM
Innovation Circle Cause Breakouts Innovation Circles in action. Your assigned circle convenes around a cause area — Health Equity, Education Access, Climate Resilience, Economic Mobility, or Civic Trust — and applies the morning’s frameworks to a real problem. This is the core of the day: collaborative design built around challenges that actually matter.
3:00 – 3:45 PM
Shareouts Each breakout group returns to share what they built, what surprised them, and what they still need to move forward. This is where the room becomes a resource — not just for your own work, but for the field. The themes and tensions that surface here will directly shape the next iteration of the DreamForge platform.
3:45 – 5:00 PM
Working Sessions Rotating working sessions on the questions practitioners are actually wrestling with. Topics announced day-of — this year’s sessions include questions like ‘What’s the SAFE note for philanthropy?’ and others at the intersection of innovation, capital, and systems change.
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Closing Reception Wrap the day with conversation, new connections, and a clear view of what comes next. The Summit is a starting point — not an ending. We’ll close with concrete next steps for anyone who wants to stay involved in what we’re building together.

September 22, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN

Seats are limited. Reserve yours today.

Use code 26NONP50 for $50 off nonprofit registration.

Register Now →

Tracks

Five Tracks. One Mission.

🏥
Health Equity Technology-enabled access to care, mental health solutions, and community health infrastructure.
📚
Education Access AI tutoring, credentialing innovation, and closing opportunity gaps for underserved learners.
🌱
Climate Resilience Sustainable tech, environmental justice, and community-driven climate adaptation strategies.
💼
Economic Mobility Workforce development, entrepreneurship ecosystems, and tech-enabled pathways to financial stability.
🤝
Civic Trust Rebuilding trust in institutions, participatory democracy, and AI transparency in public systems.

Speakers

Thought Leaders. Community Builders.

Our speaker lineup brings together researchers, practitioners, and founders working at the intersection of technology and social change.

Brandolon Barnett

Brandolon Barnett

Co-Founder

DreamForge & Chief Innovation Officer, Giving Compass

Dr. Sara Konrath

Dr. Sara Konrath

Associate Professor

Philanthropic Studies, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IU

Jennifer Freeman

Jennifer Freeman

Chief Executive Officer

PeaceGeeks

Messay Derebe

Messay Derebe

Executive Director

Anacostia Arts Center, WACIF

+ More speakers to be announced

Join Us

Be Part of the Conversation

Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, technologist, funder, or community organizer — this is where the next chapter of tech for good gets written. We’re not looking for an audience. We’re looking for co-builders.

September 22, 2026  ·  Indianapolis, IN  ·  ~60 Attendees