A Letter From the Founder

We are not introducing ourselves with what we've done. We are introducing ourselves with what we intend to become.

I'm writing this from the moment FreshOut is being born — not from the moment it's been built. That distinction matters.

Most organizations introduce themselves with what they've already accomplished. FreshOut is choosing to introduce itself with what it intends to become. Twelve to fifteen young people will walk into our inaugural cohort in Q1 2027. They will not know us as an institution. They will know us as a promise.

Our job is to keep it.

The work in front of us is not new in spirit — the desire to equip young people to build wealth on their own terms has been a constant in our communities for generations. What's new is the architecture. FreshOut is built as ecosystem, not as program. As infrastructure, not as intervention. As the place a young person goes for the next ten years of their financial life, not the next ten weeks of programming.

If you are reading this as a future participant, here is what I want you to know: you do not need to be ready. You need to be willing. Readiness is what the program builds.

If you are reading this as a future donor, mentor, or partner: we are building this to last beyond us. The participants we serve in 2027 will be sitting on our board by 2032. The capital you provide today will be recirculating through alumni-led giving by the end of the decade. FreshOut is not a five-year experiment. It is a fifty-year institution being founded in real time.

Build forward,

Saint
Founder, FreshOut Foundation

Saint, Founder of FreshOut
The Person Behind It

I'm not writing this to you from some penthouse office. I'm writing it as a man who's still figuring it out — just a little further down the road than some of you.

I didn't learn this stuff growing up either. I learned it the hard way: failing, starting over, building things that didn't work, and slowly figuring out the systems nobody sat me down to explain. Credit. Banking. Owning something. The rules everyone seems to know but nobody actually teaches you.

Every year I got a little less lost. At some point I realized the most useful thing I could do with what I've learned is turn around and meet the next person where they're standing — so a few of the roadblocks I had to climb over aren't there for them.

That's what FreshOut is. Not me looking down telling you how to live. Me reaching back, hand out: I've got you. Let's build forward — together.

Saint Founder, FreshOut
The Manifesto

Build Forward.

We are not the program for those who have lost their way.

We are the program for those who are finding theirs.

The young people we serve are not statistics. They are not at-risk. They are not a problem to be solved or a population to be served.

They are emerging.

They are the entrepreneurs whose ideas have not yet found capital. They are the daughters and sons whose families taught them to work, but were never taught how to build. They are the credit-invisible, the bank-distrustful, the systemically underestimated — and they are brilliant.

FreshOut exists for the moment between I am starting over and I am building forward.

We do not coach survival.
We build owners.

We do not run financial literacy classes.
We construct the infrastructure that financial literacy alone cannot create.

We do not extract stories of struggle to fund our work.
We tell stories of construction — because the work is construction.

Twenty years from now, the young people who enter FreshOut this year will be sitting on its board, funding the next generation, hiring our future participants, and writing the curriculum we cannot yet imagine.

The first generation does not have to be the last.

We are building this to be the institution our community gets to point to.

Build forward.

— FreshOut, founded 2026
Governance & Trust

How we operate.
How we're held accountable.

FreshOut is structured as a 501(c)(3) public charity, governed by an independent Board of Directors with rotating three-year terms, supported by an Advisory Council, and guided by a Founder serving as President for the founding period.

01

The Board, not the Founder, sets the mission.

Our bylaws require a two-thirds supermajority of the Board to amend our mission statement or core program model. This is not a formality. It is a guardrail against mission drift in any direction — including ours.

02

The Founder does not control the Board.

A majority of our directors are independent — meaning they have no family, employment, or financial relationship with the Founder. This is intentional, and it is rare.

03

Compensation is set by committee.

Founder and Executive Director compensation is established by an independent compensation committee using comparable nonprofit salary data, in compliance with IRS "rebuttable presumption" requirements.

04

Lived experience has a permanent seat.

At least two board seats are reserved for individuals with lived experience similar to the youth we serve. As alumni graduate from our program, at least one board seat will be filled by an alumnus at all times.

05

Conflicts are disclosed annually.

Every director and officer files an annual conflict-of-interest disclosure. Related-party transactions require board approval with the interested party recused.

06

We audit independently.

Beginning at the threshold required by our state, our annual financial audit is conducted by an independent CPA firm with no other financial relationship to FreshOut.

Our Commitment to Transparency

Trust is not what we ask for. It is what we earn.

  • We publish our Form 990 annually within thirty days of filing.
  • We publish audited financial statements annually once we exceed the threshold requiring independent audit.
  • We publish an annual Impact Report including cohort outcomes, alumni longitudinal data, full board roster, financial summary, and a candid lessons-learned section that names what didn't work.
  • We make our governing documents publicly available on request — bylaws, conflict-of-interest policy, whistleblower policy, document retention policy, gift acceptance policy.
  • We name our independent auditor and legal counsel publicly.
  • We respond to questions from donors, journalists, and community members within five business days.

If we ever fail any of these commitments, we will name the failure publicly and explain the remediation. That accountability is part of the work.

Accountable to the Communities We Serve

We are accountable to them first — before donors, before partners, before our own institutional ambitions.

Our participants are partners in program design.

After every cohort, participants complete a structured program evaluation. Their feedback shapes the next cohort.

Our alumni network operates with its own elected leadership beginning in Year 3.

They are not subordinate to the Foundation.

We do not exploit participant stories for fundraising.

Stories are shared with explicit consent, full editorial control by the participant, and never as deficit narrative.

We pay our participants.

Stipends are not optional. Free programming for low-income youth replicates the exclusion we are working to fix.

We treat community partners as peers.

Churches, schools, CDFIs, civic organizations — not as referral funnels, but as collaborators.

When we fall short, we acknowledge it publicly.

And we correct it.

Frequently Asked

The questions we get most often.

About FreshOut
Are you a 501(c)(3)?

Our 501(c)(3) application is under IRS review. In the interim, donations are processed through a fiscal sponsor — a 501(c)(3) public charity — and remain fully tax-deductible. We expect our own determination letter within 3-6 months and will update this page the moment we receive it.

How is FreshOut different from existing youth financial literacy programs?

Most existing programs stop at education. FreshOut integrates three components most programs lack: a direct capital pathway (CDFI partnerships, grant pool, eventually a revolving loan fund), a structured business formation program (LLC, EIN, business banking by month 6), and an alumni reinvestment infrastructure designed to make the institution self-sustaining within a decade.

Who runs FreshOut?

An independent Board of Directors governs FreshOut. Our Founder serves as President for the founding period. By Year 2, we will hire an Executive Director who reports to the Board. Full leadership bios will be published as the founding board is seated.

For Applicants
Who can apply?

Black and Brown young adults ages 17-26 in our anchor city's metropolitan area. We particularly serve young people in transition — recent high school graduates, youth aging out of foster care, justice-impacted young adults, and early-stage entrepreneurs without business credit history. We do not require a high school diploma.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. FreshOut pays you — a $100/week stipend for participants in good standing throughout the 12-month core program.

How much time does it take?

6-10 hours per week. One 3-hour cohort session (Tuesday evening or Saturday morning), one 1-hour 1:1 with your assigned mentor, and 2-6 hours of self-paced curriculum and applied work.

Do I need a business idea to apply?

No. The program serves both aspiring entrepreneurs and young people building toward financial independence through other paths. By month 6, every participant has formed a business entity — but the business may be a side income project while you pursue other career goals.

For Donors
Where does my donation go?

Designated program gifts are deployed 100% to programming. Operational costs are covered by separate operating grants and unrestricted giving. Specifically: $100 covers business formation for one founder. $500 funds five weeks of participant stipends. $5,000 sponsors a participant's full year. $100,000 sponsors a full cohort.

How will I hear about impact?

You'll receive an impact letter within 60 days of your gift. Quarterly newsletters after that. Annual Impact Report each year. Donors at $5,000+ receive personal updates from the Founder.

I want to give appreciated stock, DAF gift, or cryptocurrency. Can you accept that?

Stock and Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) gifts: yes, contact us for transfer instructions. Cryptocurrency: yes, via our fiscal sponsor partner. Reach out to partners@freshout.org.

For Mentors
Is mentoring paid?

Yes. Mentors receive a monthly stipend. We treat mentoring as paid work, not volunteer labor.

What does mentoring look like?

One assigned mentee (4 hrs/month minimum), monthly mentor group convening (90 min), and quarterly mentor convenings. Total: 4-6 hours/month. Twelve-month initial commitment, renewable.

Who can be a mentor?

Professionals with 5+ years of relevant experience (industry, financial, legal, or community), willingness to commit 12 months, and ability to pass a standard background check. We specifically recruit Black and Brown professionals but also welcome non-BIPOC mentors who bring specific expertise.

For Partners
What kinds of partnerships are available?

Five tiers, from $5,000 to $250,000+. Founding Partner ($250K+, two slots ever), Legacy Sponsor ($100K-$250K), Gold Cohort Sponsor ($50K-$99K), Silver Partner ($20K-$49K), Bronze Partner ($5K-$19K). Full breakdown in our Sponsorship Brief — request via ecosystem@freshout.org.

Can we customize a partnership?

Yes — especially at the Founding Partner level. We tailor partnerships around the partner's specific interests: talent pipeline, brand alignment, ESG reporting needs.

How long does it take to formalize a partnership?

4-12 weeks from first conversation to signed agreement, depending on the size and complexity of the partnership.