Top Illinois Social Impact Startups (74)

Over the last 15 years, we’ve grown from a startup to a market-leading organization with over 150 team members, and we’ve created an award-winning culture that makes this company an amazing place to work. We've been ranked on multiple best places to work lists including the 2026 BuiltIn Chicago rankings.

Pangea is a digital money transfer platform that makes sending money abroad simple, reliable, and cost-effective. Founded in 2012 and based in Chicago, we’ve helped millions of people send money securely and efficiently, empowering financial freedom across borders. We serve a global customer base with a mobile-first platform that offers low fees, competitive exchange rates, and fast*, secure delivery. Our work...

The Cove School provides a highly individualized education and life strategies for children with complex learning disabilities.

Double Good is a company built on creating joy and helping others. By reimagining product-based virtual fundraising, we help expand organizations' missions by giving back 50% of every dollar sold. We make ultra-premium popcorn sold through our simple-to-use software. We've helped raise over $200 million to support organizations nationwide that tilt the playing field for all kids. Double Good is not...

The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest's leading environmental legal advocacy organization that combines public interest litigation with policy advocacy to protect natural resources, advance climate solutions, and promote environmental justice.

Not every candidate is a top performer—and neither is every hiring assessment provider. Wonderlic’s mission is to help HR professionals identify top applicants and predict on-the-job performance by providing them with the most trusted, scientifically validated assessments on the market. Since the company was founded in 1937, more than 200 million Wonderlic assessments have been administered to job candidates. Our...

STEAMe's digital and data platform powers workforce development pathways to employment, connects system partners, simplifies workflows, and helps get the right person, to the right training, and the right job, so people and communities can flourish.

Founded in 2009, TeamSnap is the #1 platform for organizing youth, recreational, and competitive sports activities. Over 25 million users use TeamSnap’s web and smartphone apps to sign up, schedule, communicate and coordinate everything for the team, the club, and the season. TeamSnap makes organizing as simple as click, tap, and go.

Amp Americas owns and operates one of the largest carbon negative fuels producing portfolios in the U.S. Amp makes ultra-low carbon intensity renewable natural gas (RNG) from dairy waste at 7 facilities in 3 states processing manure from over 100,000 cows. Amp operates three business units: Amp Americas Development, Amp Americas Services, and Amp Americas RNG Marketing. Amp’s dairy RNG...

Vidmob is the creative data company. Its AI-based software improves creative and media performance by helping brands and agencies derive their own custom creative best practices, and ensure that those learnings are applied across all flighted media. Vidmob’s approach to using creative data drives brand consistency, reduces creative and media waste, and increases overall business performance across the funnel. As...

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a leading international theater company dedicated to the works of Shakespeare, producing a year-round season of plays, musicals, and world premieres, alongside extensive education and community engagement programs. It is a Regional Tony Award recipient.

mRelief provides an easy-to-use platform through web and text messaging that enables Americans to find out if they qualify and enroll in the SNAP (food stamps) program. Our mission is to transform access to social services for the inherent dignity of all people. We have served over 1,000,000 families.

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers is a patient-focused health care organization that provides, protects, and supports sexual and reproductive health services, access, and rights. It serves as a leading provider, educator, and protector of reproductive health care in the St. Louis region, Missouri Ozarks, and beyond, offering high-quality, convenient health care for all genders with or without insurance.

The GreenLight Fund works at the intersection of community need and social innovation. GreenLight helps open opportunities for children, youth and families experiencing poverty by engaging deeply with the community and running a consistent annual process to: elevate priority issues not yet being addressed; invest in innovative, proven programs that have a significant, measurable social impact; and galvanize local support...

Nature’s Fynd is a groundbreaking food tech company born out of NASA-supported research on extremophiles in the geothermal pools of Yellowstone National park. Our novel fermentation technology produces a sustainable source of complete protein using only a fraction of the resources required by traditional agriculture. As the challenge to feed the world’s expanding population grows, our mission is to create...

Operated by elected Supervisor, Danielle Chynoweth, Cunningham Township Supervisor’s Office (CTSO) is a government office providing a local safety net for low-income households since 1928. We provide General Assistance, Rental Assistance, Utility Assistance, Food Support, and referrals to services funded by Urbana residents serving Urbana residents. We provide Homeless Services to Champaign County residents funded through grants coordinated through our county’s Continuum...

The Invisible Institute is an innovative, non-profit journalism production company based on the South Side of Chicago. We work to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable. Among the tactics we employ are investigative reporting, multimedia storytelling, human rights documentation, the curation of public information, and the orchestration of difficult public conversations. Our work coheres around a...

Impact Engine is a venture capital and private equity firm investing in companies driving positive impact in economic empowerment, education, environmental sustainability, and health.

At The Brainchild Collective, we activate every young person’s potential to transform the world through holistic education solutions that help prepare students to live healthy and thriving lives.

Neon One was founded with the mission of becoming the most comprehensive and authentic end-to-end technology ecosystem dedicated to empowering mission-driven organizations. We pioneer solutions for fundraising, community building, and program operations that power the future of philanthropy. The team has worked with more than 40,000 nonprofits over the last several decades—bringing an unparalleled level of industry knowledge and expertise...