Top Illinois Social Impact Startups (73)

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...

Flowers for Dreams is the artisan flower service. Made to order and crafted locally, all bouquets start at just $35 with free hand delivery in Chicago & to Milwaukee. Every purchase benefits an amazing local charity. Named one of Business Insider's 20 Most Inspiring Companies in America.

Motion is an independent creative agency that builds the brands of tomorrow by uncovering the cultural truths of today. With creative, content, public relations and branding at our core, Motion is filled wall-to-wall with curious thinkers, problem solvers and strategic storytellers, partnering and building relationships with brands to create what makes them truly move. For more information, visit www.agencyinmotion.com.

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.

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...

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

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.

WINGS Program, Inc. is Chicagoland's largest anti-domestic violence agency, providing housing, integrated services, education, and advocacy to end domestic violence for men, women, and children.

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...

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.

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...

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.

SPEDxchange is an online community of special education teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, School Psychologists, School District Administrators and other staff that service special education students and their families. SPEDxchange is transforming and improving the way special educators, school districts and parents connect with each other.

Our mission is to replace politics with problem solving. And it starts with having “bubble-busting” conversations. Our vision is to coach and empower everyday Americans to participate directly in civic decision-making at all levels of government.

With more than 13.5 million monthly active users in virtually every country in the world, Grindr has grown to become a fundamental part of the LGBTQ+ community since its launch in 2009. The company continues to expand its ecosystem to enable gay, bi, trans, and queer people to connect, express themselves, and discover the world around them. Since 2015 Grindr...

GOODsend is a first-of-its-kind charity platform. We leverage our iOS app, a community of individual and corporate donors, and a secure, digital payments infrastructure to send money directly to Chicagoans most impacted by COVID-19. We collect recurring and one-time donations, and disburse funds directly to individual beneficiaries every 2 weeks.

Kaizen Health is a healthcare technology company dedicated to removing transportation as a barrier to clinical care, food access, social services, education, the justice system, and employment as well as delivering supplies, food and prescriptions so that everyone can live a healthy and happy life. Kaizen Health works with health systems, Federally Qualified Health Clinics, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage , non-profits,...