Accelerator

You know something needs to change.

For child welfare leaders who feel the misalignment and are ready to fix it.

Maybe you want to launch something new. Maybe you're pivoting away from work that no longer fits your values. Maybe you have an idea that's been living in a notebook for two years and you just need the community, the structure, and the push to make it real.

That's exactly what the Accelerator is built for.


What's included:

  • The Cohort is 8 weekly sessions

  • 90 minutes each, 10 participants

  • 2 individual coaching sessions with Matt/Cheri

  • The full IF community & monthly meet-ups

  • A guided curriculum workbook

  • An Imagination Factory t-shirt (because you earned it)

  • Beyond the 8 weeks: 

    • 3 additional months of cohort coaching

    • Monthly Accelerator Grad meetups

Schedule:

  • Weeks 1-2: Clarify values, set intentions, learn principles + grow creativity

  • Weeks 3-4: Reality test your ideas with supportive peer + facilitator feedback

  • Weeks 5-6: Implement practices and principles to build your action plan

  • Weeks 7-8: Lock in your action plan and set your 30-day accountability plan

You'll leave with:

  • A clear, actionable plan you can use Monday

  • Peer community who knows your work and your ‘why’

  • Facilitator feedback from people who've done this

  • Tools that influence, pivot, and build something new

  • Confidence that your idea is worth the risk


Facilitators

Matt Anderson
Co-Founder + CEO


Cheri Williams
Co-Founder + Chief Program Officer

Worked inside child welfare a combined 45 years before leaving the status quo, and building Imagination Factory.

 

“With Imagination Factory's support, I connected with an attorney, found funding, and launched an app that links families to real-time care coordination.”

— TAYVON LEWIS, CRE8IVE CHANGE


Ready to build?

Virtual | 8 Weeks | Weekly Calls

Sliding scale & scholarships available for those with lived experience in the foster care system

Applications are open. Spots are limited.

Apply Now→

Accelerator FAQs

  • Child welfare leaders, founders, and mid-career pivoters ready to move an idea forward.

    Whether that's launching a nonprofit, starting a venture, or finding a new path that actually fits their values, these are the leaders ready to accelerate.

  • Eight weeks of 90-minute sessions, once per week. Plan for 3–5 hours total per week including independent work between sessions. 

    After the cohort, you'll have 3 months of monthly group coaching to keep the momentum going.

  • Nope.

    You need a rough idea and a willingness to get challenged. The Accelerator helps you sharpen the idea, pressure test it and refine it to a finished state.

  • Yes. 

    Sliding scale pricing and scholarships are available, with priority for applicants with lived experience in the child welfare or foster care system.

  • Whatever they dream.

    Past participants have launched nonprofits, pivoted careers, built apps, designed new programs, and found the clarity to leave work that wasn't working. 

    Ryan O'Donnell, CEO of Sunlight, launched a client-facing app and tested it with 400 clients in Oklahoma after going through IF.

 
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