Impact Initiatives
As a social enterprise, Motive has a unique for-profit/not-for-profit hybrid business model. We generate revenue through programs and training 100% aligned to our mission of mitigating global conflict and instability. We then invest client-generated revenue into not-for-profit impact initiatives to further advance this mission. We’ve self-funded deployments of experts to frontline conflicts. We routinely sponsor student research and service projects around the world. We test new concepts in the field and publish findings to enhance our community of practice. And we provide lifelong, pro-bono reach-back support to all Motive alumni to help them translate concepts from our classroom into real-world impacts.
self-funded frontline activities
Motive self-funded a three-person team of experts to conduct research, analysis, and policy advocacy in Estonia to counter Kremlin-backed hybrid warfare in this frontline NATO country. Applying our one-of-a-kind Social Contract Assessment Tool (SCAT), Motive illuminated how specific Estonian institutions were being targeted, allowing us to deliver actionable recommendations to local civil society leaders and government officials on ways to bolster social cohesion and ensure resilience in the face of destabilizing external threats.
Prompted by an expression of need from U.S. and Colombian officials, Motive supported on-the-ground-research in Bogota to identify novel options to mitigate risks stemming from the influx of Venezuelan migrants. Our team applied Motive’s signature TCS methodology in a highly participatory, end-to-end analysis and policy-formulation effort in coordination with local officials, affected communities, and vulnerable migrants. Find out what we discovered and proposed here.
Pro-bono Expert advising
As part of our commitment to provide lifelong reach-back support to graduates of our courses, Motive is advising multiple U.S. government teams deployed in the Asia-Pacific region who are working to counter Chinese disinformation campaigns that undermine regional stability. These teams are applying analytic tools & methods gained in Motive’s signature TCS and Gov courses tailored for military audiences.
sponsoring student research
Each year, Motive sponsors graduate students from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs who are conducting capstone projects that align with our mission to mitigate global conflict and instability. We train students to conduct rigorous conflict and problem analysis, engage stakeholders using human-centered design methods, and produce high-impact outputs such as policy memos or action plans that transform their academic experience into one with lasting results in the world.