What happens when nonprofits stop centering funders and start centering relationships?
In this week’s episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia sits down with Jacob Adams, founder of Inner Spark Learning Lab, to unpack what he calls the “Disconnection Crisis” — a pattern showing up across education, philanthropy, and social impact work. Drawing from years of experience working with more than 40,000 Black and Brown young people in South Central and East Los Angeles, Jacob shares why so many traditional reform models fail to create lasting change and what becomes possible when organizations build systems rooted in trust, listening, and authentic community partnership.
Together, they explore:
✨ Why transactional fundraising weakens long-term impact
✨ How disconnection shapes philanthropy and funding decisions
✨ What authentic community partnership really looks like
✨ Why relationship-centered leadership matters more than ever
✨ How nonprofits can stay mission-aligned while navigating funding pressures
This thoughtful and inspiring conversation challenges conventional nonprofit narratives and offers a refreshing framework for leaders who want to deepen trust, strengthen impact, and rethink how meaningful change actually happens.
🎧 Tune in now and join the conversation.
About the Guest
Jacob Adams is a former educator turned nonprofit leader focused on transforming schools from the inside out so they become places where Black and Brown youth want to be. He coined the term “Disconnection Crisis” to describe what happens when traditional systems pull young people away from their purpose, creativity, and community. In 2017, he founded STEM to the Future, now known as Inner Spark Learning Lab, to help schools become places kids and families genuinely want and need them to be.
🔗 Connect with Jacob Adams:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobadams706/
• Website: https://www.innersparklab.org/
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