Build organizations that change systems.
I partner with movement leaders, nonprofits, foundations, and public agencies to build the organizations their missions demand.
- Nonprofit executive and systems strategist
- $22M+ philanthropic funding raised
- Founder and Co-Executive Director, Unlocked Labs
- 27-member team led
- Founder and Principal, Hicklin Strategy Group
- 7 government entities contracted
- Board President, Metro Trans Umbrella Group
- 20+ years of policy work
- National Leadership Council, Lambda Legal
- Advisor to the Mayor, City of St. Louis LGBTQIA Advisory Board
- Executive Board Member, Keyway Center for Diversion
- Past President, NAACP Branch #4010
With your vision and my expertise, we can build solutions together.
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The problem “We have no fundraising plan. Every budget scenario is a guess.”
The solution A funding plan for the whole organization. A clear position in the market. A plan your team can run.
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The problem “Everything is a priority. We don’t even know what is effective let alone important.”
The solution A north star. Three, five and ten year plans. The partners to get there.
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The problem “We’re held together by workarounds. Things fall through the cracks unless I personally follow up.”
The solution Clear governance including role definition, SOPs and tools to structure the work.
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The problem “We are doing a lot. Is it even making a difference?”
The solution Evidence of the difference your work makes. A simple way to show it. Tools that do the reporting for you.
11 awards, fellowships and cohorts
From 2022 to 2025, including the Milken-Penn Grand Prize and a $250,000 Justice Innovation Prize.
See them all Hide the list
- 2025 Social Impact Award (opens in a new tab) Global EdTech Startup Awards, 2024 Global Finals at Bett London.
- 2024 Growth Prize (opens in a new tab) Tools Competition, for UnlockEd.
- 2024 Workforce finalist (opens in a new tab) Robin Hood AI Poverty Challenge, for UnlockEd.
- 2023 Grand Prize and Audience Choice Prize (opens in a new tab) Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition.
- 2023 Justice Innovation Prize (opens in a new tab) Dream.Org, one of three $250,000 prizes awarded at SOCAP23.
- 2023 Solver (opens in a new tab) MIT Solve, Learning for Civic Action Challenge.
- 2023 Roddenberry Fellow (opens in a new tab) The Roddenberry Foundation's 2023 Fellowship.
- 2023 Inaugural cohort (opens in a new tab) 100x Impact Accelerator at the London School of Economics.
- 2023 Unlocked Futures cohort (opens in a new tab) New Profit, in partnership with FREEAMERICA.
- 2022 Catalyst Prize (opens in a new tab) Tools Competition, for UnlockEd.
- 2022 Accelerator cohort (opens in a new tab) Fast Forward, tech nonprofit accelerator.
Strategy with rolled-up sleeves.
I build, present and advocate alongside the people I advise.
- MissionFuel product graphic
- Frame from MIT Solve's video
- Cover: EDC (desk scene made for this site)
- Frame from New Profit's video
Which problem do you want to solve first?
We’ll find the services that get you there.
Start a conversation
I build systems for people changing systems.
I am a founder, systems architect, strategist and advocate working at the intersection of justice, technology, nonprofit leadership, governance and public policy.
- I built Unlocked Labs from an original concept into a 27-person national criminal justice reform nonprofit, helping secure $22M+ and partnerships or contracts with seven government entities.
- I restructured Metro Trans Umbrella Group, a community organization with a three-week runway, into a professional organization with 18+ months of runway.
- I've advised government officials, under contract and as a volunteer, on public safety and justice.
- I serve on multiple boards, including the National Leadership Council of Lambda Legal, and advise dozens more organizations.
- I've changed policy through federal litigation and co-authored white papers on education technology in prisons.
My work is shaped by lived experience, legal advocacy, executive leadership and the practical work of building organizations that can survive contact with real systems.
Let's build what the work needs next.
Your mission is personal to me. I read and reply to every message.
Prefer email? Write to jessica@jessicahicklin.com.