About Unlock a Cause
Unlock a Cause is a prevention-first movement built on radical transparency and local empowerment. We help communities unlock funds, ideas, and action for issues that matter most—right where they live.
Unlock a Cause exists to make it easy for neighbors, small businesses, schools, and local leaders to move from concern to collective action. We focus on prevention because it is the most affordable, equitable, and humane solution to stop harm before it starts. Campaign ideas come directly from residents and local partners, ensuring relevance and inclusivity. Furthermore, we prioritize strategies with measurable prevention outcomes to maintain accountability. Every dollar is traceable from pledge to impact. Transparency builds trust, and trust creates stronger action. Residents, local organizations, and advisors surface issues. Together, we run short design sprints to shape prevention-first campaigns. Campaigns go live with clear goals, budgets, and timelines. Public dashboards display progress openly in the Impact Gallery. Funds split automatically—50% to prevention, 50% to uplift. As a result, micro-grants move within days instead of months. Every dollar and outcome is logged to the campaign page with receipts, milestones, and visual updates.Change starts with one local voice — yours.
Community-led
Evidence-based
Radically transparent
From idea to impact — fast.
1) Listen & Co-design
2) Launch
3) Distribute
4) Track & Share
Built by neighbors who wanted more than thoughts & prayers.
Unlock a Cause began as a kitchen-table project driven by ordinary people with extraordinary concern. Parents, veterans, teachers, and nurses asked why funding simple, life-saving prevention was so difficult.
The spark
Small pilots with school counselors and block associations led to faster help and fewer crises.
The model
We formalized 50/50 uplift and launched public campaign pages with receipts and outcome dashboards.
Scale responsibly
Security, data, and governance upgrades improved reliability. Partners rated us 4.8/5 for ease and trust.
Your city next
We are onboarding new towns and coalitions. If your community is ready, we’re ready to help.
Our Values
Dignity
People aren’t problems to solve. We build with communities, not for them—sharing both power and credit.
Prevention
Stopping harm upstream is kinder, cheaper, and measurably better for everyone.
Transparency
Budgets, receipts, and outcomes are posted publicly at all times to uphold honesty and trust.
Local First
We prioritize neighborhood voices and small organizations that truly understand local needs.
Meet the Team
Jordan Ellis
Organizer and former school counselor who believes small wins compound over time.
Riya Patel
Operations and measurement leader ensuring efficiency and integrity throughout processes.
Miguel Alvarez
Bridge-builder connecting small businesses, faith groups, and city agencies for collective success.
Leah Osei
Creates user-friendly tools that make giving, tracking, and sharing joyful experiences.
Dr. Asha Menon
Epidemiologist guiding evidence-based prevention design with compassion and precision.
Marcus Reed
Security and data privacy specialist ensuring safe civic technology platforms.
Sofia Romano
Keeps our books and dashboards accurate, transparent, and compliant.
Chief Tommy Grey
Veteran first responder supporting diversion and outreach initiatives for safer neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Alliance
City Youth Council
Hope Clinic
Downtown Merchants Guild
Proof you can feel, not just read.
Outcomes that matter
Youth program retention, ER diversions, screenings completed, neighborhood safety improvements, and school attendance are among the measurable outcomes we track. Visit Impact Details for live metrics and current results.
Community Testimonials
“We finally funded the small things that change everything.” — East River PTA
“Furthermore, we matched donations and met neighbors we’d never known before.” — Corner Market
Awards
CivicTech 100 (2024), Urban Impact Lab Honoree (2023), and Open Data for Good Finalist (2022).
These recognitions highlight our ongoing dedication to open data and community transparency. View highlights in our Gallery.
Trust is our operating system.
- Public budgets and receipts appear on each campaign page for total visibility.
- Quarterly independent financial reviews are posted to our library for public reference.
- Conflict of interest and anti-corruption policies are strictly enforced.
- Data privacy by design with SOC-2 aligned security controls ensures user confidence.
- Open impact methodology with third-party validation strengthens our results.
IRS-compliant
PCI-aware
SOC-2 aligned
Open Data Pledge
We never sell personal data. Donation data remains encrypted in transit and at rest for complete protection.