Progressive Life Center will showcase how Maryland can lead in creating stronger systems for children and families.
A bold new national movement called Five & Rising launches today to unleash the full economic power of the social sector, and Progressive Life Center (PLC), which serves children and families across Maryland, has been chosen as one of three inaugural pilot communities to lead the way.
Launched by Social Current, a strategic partner to more than 1,800 human and social service organizations in the U.S., Canada, and beyond, Five & Rising seeks to rewrite the rules for how the social sector is funded, valued, and supported. The initiative takes its name from the sector's 5.2% share of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a reminder of its vast economic force and a signal that this is just the beginning.
Across the U.S., outdated systems, myths, and restrictive funding models limit the potential of a sector that powers 12.5 million jobs and contributes $1.4 trillion annually to the economy. Five & Rising aims to challenge these broken norms, elevate local leadership, and build scalable strategies that will transform how communities tackle their greatest challenges.
“The launch of Five & Rising marks a turning point for the social sector,” said Dr. Jody Levison-Johnson, President and CEO of Social Current. “This movement is about rewriting the rules and proving what's possible when we invest in communities that are ready to lead. Progressive Life Center embodies that vision. Their work to reimagine foster care as healing infrastructure is exactly the kind of bold leadership this moment demands.”
Inspired by the documentary UnCharitable, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, which challenges conventional thinking about how the social sector should operate, Five & Rising will work with communities across the country to co-create systems that match the sector's true scale and unleash its ability to deliver lasting impact.
“I've seen firsthand how the stories we've told about charity have limited what's possible,” said Gyllenhaal. “It's time we rewrite the narrative-one that reflects the truth: the social sector is a force of innovation, impact, and economic power. Five & Rising is how we break the old frame and finally fund real change.”
Founded in 1983, Progressive Life Center is a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to improving the delivery of a range of human services to individuals and families. Today, PLC provides culturally competent, evidence-based, and family-centered services to more than 1,000 youth and families each year across the Mid-Atlantic. With a developmental focus that emphasizes personal and family resiliency, PLC provides quality mental health and social services in four core areas: Child Welfare, Economic Mobility, Domestic Violence Prevention Care, and Juvenile Justice Services.
Through Five & Rising, PLC is focusing its pilot efforts in Maryland, where it operates a significant portion of its foster care programming. Grounded in this community, PLC isconvening a coalition of foster care providers, government agencies, legal experts, insurers, and people with lived experience to design smarter, more sustainable solutions. While the pilot is centered in Maryland, PLC is also drawing insights from its foster care teams in Pennsylvania and Delaware, allowing for shared learning across its footprint. By stabilizing care, reducing risk, and replacing surveillance with support, PLC is building a model of foster care that centers healing, family connection, and cultural responsiveness.
“Being chosen as part of this national launch is both an honor and a responsibility,” said Diana Banks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Life Center. “For more than four decades, PLC has worked alongside children, families, and providers to ensure foster care is a system that heals, not harms. Five & Rising gives us the opportunity to elevate this vision nationally, and to prove that when we name the true cost of care and build the infrastructure behind it, we can create stronger families, safer communities, and lasting change.”
In their first pilot year, Progressive Life Center and the other pilot communities-Center for Community Impact in Northwest Ohio and ChangeMakers in Hawaii-will participate in a yearlong curriculum to strengthen organizational resilience, reframe harmful narratives, and expand their influence. This knowledge will fuel cross-sector solutions that bring philanthropy, government, business, and community members together to confront local challenges and build collective action plans, creating a playbook that can be scaled nationally.
By stepping into this role, Progressive Life Center is proving that Maryland can lead the way in reimagining foster care. Their work through Five & Rising will demonstrate that when communities invest in healing, family connection, and resilience, they can create systems that protect children, strengthen families, and inspire transformation across the nation.
About Progressive Life CenterProgressive Life Center (PLC) was founded in 1983 as a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to improving the delivery of personalized human services to individuals and families. Today, PLC provides culturally competent, evidence-based, and family-centered services to youth and families across Washington, DC and surrounding Maryland; Baltimore; Greater Philadelphia; and throughout Delaware. Serving more than 1,000 youth and families each year,PLC focuses on four core areas: Child Welfare, Economic Mobility, Domestic Violence Prevention, and Juvenile Justice Services.
About Five & RisingFive & Rising is a national movement led by Social Current to unleash the social sector from the restrictions that limit its impact. Working with communities across the country, Five & Rising co-creates bold funding models, challenges broken norms, and builds the infrastructure needed for systemic change. Five & Rising is more than a campaign; it's a call to rethink how the social sector is funded, valued, and supported. Learn more and join the movement at FiveAndRising.org.
About Social CurrentSocial Current is the premier partner and solutions provider to a diverse network of more than 1,800 human and social service organizations. Together with our network, we are activating the power of the social sector to effect broader systemic change that is needed to achieve our vision of an equitable society where all people can thrive. We support, strengthen, and amplify the work of the social sector in five core integrated areas including brain science and trauma-informed approaches; COA Accreditation; child, family, and community well-being; government affairs and advocacy; and leadership and organizational development.
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