History

The earliest wish for Halcyon was to create a haven for the people who need it most. Equipped with the right tools and community, they could realize incredible, world-changing ideas that might not otherwise see the light of day. The success of the Halcyon Incubator, first launched in 2014, led to the establishment of Halcyon as an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2017.

2011

  • Halcyon House is purchased by S&R Foundation as the headquarters for a yet-to-be-named cutting edge incubator dedicated to social enterprise.

2014

  • Halcyon Incubator is established as a program within S&R Foundation, and Cohort 1 is introduced.

2015

  • The Incubator is a hit! Two cohorts are introduced this year, one in the spring and one in the fall, landing on the rhythm for flagship Incubator fellowships that we’ve had ever since.
  • S&R Foundation acquires the Fillmore School in Georgetown to be the future home of additional Halcyon programming.

2016

  • Twelve D.C.-based artists are selected to pilot an arts-oriented fellowship program.

2017

  • Co-founders Dr. Sachiko Kuno and Kate Goodall launch Halcyon as an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, “an exciting non-profit organization emerging from S&R Foundation designed to seek and celebrate creativity in all forms.”
  • The Fillmore School becomes Halcyon Arts Lab, home of Halcyon’s arts programming, including a performance-based initiative called Halcyon Stage, and a residential fellowship program.
  • Halcyon launches the Halcyon Dialogue, an annual roundtable discussion on innovative topics like robotics, AI, and digital privacy. The program set the tone for a tradition of powerful future-oriented conversations taking place at Halcyon.

2018

  • Halcyon introduces a dialogue series called Fast Forward, featuring visionary women founders and CEOS in conversation with BlueMercury CEO and Co-Founder Marla Beck. Over the course of 2018 and 2019, the series draws speakers like Salamander Hotels & Resorts Founder Sheila Johnson, Ellevest Founder Sallie Krawcheck, and Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky, among others.
  • The first international Incubator intensive programs draw a cohort of entrepreneurs from South Korea and another all-female cohort from Saudi Arabia.
Four incubator fellows in hijabs at Halcyon incubator cohort kickoff

2019

  • By The People 2019 draws over 38,000, with local economic impact in excess of $3.8 million.
  • Halcyon receives funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce to form the Halcyon Angels, a regional angel network to grow the pool of angel investors and expand access to capital for impact-driven businesses.

2020

  • The first Halcyon Incubator Opportunity Intensive offers year-long programming for social enterprise founders local to D.C. whose ventures are based in or impact designated Opportunity Zones.

2021

  • From June-September, Intensive Fellows from the Black Girl Ventures x Halcyon Intensive, the 2021 Opportunity Intensive, and the 2021 Bahrain Women’s Intensive visit Halcyon for residencies.
  • Halcyon launches the Halcyon Microloan Fund, created in partnership with the Kimsey Foundation, that will allow for continued support of social entrepreneurs looking for alternative funding vehicles to infuse their ventures with capital.
  • A bold new brand for Halcyon includes a fresh mission statement, “To accelerate the impact-driven future of business,” as Halcyon announces plans to move away from the arts to focus on impact-driven business.