Bread Financial® and ROX™: A new model for corporate-nonprofit collaborations

Overview

Recognizing the unmet opportunity of traditional corporate giving models, Bread Financial® and Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX™) worked to create a more intentional, integrated approach to philanthropy. By aligning resources, expertise and long-term goals, the organizations developed a partnership-centered model designed to deliver sustainable, scalable impact.

What began as a modest corporate contribution in 2015 evolved into a decade-long alliance that has expanded ROX’s national reach, strengthened its research and programming, and transformed how Bread Financial approaches community investment. Together, the organizations demonstrate how reimagining corporate–nonprofit partnerships can unlock greater value for both communities and institutions.

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Bread Financial

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Bread Financial® is a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions to millions of U.S. consumers. Celebrating 30 years in 2026, it empowers customers and delivers growth for some of the nation’s most recognized brands. By leveraging its robust stakeholder universe and prioritizing purpose-driven business operations, Bread Financial has delivered tangible, lasting change in the community.

Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX)

ROX is the national authority on research, education and programming centered on girls. By putting data into action, ROX is helping create generations of confident girls who control their own relationships, experiences, decisions and futures. The organization, also based in Columbus, Ohio, delivers evidence-based programs in over 650 schools in nearly all 50 states and operates the ROX Institute for Research, translating data into actionable education and resources that address the most pressing issues facing girls today.

The Opportunity

Traditional corporate philanthropy often limits impact by focusing on one-time financial contributions and short-term outcomes. This transactional approach can constrain nonprofits’ ability to plan, scale and address systemic challenges over time. Like many nonprofits, ROX had big goals requiring more than donors to succeed and faced the challenge of securing partners willing to move beyond funding alone to provide deeper, more holistic support. Bread Financial recognized that ROX could benefit from support and resources that stretched beyond traditional financial funding and saw an opportunity to rethink the funder–grantee relationship to unlock greater potential for both organizations while delivering more meaningful community impact.

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The Solution

Designed to be adaptable across sectors and missions, Bread Financial and ROX co-developed a partnership-centered philanthropy model that prioritizes shared value, strategic long-term alignment and mutual accountability. Rather than following traditional giving models, the organizations built an integrated partnership grounded in five core elements:

1. Trust-Based Foundation: The partnership was anchored in multi-year, flexible funding that enabled ROX to plan strategically and invest in long-term growth. Streamlined processes and open communication replaced transactional reporting with meaningful dialogue, allowing both organizations to focus on outcomes rather than administration.
2. Integrated Partnership Design: Bread Financial and ROX aligned around long-term goals, pairing corporate capabilities with ROX’s mission-critical needs. This integration extended beyond financial support to leadership engagement and knowledge sharing, including Bread Financial executive participation on the ROX board that strengthened alignment and expanded access to new networks and stakeholders.
3. Advocacy and Amplification: Both organizations committed to shared storytelling and advocacy, using their combined platforms to amplify awareness. National initiatives such as Fast to 50 leveraged this collective reach to accelerate program expansion and impact, while coordinated campaigns highlighted real-world outcomes and built momentum across communities.
4. Strategic Sponsorship and Cause Marketing: Moving beyond traditional sponsorships and logo placement, Bread Financial embedded ROX’s mission into consumer communications and cause marketing initiatives. With its proprietary credit card program, they linked giving opportunities to everyday financial interactions which engaged new audiences and created sustainable funding pathways. Bread Financial also invited ROX to speak alongside them at events, sharing ROX’s message with communities the nonprofit wouldn’t typically reach.  
5. Ecosystem Activation: The model emphasized activating a broader ecosystem of associates, partners and community stakeholders. Through intentional collaboration and introductions, the partnership unlocked new resources, in-kind support and opportunities to extend ROX’s reach, demonstrating how corporate networks can be leveraged for collective impact.

Together, these elements created the conditions for long-term growth, deeper engagement and measurable outcomes — setting the stage for results that extended well beyond traditional corporate giving.