We work at the intersection of financial sustainability
and mission impact.

We work at the intersection of financial sustainability
and mission impact.

Matter + Form is a consulting firm serving the unique needs of mission-driven organizations. We provide business planning, strategic finance, risk management, and financial turnaround services for foundations, non-profits, and for-profit organizations to accelerate and strengthen the impact of their work.

Our Services

Without a sound financial infrastructure, mission is not enough.

We help our clients examine how resources are allocated and how their operations support their mission, as well as help identify ways to diversify revenue and achieve greater financial and mission independence.

We provide a core set of services, including:

Business Planning
  • Working with organizational leaders and stakeholders, we develop business plans for new ventures and organizations in transition.
  • We identify the value proposition and market segmentation, develop a pricing or revenue plan with projections, and produce scenario analyses to test assumptions.
Strategic Finance
  • We help clients understand the financial condition of their organization and the contributing internal and external factors.
  • We assess how to strengthen their financial position and provide a diagnostic on their staffing, systems, and processes.
  • We help organizations implement the changes necessary to produce accurate and timely financial data to drive decisions.
Risk Management
  • We provide advisory services across the full cycle of risk management solutions, from risk assessment, mitigation, and preparedness to disaster management and recovery.
  • We apply an integrated approach to identifying and assessing business-critical risks, developing or augmenting risk management approaches, and responding to crisis events.
Turnaround Management
  • We stabilize organizations in crisis by driving rapid implementation of objective, data-informed improvement plans.
  • We bring a sense of urgency and objectivity in helping organizations address structural problems and implement changes that improve margins and create value.
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Business Planning

• Working with organizational leaders and stakeholders, we develop business plans for new ventures and organizations in transition.
• We identify the value proposition and market segmentation, develop a pricing or revenue plan with projections, and produce scenario analyses to test assumptions.
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Strategic Finance

• We help clients understand the financial condition of their organization and the contributing internal and external factors.
• We assess how to strengthen their financial position and provide a diagnostic on their staffing, systems, and processes.
• We help organizations implement the changes necessary to produce accurate and timely financial data to drive decisions.
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Risk Management

• We provide advisory services across the full cycle of risk management solutions, from risk assessment, mitigation, and preparedness to disaster management and recovery.
• We apply an integrated approach to identifying and assessing business-critical risks, developing or augmenting risk management approaches, and responding to crisis events.
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Turnaround Management

• We stabilize organizations in crisis by driving rapid implementation of objective, data-informed improvement plans.
• We bring a sense of urgency and objectivity in helping organizations address structural problems and implement changes that improve margins and create value.

Why Matter + Form

Experienced Problem-Solvers – Our team leaders have served in leadership roles in mission-driven organizations and understand the opportunities and challenges our clients face.

Data-Driven – We bring objective, fact-based analysis to every client situation. We rigorously assess organizations’ data, and the markets and competitive environments in which they operate.

An Operator Mindset – Our recommendations are based on experience, not theory, and we work side-by-side with organizations to implement change.

We Deliver Against Your Objectives – The best evidence of our impact is the success of our clients. We’ve delivered high-impact engagements for a broad base of organizations and are committed to delivering the results our clients want.

Sectors

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Education

By maximizing financial and educational return on investment, we help institutions transform how they operate and support students.
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Environment

From assessing the risks of environmental hazards to developing plans to rebuild communities recovering from natural disasters, we reshape how institutions prepare for and respond to the effects of a changing climate.

Who We Serve

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Foundations

We work with foundations to strengthen the financial and operational performance of their grantees, and support grantees in examining and evolving their business model.
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Corporations

We help corporations collaborate more effectively with social sector organizations. We help them understand the needs of different stakeholders and find opportunities for substantive partnership.
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Non-Profit Organizations

We work with non-profit leaders who are at a critical juncture and need business planning, risk management, and strategic financial analysis to strengthen their organizations.
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Governments

We work with policymakers and higher education system leaders to improve the implementation of policies related to student success. We work with state and local governments to assess risks from climate-related hazards, design sustainability plans, and develop recovery plans for areas impacted by natural disasters.

Who We Are

Basilia Yao

Basilia Yao

CEO

Basilia Yao, CEO, founded Matter & Form to bring financial and risk management solutions to organizations addressing society’s most critical challenges. She works with clients on business transformation, helping build the capacity of their organizations to use operational and financial data to measure, plan, improve and deliver results.

Education

  • MBA, Harvard Business School
  • Master’s in City Planning, MIT
  • BA, Columbia University
  • Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Lana S. Price

Lana S. Price

Principal

Lana S. Price, Principal, has expertise in building financial management capacity for non-profits and connecting strategy with sustainable business models. Her experience includes a combination of management consulting in financial management and strategic planning, grantmaking in education reform, and hands-on operational leadership in strategy and finance roles.

Education

  • MPA, Financial Management, New York University
  • BA, University of Washington
Cameron Smither

Cameron Smither

Engagement Manager

Cameron Smither joins Matter + Form with experience designing and building organizational models to facilitate institutional transformation. He draws upon a mixture of program evaluation, quantitative and qualitative analysis methods, and learning experience design to translate vision into an integrated strategy.

Education

  • MPP, Program Evaluation, George Washington University
  • BA, George Washington University

Case Studies

Risk Management

Matter + Form was hired by the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas to help develop strategies and recommendations for mitigating the state’s exposure to flooding and other hazards in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The Commission’s recommendations were published in the report “Eye of the Storm."

Strategic Finance

Matter + Form was hired to assess a nonprofit’s fiscal infrastructure, with the objective of strengthening its efficiency and effectiveness, and improving the organization’s capacity to make financially strategic, data-informed decisions. The assessment was conducted through a lens of anticipating significant grant funding, with an expectation that the grants would restrict the allowance of indirect cost recovery. We created a clear roadmap for change, with buy-in from executive leadership and funders.

Business Planning & Org Transformation

Matter + Form was hired by a higher education association to develop a business plan for a new high-growth service line. Our work included interviewing potential customers and benchmarking competitors to define a unique value proposition and pricing model for the new services. We evaluated a range of market scenarios to stress-test revenue assumptions and supported the client in the initial phase of service validation.

Contact Us

Matter + Form
26 Broadway
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10006