Our Company
Since 2011, Third Plateau has been redefining impact consulting, earning recognition for our distinctive approach to building lasting social good.
In California’s Santa Cruz mountains, there’s a bluff known as the Third Plateau that our founders used to visit together on an annual predawn hike. After making their way up the climb, they felt inspiration for what can be achieved with hard work, clarity that changes your perspective, and community in the connection born of shared effort. This experience inspired our name.
For us, a plateau isn’t where things stand still — it’s where things become possible.
Since 2011, Third Plateau has been building lasting social good with people, organizations, and communities. Our approach is grounded in informed optimism and expansive thinking about how we partner with changemakers and philanthropists to create a profoundly better world.
In 2023, we merged with our longtime collaborators, Hirsch Philanthropy Partners, to enhance our philanthropy services. Founded in San Francisco in 1999 as one of the first philanthropic advising firms in the U.S., Hirsch brought deep expertise in family philanthropy and public-private partnerships, amplifying our impact across the social sector.
In 2025, we were named one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators, recognizing the culture of creativity and innovation that drives our approach to building the infrastructure of change. Our company continues to evolve in pursuit of better solutions to society’s most complex challenges.
Welcome to Third Plateau. Let’s change things for good.
How We Work
Our clients often say we don’t feel like any consultant they’ve worked with before — and that’s by design.
Our team is known for showing up as true partners, not transactional consultants. That’s why many of our clients are referred by those we’ve worked with over the years.
With a distributed team across the U.S. and offices in Northern California, we combine the resources of a larger company with the flexibility and personalized experience of a small shop, offering deep expertise and a broad range of services in one place. Our firm is home to strategists, advisors, researchers, coaches, storytellers, grant managers, and finance and administrative professionals.
Our Company Values
Our core values guide who we are and how we work to drive social change. They shape how we build our team and culture, creating an inclusive, collaborative environment grounded in purpose and belonging.
We passionately rise to the challenge of co-creating a just world we have yet to see but know is possible. We courageously and boldly advocate for the health, vibrancy, and prosperity of all and advance equity for current and future generations. We embrace our work with purpose, intention, and creativity. We experiment, take calculated risks, and question the status quo in an effort to design solutions that can scale impact swiftly and broadly.
We know that communities closest to the challenge are closest to the solutions, so we stay insatiably curious and lead with humility and an open mind. We actively listen, reflect, and explore with individuals from varied backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences to address gaps in our understanding. We push the boundaries of our thinking by asking powerful questions and integrating diverse ways of learning. We commit to continuous learning and adaptation, celebrating progress over perfection for ourselves and those around us.
We believe all people are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. We care for ourselves, each other, and our communities by finding meaning and joy in our work, practicing balance, and prioritizing wellness. We center authentic connection to help nurture a resilient, creative, and vibrant team, which is vital for fostering fulfillment in our work. We are here to improve our communities and live fully while we do it.
We believe all people are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. We care for ourselves, each other, and our communities by finding meaning and joy in our work, practicing balance, and prioritizing wellness. We center authentic connection to help nurture a resilient, creative, and vibrant team, which is vital for fostering fulfillment in our work. We are here to improve our communities and live fully while we do it.
Our Team
Smart. Trusted. Real. Meet the good people ready to be your partner in change.