Taking A Closer Look At The Social Innovation Fund Grantees
Subscribe to the Blog RSS FeedIf there is one thing that Americans excel at, it is coming up with creative solutions to problems. And with so many chronic social challenges facing our nation, we love the fact that President Obama and the Corporation For National And Community Service are looking to stimulate innovation from the nonprofit sector. Back in May, President Obama announced he would ask Congress to set aside $50 million in the 2010 fiscal year budget for the new Social Innovation Fund (SIF).
The Fund was an initiative enacted under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, and according to the White House the idea is to identify the "most promising, results-oriented non-profit programs and expand their reach throughout the country" and create a policy environment for them to thrive. Along with a total $123 million from the annual budget and other federal funding streams, the grants included $74 million in private donations. In total, SIF will funnel millions of dollars in private and public funds to scale effective solutions in three focused areas: health, economic opportunity and youth development.
To get it all rolling, last week, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced its first SIF grants to a portfolio of 11 nonprofit organizations. The organizations were selected through a rigorous process to ensure that each demonstrated desire and ability to find proven solutions to social issues. "This portfolio is a collection of extraordinary organizations with an unparalleled body of knowledge and expertise on growing that works" reported Patrick Corvington, the Corporation's CEO. "They are all driven by the search for bold solutions and recognize that we must use evidence to target limited resources where they will have the greatest impact".
Above: Michelle Obama and Patrick Corvington Announcing The Social Innovation Award Grantees
Here are some of the SIF recipients profiled by the Corporation for National and Community Service:
Economic Opportunity
- Jobs for the Future, Inc. ($7.7 million; 2 year grant) the money will expand their training and technical assistance program for unemployed, low-income adults. The funds will increase economic opportunities for workers and job seekers.
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation ($4.2 million; 1 year grant) will grow Financial Opportunity Centers – a workforce development and asset-building model that boosts earnings, reduces expenses and coaches low-income families on how to make better financial decisions – to five new cities and 7,500 total participants. The Centers are a core component of the organization’s strategy to build sustainable communities.
- Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City ($5.7 million; 1 year grant) and the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) will replicate five effective anti-poverty programs originally piloted by CEO in eight urban areas. By advancing the education, employment and financial savings of low-income adults and families, the programs will combat poverty across a diverse cross-section of America.
Healthy Futures
- National AIDS Fund ($3.6 million; 1 year grant) will support innovative strategies that increase access to care and improve health outcomes for at least 3,500 low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The project will employ rigorous evaluation, informing the implementation of the White House National HIV/AIDS Strategy and offering lessons that reduce barriers to care for a broad range of people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases.
Youth Development and School Support
- New Profit, Inc. ($5 million; 1 year grant) will collaborate with five to six innovative youth-focused nonprofit organizations with existing evidence to yield significant improvements in helping young people navigate the increasingly complex path from high school to college and productive employment. The project will expand the reach of these nonprofits to improve the lives of nearly 8,000 young people in low-income communities throughout the country.
- The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation ($10 million; 1 year grant) will combine large grants, strategic business planning, rigorous evaluation and capital aggregation to increase the scale and impact of up to 10 youth development organizations in communities of need across the U.S. The subgrantees will focus on improving economically disadvantaged young people’s educational skills and workforce readiness as well as helping them to avoid high-risk behavior.
- Venture Philanthropy Partners ($4 million; 2 year grant) will create a powerful network of effective nonprofit organizations in the Washington D.C. National Capital Region supporting an integrated approach to addressing the education and employment needs of low-income and vulnerable youth ages 14-24
