The Social Innovation Fund is an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service intended to improve the lives of people in low-income communities. It does so by mobilizing public and private resources to grow promising, innovative community-based solutions that have evidence of compelling impact in three areas of priority need: economic opportunity, healthy futures and youth development.
The Social Innovation Fund promotes an approach to giving that includes many of the fundamentals that members of the GEO community helped pioneer and that we have long advocated for, and the fund is closely aligned with our own mission to promote grantmaking strategies and practices that contribute to grantee success.
How does the Social Innovation Fund work?
The Social Innovation Fund awards federal grants to grantmaking institutions ("intermediaries"), which provide the grantmaking mechanisms to deliver Social Innovation Fund dollars locally. These organizations have a track record of identifying, supporting and investing in the growth of promising community organizations.
To date, twenty intermediary organizations have been awarded funding – 11 in 2010, five more in 2011, and four in 2012– to implement programs in three priority areas: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development. Each intermediary is required to match its federal grant (ranging from $1 million to $10 million annually) dollar for dollar, in cash, and then re-grant the funding to community organizations ("subgrantees") it has selected through an open and competitive process.
In total, the 16 intermediaries from 2010 and 2011 held competitive processes and selected 197 subgrantees to lead projects in communities across the U.S. The subgrantees represent a wide range of organizations, from local nonprofits to faith based organizations to local public agencies and academic institutions. Social Innovation Fund intermediaries selected in 2012 will hold open competitions for subgrantee applications between Aug. 2012 and Feb.2013, and expect to announce the new subgrantees in the spring of 2013.
Additional Resources and Information on the Social Innovation Fund
- Social Innovation Fund 2010 - 2012 Investment Report
- Social Innovation Fund intermediary fact sheet
- Social Innovation Fund intermediary profiles
- Social Innovation Fund subgrantee program locations
- Collaborating funders
- The Social Innovation Fund Foundation Registry: created by the Social Impact Exchange, the Social Innovation Fund Foundation Registry is a web-based platform and designed to simplify the process for eligible Social Innovation Fund intermediaries and subgrantees to obtain matching funds from foundations.
- Lessons Learned Funder Guides from the Scaling What Works initiative
If you are interested in providing matching funds or want to learn more about projects happening in your community, check out profiles and videos of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Social Innovation Fund portfolios.
To learn more, visit: www.nationalservice.gov/about/serveamerica/innovation.asp.
