Expanding the Impact of Community Solutions

The Social Innovation Fund is an initiative of CNCS 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 employs an operating and program model that is itself innovative and truly represents a “new way of doing business” for the federal government. This model is distinguished by four key characteristics:

• Reliance on outstanding existing grantmaking “intermediaries” to select high-impact community organizations rather than building new government infrastructure.
• A requirement that each federal dollar granted be matched 1-to-1 by the grantees and again by their subgrantees with money from private and other non-federal sources, thereby increasing the return on taxpayer dollars and strengthening local support.
• Emphasis on rigorous evaluations of program results not only to improve accountability but also to build a stronger marketplace of organizations with evidence of impact.
• Effective leverage of the grant program to share knowledge and insights with the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

The Social Innovation Fund was established in 2009 under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

The Social Innovation Fund Recently Added 49 Promising Programs to Its Portfolio

The Social Innovation Fund added 49 promising programs to its portfolio of selected community solutions in the spring of 2012. These programs were chosen by five Social Innovation Fund grantees to receive subgrant awards of at least $100,000 per year for up to five years, which they must match dollar-for-dollar. With their awards, these promising programs will transform the lives of more people by attacking challenges in youth development, economic opportunity, and healthy futures.

The 49 newly awarded programs were selected by the following Social Innovation Fund grantees: The Corporation for Supportive Housing, Mile High United Way, NCB Capital Impact, United Way of Southeastern Michigan, and The U.S. Soccer Foundation. For a complete list, view the Spring 2012 Subgrantees Fact Sheet.

The Social Innovation Fund is Reviewing Submitted Applications for its 2012 Competition for Grantees

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is in the process of conducting its third annual new grant competition for the Social Innovation Fund. CNCS released a Notice of Funds Availability on February 10, and applications were due by March 27 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

CNCS is currently reviewing applications for highly qualified, experienced grantmaking intermediaries to partner with the agency in growing and evaluating promising nonprofits making an impact in their communities. Details on the review process can be found on the 2012 Grant Competition page.

Award announcements are expected by early August.

External expert reviewer comments on all compliant applications from eligible Social Innovation Fund applicants will be posted on this site within 90 days of the award announcement. In addition, the full applications of all selected grantees will be posted online as well.

In this competition, we expect to award $10 million-$15 million to up to six new “intermediary” grantees. Each award will range from $1 million-$5 million per year and will be renewable for up to five years. Selected grantees will then match the funds 1-to-1 and make subgrants to promising nonprofit organizations in local communities.