Eleven Nonprofits Have Been Selected to Receive $50 Million Social Innovation Fund

The Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) recently announced that about a dozen organizations from all over America will take part in the first round of Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grants. These grants will be issued by the federal government and total over $50 million. Private matching funds will also be rewarded bringing the grand total to over $123 million being directed toward the improvement of innovative nonprofit programs.

These grants will be given annually and organizations are eligible to receive them for programs lasting up to five years. CNCS intends for the SIF grants to be used for venture funding and once the organizations given funding reach their goals and prove their capabilities the hope is to attract future funders to be more aggressive.

The organizations chosen were specifically selected for their innovative focus and approach. According to Patrick Corvington, CEO of CNCS, "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."

In April, CNCS announced that it had received upwards of 200 letters of intent and requests from more than 60 organizations requesting a collective $125 million. These applications were put through an intense review process, which included the involvement of 60 experts, and the 11 nonprofits chosen have shown to be successful in growing high performance organizations.

The Social Innovation Fund is part of the Obama Administration's agenda to tackle social challenges through a focus on innovation, evidence, service, and cooperation between the public and private sectors. It is targeted in improving three key areas: economic opportunity, future health and youth development and school support. The 11 organizations chosen are (in order from highest to lowest grant amount): Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Jobs for the Future, Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, New Profit Inc., Local initiatives Support Corporation, Venture Philanthropy Partners, National AIDS Funds, REDF, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Missouri Foundation for Health and United Way of Greater Cincinnati.