Social Innovation Fund FY 2010

Corporation for National and Community Service

Description

APPLICATIONS CANNOT BE SUBMITTED THROUGH GRANTS.GOV APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE CORPORATION’S EGRANTS SYSTEM: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp This Notice of Federal Funds Availability (Notice) announces the availability of funding for the newly-created Social Innovation Fund (SIF), authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. The SIF is a vehicle to: 1) promote public and private investment in effective and potentially transformative portfolios of nonprofit community organizations to help them strengthen their evidence base, and replicate and expand to serve more low-income communities; 2) identify more effective approaches to addressing critical social challenges and broadly share this knowledge; and 3) develop the grantmaking infrastructure necessary to support the work of social innovation in communities across the country. The Corporation considers “social innovation” as the development of a potentially transformative practice or approach to meeting critical social challenges. An approach is “transformative” if it not only produces strong measurable outcomes, but also 1) significantly impacts or informs the public discussion about systems of service delivery, 2) addresses more than one critical social challenge concurrently, or 3) produces dramatic cost savings through efficiency gains. In FY 2010, SIF awards will be made to a small number of intermediaries (existing grantmaking institutions or eligible partnerships) which make investments in nonprofit community organizations as an essential (rather than collateral) means of fulfilling their mission and vision. The resulting national network of intermediaries will identify through competitive processes, invest in, support, and monitor promising, later-stage (as opposed to nascent or early-stage), innovative nonprofit community organizations (subgrantees) working with low-income communities in one or more of the following priority issue areas: • Economic Opportunity – Increasing economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals • Youth Development and School Support – Preparing America’s youth for success in school, active citizenship, productive work, and healthy and safe lives • Healthy Futures – Promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing the risk factors that can lead to illness

Who can apply

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education

Contact

Marta Urquilla <br/>CNCS <br/>202-606-3918
Innovation@cns.gov