The Social Innovation Fund

The Corporation for National Service will award up to $50 million in matching grants to intermediary groups that will then make subgrants of $100,000 and up to support social innovation. 

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) is a public-private initiative established by the 2009 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that funds 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; identifies more effective approaches to addressing critical social challenges and broadly share this knowledge; and develops the grantmaking infrastructure necessary to support the work of social innovation in communities across the country.

In 2010 the SIF plans to award $50 million total to 7-10 intermediary groups, which will be responsible for obtaining matching funds. These groups will then make subgrants through a competitive process to community-based nonprofits to produce measurable outcomes within a specific issue area or geographic region; evaluate their effectiveness; and replicate and expand to serve more individuals and communities. Subgrantees also must provide a 1:1 dollar match.

Program priority areas include economic opportunity, youth development and school support, and healthy futures (promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing the risk factors that can lead to illness).

Application deadline is April 8, 2010. For more details, see the program announcement online (PDF).