Venture
Philanthropy
Guide.org

Natasha van Bentum, CFRE

• Introduction
  
  
• What
  
  
• Why
  
  
• VP Organizations
          &
  
• Social Entrepreneurs
  
  
• Gift Planning
  
  
• Articles
  
  
• Other Resources
  
  
• Contact Us

Social entrepreneurship & venture philanthropy organizations

"Perhaps the growth of social entrepreneurism is the most important reason for adopting the venture philanthropy approach." -- Assessing Venture Philanthropy

A remarkable number of organizations are devoted to social entrepreneurship and venture philanthropy. Many of their web sites have sections on how these new initiatives work in practice. Many have all too similar-sounding names and for someone looking in from the "outside," trying to make sense of them all is a challenge and can be frustrating.

Tim Draimin of Tides Canada Foundation has written a good definition of social entrepreneurship.

Here is a listing of just some of the groups:

• Ashoka: Innovators for the Public: Supports individuals engaging in social entrepreneurship with three-year fellowships.
  
  
• Andrews Charitable Trust: Provides seed funding to social entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom and supports these investments with a blend of skills, advice and networking.
  
  
• Asia-Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment: Established by Swinburne University in 2001, the centre undertakes professional education and research in grant making and philanthropy at postgraduate level, and offers consultancy services.
  
  
• BC Technology Social Venture Partners: Employs a venture philanthropy approach to supporting positive social change. Participants hope to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of not for profit organizations by investing not only money but also time and expertise.
  
  
• Benetech Initiative: A nonprofit venture which aims to provide social benefits by harnessing the power of technology. Benetech focuses the efforts of technology and technologists to solve important problems facing society.
  
  
• Canadian Business for Social Responsibility: A business membership organization that works to support, promote and advocate responsible business policies and practices that benefit employees, communities, the economy and our environment.
  
  
• Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship: University of Alberta School of Business. "Just as business entrepreneurs employ leadership and innovation to seize opportunities to create economic value, social entrepreneurs use these qualities to capitalize on opportunities to meet critical social needs and to create social value."
  
  
• Centre of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies: Consists of academics and research students who have an interest in researching philanthropy and nonprofit organisations. The Centre is located within the Faculty of Business at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia
  
  
• Center for Venture Philanthropy: An initiative of the Peninsula Community Foundation (Silicon Valley) and a "forum for community donors to collaborate and catalyze for social change."
  
  
• Community Wealth: An online collection of case studies, models, tips and news about well-known and little-known entrepreneurial efforts to generate resources to promote social change.
  
  
• Echoing Green: A foundation operating on the venture philanthropy model and providing fellowships for social entrepreneurs.
  
  
• Enterpreneneurs Foundation: Has a mission to change the culture of the entrepreneurial sector in the Silicon Valley/Bay Area so they incorporate community involvement as a core element of their company. Make the community stronger by applying venture capital principles to scale-up successful non-profit organizations.
  
  
• Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2): An American national community of professionals and business people who believe in protecting the environment while building economic prosperity.
  
  
• European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA): A membership organization aimed at organizations and individuals who either are practicing venture philanthropy, are interested in learning more about it, or becoming more actively involved with it.
  
  
• Institute for Social Entrepreneurs: A social entrepreneur is any person who uses earned income strategies to pursue social objectives, simultaneously seeking both a financial and social return on investment. The Institute provides education and training for social entrepreneurs in the US and abroad and draws upon a virtual community of social entrepreneurs and others to collaborate on specific projects.
  
  
• Kirsch Foundation: Steve Kirsch has written extensively about venture philanthropy and is a venture philanthropist himself.
  
  
• National Center for Social Entrepreneurs and the International Centre for Social Entrepreneurs: The mission of both organizations is to encourage entrepreneurship throughout the nonprofit sector and to help individual nonprofits think and act in an entrepreneurial manner.
  
  
• Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-sustainability Team (NESsT): An international nonprofit organization with offices in Budapest, Hungary and Santiago, Chile dedicated to developing new strategies for financing civil society through entrepreneurship.
  
  
• New Profit Inc.: A nonprofit venture philanthropy firm committed to the practice of venture philanthropy and the evolution of a new market for social change. Their goal to effect large-scale social change by applying venture capital practices to philanthropy.
  
  
• Pioneer Human Services: Involved in social enterprise programming for more than 30 years.
  
  
• Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures: Yale University established a Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, funded with $4.5 million from the Goldman Sachs Foundtion and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The partnership has led to the non-profit organization Social Returns, which educates people about social enterprise and social entrepreneurship.
  
  
• Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF): An initiative of the Roberts Foundtion, REDF is a senior player in the venture philanthropy world, and describes itself as a social venture fund working with social entrepreneurs.
  
  
• Robin Hood Foundation: Robin Hood has a single objective: end poverty in New York City. It has a straightforward approach. Invest in good organizations. Give them top notch management support. Hold them accountable. Learn from their results. Duplicate their success.
  
  
• School for Social Entrepreneurs, U.K: SSE is both a school running a national program for social entrepreneurs and an action learning network to support local and regional social entrepreneurs' programs around the UK.
  
  
• Social Capital Partners: Social Capital Partners will invest in revenue generating social enterprises that employ populations outside the economic mainstream in Canada. The goal of these social enterprises will be to acquire scale, to eventually exist without external funding, and to create improved social outcomes and financial self-sufficiency for the populations they employ.
  
  
• Social Venture Network: Social Venture Network is a community of leading business and social entrepreneurs engaged in building a socially just and environmentally sustainable economy through our enterprises." See innovative Hollyhock Institute program.
  
  
• Social Venture Partners: Founded by former Aldus president Paul Brainerd. "Building a dynamic connection between entrepreneurial energy and grassroots innovation, SVP links business professionals and nonprofit organizations to make a hands-on difference." The SVP International web site links to local affiliates throughout Canada and the United States.
  
  
• Social Venture Partners Calgary: Seeks to develop philanthropy and volunteerism to achieve positive social change in the Calgary region. Using the venture capital approach as a model, SVPC is committed to giving time, money and expertise to create partnerships with non-profit organizations.
  
  
• Social Ventures Australia: Social Ventures Australia aims to source innovative solutions to many of Australian society's entrenched community problems. It aspires to become the focal point for the mentoring, nurturing and financing of Australian-based social ventures.
  
  
• Tides Canada Foundation: Offers a full set of national services for individual and institutional donors interested in putting their resources to work in supporting social, economic and environmental causes. Tides Canada Foundation is a new organization and could serve as a model on the philanthropy scene in Canada.
  
  
• Venture Philanthropy Partners: An initiative of the Morino Institute. An informational and philanthropic organization dedicated to assisting grassroots entrepreneurs.