North America

We are facing immense societal challenges globally, which cannot be solved through technological innovations alone. We need sustainable and socially oriented solutions, that is innovations with and for society. Such social innovations need adequate financial support.   Over the last decade, there have been various approaches to financing and supporting social innovations, from accelerator grants to ... Insights on financing social innovation in Europe

The Labs for System Change report is our humble attempt to capture the overwhelming richness of the conversations that took place both within the conference and online via Twitter (we captured over 2,000 tweets over the few days of the event). We hope that the report will also surface some of the most pertinent questions and challenges ... Labs for System Change

The power of young people, activism and the role of government have been the focus of our team discussions at SIX over the last month. This month, the team have been to Cape Town and Bangkok for our work challenging universities to experiment and co-create social innovation, Canada and Australia for our work encouraging the ... What’s the role of young people in social innovation?

Many of the conversations taking place within philanthropy at the moment centre around legitimacy, transparency, equity, diversity, inclusion…the list goes on. These topics skirt around what really needs to be addressed: the unbalanced power dynamics entrenched throughout the sector. This is why at SIX we are focus on decentralising power within philanthropy this year. For this to ... Three ways in which funders can disperse power in philanthropy this year

I’ve spent a lot of time this year listening to funders; on the phone; at roundtables and during the three retreats we’ve held this year on Wasan Island as part of the SIX Funders Node. This programme supports philanthropic foundations from around the world to work more effectively and authentically, and in 2019 we held ... Three reflections after a year spent with funders

One of the reasons why I decided to run for Mayor was to pursue social innovation. Seoul has a population of 10 million, it’s a big metropolitan city and changing the lives of Seoul citizens is only possible not in front of a desk, but within the lives of the citizens. I am moving the Mayor’s ... Future trends for innovative cities

As cities grow in size and significance, they can become sites of complex social problems – but also hubs for exploring possible solutions. While every city faces distinct problems, they all share a need for innovative approaches to tackle today’s challenges. This essay is one in a series on future trends for innovative cities, written ... Cities for the imagination

Author: Louise Pulford & Cat Tully All philanthropic organisations exist to change the world, or at least a part of it. They are distinguished by their level of ambition – and by their optimism. But that makes them particularly susceptible to the radical uncertainties of our fast-changing world. To be considered transformational, any philanthropic organisation should ... Future-fit philanthropy: why philanthropic organisations will need foresight to leave lasting legacies of change

As cities grow in size and significance, they can become sites of complex social problems – but also hubs for exploring possible solutions. While every city faces distinct problems, they all share a need for innovative approaches to tackle today’s challenges. This essay is one in a series on future trends for innovative cities, written by the leading thinkers of the Mayor of Seoul’s ... Next for city innovation: creating backbones for enabling multi-stakeholder solutions

On 22nd February, SIX and Global Council partners Nesta and the McConnell Foundation hosted a breakfast on corporate social innovation in London. There are a multitude of ways that corporations are contributing to social change, but these initiatives can often feel piecemeal with varying motivations. For this first breakfast, we invited key thinkers to highlight ... Breakfast on corporate social innovation with SIX, Nesta and McConnell

In this Lab Exchange Series, Chelsea (Public Policy Lab, NYC), Stephane (La 27e Région, Paris) and Carolyn (TACSI, Adelaide) talk with Rachel (Social Lab, Hong Kong) and Marco (SIX, London) about participatory approaches and what kind of mindset they bring when working with the community. This conversation was part of Social Lab Symposium in Hong Kong. Working ... Co-creation and peer research Lab Exchange PART IV

In this Lab Exchange Series, Chelsea (Public Policy Lab, NYC), Stephane (La 27e Région, Paris) and Carolyn (TACSI, Adelaide) talk with Rachel (Social Lab, Hong Kong) and Marco (SIX, London) about building new narratives and capabilities needed to work as a lab practitioner. This conversation was part of Social Lab Symposium in Hong Kong. The terrible bureaucracy ... Lab Exchange PART II: The “terrible” bureaucracy and saying “no”

In this Lab Exchange Series, Chelsea (Public Policy Lab, NYC), Stephane (La 27e Région, Paris) and Carolyn (TACSI, Adelaide) talk with Rachel (Social Lab, Hong Kong) and Marco (SIX, London) about the emergence of social and public labs and what it means to work as a lab practitioner. This conversation was part of Social Lab Symposium in ... What is a social lab? Why now? – Lab Exchange PART I

Lab.  A word from the science field, that refers to the controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The idea has since been applied in the social and public sector. There has been a lab movement in Europe and the US for the last ten years, both inside ... The Lab Exchange Series

As cities grow in size and significance, they can become sites of complex social problems – but also hubs for exploring possible solutions. While every city faces distinct problems, they all share a need for innovative approaches to tackle today’s challenges. This essay is one in a series on future trends for innovative cities, written by the leading thinkers of the Mayor of Seoul’s ... Snakes and ladders in participation

Over the last 10 years, SIX has developed a broad view of what social innovation looks like in different parts of the world. We’ve seen how social innovation ecosystems have developed in response to the individual contexts of different countries, as well as the patterns that have emerged locally, regionally and globally. Here, SIX Executive ... The state of social innovation in 2019

As SIX Global Council member Social Innovation Generation (SiG) draws to a close after ten years, the organisation have created this book to chart and track their learning journey from the past decade.  Social Innovation Generation (SiG) was a coming together of unusual allies — a private family foundation, an innovation hub, a non-profit social enterprise and a ... Fostering a Canadian ecosystem for systems change – the SiG story

Having worked for an international exchange for almost 5 years, I can attest firsthand to the power of networks. Networks help us to navigate our daily life (whether in the workplace or at home), providing much needed inspiration and success stories, new connections and personal relationships, whilst expanding our learning and horizons.   I’ve thought ... What is the power of networks in philanthropy? Reflections from SIX

Social Innovation: Comparative Perspectives investigates socioeconomic impact. Since it is hard to establish causality and to measure social properties when investigating impact, especially at the level of society, the book narrows down impact to one priority aspect: social innovation—understood as organisations’ capacity to generate novel ideas, ways and means of doing things, and of addressing public ... Social Innovation: Comparative Perspectives

Corporate social innovation (CSI) describes corporations who integrate social innovation into their corporate activities. Although a relatively new term, shared value companies are not new, although the recent influx in CSI is a sign of the growing strength of this field. Corporations play a significant opportunity in 2018 and the next decade to be part ... What is corporate social innovation?

In 2017, a Co-Creation Steering Group, appointed by the Government of Canada, engaged stakeholders from across sectors and regions to provide recommendations for a pan-Canadian Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy. In 2018, the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group released its report, Inclusive Innovation: New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities. ... Government of Canada releases recommendations for comprehensive social innovation and social finance strategy

It’s time for a Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy for Canada. Canadians should be optimistic about the future. That said, serious challenges remain—poverty, homelessness, climate change—to name a few. And complex challenges demand new kinds of thinking to generate transformative solutions. Fortunately, Canada is a diverse nation of innovators. There is a need to draw on ... Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy for Canada

Funding systems change initiatives and innovations is inevitably risky. A growing number of foundations globally are interested in funding from a systems change perspective – yet there is a simultaneous trend toward metrics-driven grantmaking and quantitative evaluation of outcomes based on technical measurement. This has translated into risk-averse grantmaking that channels funds toward ‘guaranteed outcomes.’ ... The role of risk in funding systems change and how to manage it

Funding systems change initiatives and innovations is inevitably risky. A growing number of foundations globally are interested in funding from a systems change perspective – yet there is a simultaneous trend toward metrics-driven grantmaking and quantitative evaluation of outcomes based on technical measurement. This has translated into risk-averse grantmaking that channels funds toward ‘guaranteed outcomes.’ ... The role of risk in funding systems change and how to manage it

This article was originally published by Alliance Magazine. How philanthropy can support the growth of data for social good We often hear about the potential (and actual) perils of big data and emerging technologies – large privacy breaches, public opinion manipulation, and algorithmic bias – but there are also many positive ways it can influence society. Data has ... Blog: How philanthropy can support the growth of data for social good

What do we mean by strategic foresight? Strategic foresight, in general, is the systematic exploration of possible futures to help inform present-day decision making. It looks beyond 3- and 5-year strategic plans to 20, 30, or even 50 years into the future. Strategic foresight does not mean predicting the future. We are not futurists or ... How funders can contribute to a better future: Strategic Foresight

Please share this infographic freely with your organisation and network. This infographic is part of a larger project on the role of philanthropy in using data to solve complex problems. A global scan highlights many initiatives using data for good, the main methods, how philanthropy is engaging, and the challenges faced.  —————— Want to read more great content ... 7 Ways Philanthropy Can Engage Data for Social Good

Author: Kendra Schreiner Please share this infographic freely with your organisation and network. This infographic is part of a larger project on the role of philanthropy in using data to solve complex problems. A global scan highlights many initiatives using data for good, the main methods, how philanthropy is engaging, and the challenges faced.  Want to read more great ... Infographic to match report

Please share this infographic freely with your organisation and network. This infographic is part of a larger project on the role of philanthropy in using data to solve complex problems. A global scan highlights many initiatives using data for good, the main methods, how philanthropy is engaging, and the challenges faced.  —————— Want to read more great content ... Building Cross-Sector Data for Good Partnerships

Please share this infographic freely with your organisation and network. This infographic is part of a larger project on the role of philanthropy in using data to solve complex problems. A global scan highlights many initiatives using data for good, the main methods, how philanthropy is engaging, and the challenges faced.  —————— Want to read more great content ... Using Big Data for Social Good: 5 Steps to Keep in Mind

Please share this infographic freely with your organisation and network. This infographic is part of a larger project on the role of philanthropy in using data to solve complex problems. A global scan highlights many initiatives using data for good, the main methods, how philanthropy is engaging, and the challenges faced.  Want to read more great content like ... How is Data being used for Social Good and Systematic Change?

The conversation at the City Data conference hosted by Nesta on 24 May 2018 ranged from the ethics of algorithms to using avatars to help guide planning applications. The content was aimed at local authorities but the conversations were applicable to all sectors. I was one of the few attending from a social innovation background, with the ... The future of data – from cities to philanthropy

How philanthropy can better use, work with and fund data and emerging technologiesAuthor: Jordan Junge & Kendra Schreiner & Louise Pulford Foundations all over the world are grappling with their role in the emerging field of data and artificial intelligence. The field is fraught with potential controversy but also with possibility. Data has the potential to ... The role of philanthropy in using data to address complex challenges: A global scan

The gap in information Improving public welfare requires an in-depth understanding of needs and issues among different groups in society. Some mechanisms exist already to measure this information, such as the Genuine Progress Indicator, the Human Development Index, and the World Happiness Report. However, all of these are based on various datasets such as household consumption surveys, nutrition, health ... How is big data providing better insights into public welfare?

In this Lab Exchange Series, Chelsea (Public Policy Lab, NYC), Stephane (La 27e Région, Paris) and Carolyn (TACSI, Adelaide) talk with Rachel (Social Lab, Hong Kong) and Marco (SIX, London) about building new narratives and capabilities needed to work as a lab practitioner. This conversation was part of Social Lab Symposium in Hong Kong. New narratives Stephane ... New narratives and culture shift – Lab Exchange PART III

AI is already shaping the way people live and affecting day-to-day functions in society. It holds promises for social good, but also presents many challenges and risks. Yet, for many it remains inaccessible. How can everyday voices be included in the debate? How can we design AI for the common good? How do we ensure ... Ten articles to read on the future of inclusion in AI: Why AI matters in social innovation

Abstact Global Networks Networks are a powerful and growing vector for social change. Considering the complex nature of today’s global challenges, solutions need to be reactive to an ever-evolving landscape of players and circumstances. Networks are a fitting way to approach this complex challenge and if well-managed, networks help us share and use knowledge across ... Global Networks: Strategies & learning with peers

Ending malaria. Achieving marriage equality. Dramatically reducing teen smoking. Surmounting these and other daunting social challenges can require an “invisible hand” that amplifies the efforts of many other players in the field. These behind-the-scenes catalysts are built to win campaigns, not to last forever, and they are galvanizing population-level change. By Taz Hussein, Matt Plummer & ... How Field Catalysts Galvanise Social Change

Between the 2017 Paradise Papers scandal, the globally contested multi-billion merger between a large pharmaceutical and an agrochemical company, incidents of day-to-day disrespect of employees, protests over excessive pay and a leading car company’s fraudulent emission scandal, the air surrounding global corporations feels somewhat heavy. For the 17th consecutive year, the Edelman Trust Barometer recently surveyed tens ... 25 companies carrying out corporate social innovation

Author: Mark Cabaj The idea for this resource emerged during a retreat on Wasan Island for the SIX Funders Node devoted to exploring the challenges and opportunities of getting alignment on tackling tough social, economic and political issues.   The retreat focused on the changing role of foundations, why foundations need to align and how they ... Getting Alignment: Some Helpful Aides for Action

It’s not enough to be reflective. You need to put action into your reflection This was one of the many calls to action from the Spark! Conference in Toronto at the end of November. This gathering of 250 social innovators was at a pivotal moment. Although social innovation has gained in traction over the past decade thanks ... The future of social innovation – Canada and the world

As SIX Global Council member Social Innovation Generation (SiG) draws to a close after ten years, the organisation have created this book to chart and track their learning journey from the past decade.  Social Innovation Generation (SiG) was a coming together of unusual allies — a private family foundation, an innovation hub, a non-profit social enterprise and a ... The SiG Story

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. Abraham Lincoln  It’s been another eventful year at SIX, with a growing team, activities and ... Highlights 2017 – How has social innovation shifted and how has SIX contributed?

This piece builds on my contribution to OECD Forum 2017, Bridging Divides , and conversations on ways to ensure that more active online engagement actually leads to offline empowerment and participation. All public institutions worry about trust. They witness long-term trends of apparently declining trust, long for a golden age when things were simpler and ... How to lose trust and how to win it back

Abstract  Addressing many of today’s most pressing problems—from climate change to unsustainable borrowing to rising inequalities—requires both engaging broad public audiences and working with complex systems of institutions, actors and drivers to mobilize solutions. Over the past thirty years, advances in the field of public engage – ment have enabled citizens to meaningfully affect government ... Participatory Systems Change: A Primer

SIX recently hosted Tim Draimin for a breakfast in London with individuals working in networks and systems change. Tim works for the McConnell Foundation in Canada, is seconded to be the Executive Director of Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and is a member of the SIX Executive Board. After 10 years, SiG is sunsetting, as planned, at the end ... A Breakfast on Networks and Systems Change

Author: Jordan Junge If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together African Proverb We know that the challenges our societies face are growing in scale and complexity. We know that not one organisation is capable to solve these challenges alone. Not even foundations, who are uniquely positioned and ... Why do global foundations need to align for impact?

Introduction – What are universities for? For many, universities and higher educational institutions continue to be viewed as elitist and isolated institutions, with little connection to the society, communities and organisations around them. Indeed, universities are large, bureaucratic organisations, and many still operate in this stereotyped ‘traditional’ way. However, at a time when the challenges ... Report: Five ways universities are organising themselves to increase societal impact

As the pace of life increases, our lives are continuously engulfed by technology and data. There are few opportunities for stillness.  We need spaces to recharge and recalibrate more than ever, and when we find these spaces, we need to use them more strategically. This is the view of Dr Helga Breuninger of the Breuninger ... The philanthropy of place

We work hundreds of miles apart, separated by the border but our two organizations – the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation in Canada and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in the US -have formed a collaboration that is accelerating our efforts to bring about change in our respective countries. Despite our many differences, our organizations are wrestling with similar ... How foundations join forces for better philanthropy?

Social Innovation Generation concludes its decade-long run in its current form in December 2017. This blog is our opportunity to update our community and partners about SiG’s status and possible next steps. We are also conducting a short survey on what the social innovation ecosystem needs today – please take a few minutes to give us ... The future of SiG: Social Innovation at an Inflection Point

The Engineering Change Lab is a platform for collaboration to allow individuals and organizations from across the profession to take action to address the systemic challenges (i.e. ethics failures, lack of diversity, and low levels of innovation) that have been holding back the profession’s full potential. Engineering Change Lab hosted their 5th highly successful workshop in Montreal ... Engineering Change Lab – Sharing the Latest Lab Thinking

In January 2016, a group of 25 foundations from across 4 continents came together at the Rockefeller Foundation’s New York office to learn and share insights about funding social innovation that help them tackle their most important opportunities and challenges. Although there are numerous toolkits, guides and traditional gatherings for foundations providing tips, practical suggestions ... Pushing boundaries to advance social impact

The SIX Funders Node took place at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York in January, 2016 and was the first convention of social innovation grantmakers from three continents. Andrew Barnett, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s UK Branch, writes about his experience. Social Innovation should be invigorating and I returned from the SIX Funders’ Node ... Greater funder connectivity for social change: reflections on the SIX Funders Node

Chief Executive of Nesta and SIX Global Council member Geoff Mulgan highlights the issue of inequality in innovation in this blog, originally published on Nesta. The relationship between innovation and inequality is rapidly moving up policy agendas. For years an implicit ‘trickle down’ theory dominated how policy makers thought. It argued that resources should be concentrated where ... Inequality and innovation: the end of another trickle down theory?

How do we collaborate to create ecosystems that support innovation for systems change? On September 5, 2014, Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and Oxfam hosted one of the final sessions of the inaugural Unusual Suspects Festival at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK office that explored: How do we collaborate to create an ecosystem that supports innovation for systems ... Building ecosystems for systems change

The innovation Lab Insight Centre is a joint project between The Brisdgespan Group and the Rockefeller Foundation Focussing on Labs for Systems Change, the project brought together a blog and webinar series which shares research, expert insights, and perspectives on how these labs have helped funders and nonprofit organizations create environments conducive to innovation and ... The Innovation Lab Insight Centre

The Rockefeller Foundation’s Social Innovation Labs project explores what labs are and how, when, and why we might use them to address complex social problems. Many different types of organizations run labs. Some are part of larger organizations, like UNICEF Innovation Labs or the BRAC Social Innovation Lab. Others are independent, like InSTEDD. According to The Bridgespan Group, preliminary estimates indicate that ... How Social Innovation Labs Contribute to Transformative Change

This article was originally published on Social Innovation Generation (SiG) website. Social Innovation Generation (SiG) is a group who believes that serious social problems can be solved. Our focus is on fostering social innovation to achieve impact, durability and scale by engaging the creativity and resources of all sectors. Today, it is quite common to come ... The Scaling Imperative

As the strategic philanthropy movement has swept across the field, many grantmakers have lost their appetite for funding experimental and innovative projects. Recently, however, a number of funders have begun exploring how to deliberately reintroduce risk-taking into their processes and portfolios in search of breakthrough change. The term “innovation” is now used so widely and ... The Re-Emerging Art of Funding Innovation

An interesting phenomenon is emerging worldwide: more and more people are organizing to solve daily problems together and are collaborating with each other to live more socially cohesive and sustainable lives. This active and collaborative attitude, driven by several social and economic factors, is also based on a technological pre-condition: the diffusion of technologies that ... Public and Collaborative: Exploring the Intersection of Design, Social Innovation and Public Policy

In the latest issue of The Business Incubator, Allyson Hewitt introduces us to the concept of corporate social innovation. The article is a welcome demonstration that social innovation thinking is emerging into the mainstream. A young animator had figured out a new way to streamline the animation process. He approached the Information technology, Communications and ... Good Business

Participatory, user-centric approaches to solving problems are gaining momentum as alternatives to traditional organizations. Among these approaches is the innovation Lab, a creative, multi-disciplinary environment that employs a proven and repeatable protocol to seek disruptive, potentially systems-tipping solutions. Labs: Designing the Future, published in 2012, examines the Lab’s roots in complexity, networked collaboration and design ... Labs: Designing the future

Recently, I interviewed Paul Carttar, Director of the Social Innovation Fund–an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service (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 ... The Obama Administration’s Social Innovation Fund:An In-depth Interview with Director Paul Carttar

Andrew Wolk is the Founder and CEO of Root Cause. The establishment of the Social Innovation Fund last year marked a great milestone for the field of social innovation in the United States. As the Corporation for National and Community Service is receiving applications for its 2011 Notice of Funds Opportunity, I want to share ... A Social Issue-Based Approach to Finding and Funding Social Innovation

A really interesting article from the “Inspired Economist” site (http://inspiredeconomist.com) Yesterday’s extensive feature in The New York Times business section on Google.org’s (http://www.google.org/) failure to match its own lofty social innovation goals is a must read for anyone interested in the intersection of philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and information technology. The piece chronicles Google’s philanthropic ... The Failure of Google’s “Do No Evil” Approach to Social Innovation