Improving the lives of Canadians—and contributing to a more resilient society—requires breakthrough ideas and approaches, game changing strategies and collaborations, and continuous innovation.
To support this work, and to commemorate its 75th Anniversary, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation is pleased to launch the McConnell Social Innovation Fund.
The Fund has three components – one for early stage innovations; a second for scaling up successful social innovations and for mature organizations diversifying program and business models; and a third for multi-sector collaborations, including 'change labs'.
How does the Social Innovation Fund Work?
The McConnell Social Innovation Fund will support work that is congruent with the Foundation's own mission and granting priorities, in the following categories:
- Early Stage Consolidation: Community sector organizations that have proven or promising early stage innovations and that need additional support to create the capacity and conditions to effectively sustain them.
- Re-tooling for Growth:
- Established organizations that are operating successful social innovations which they are planning to scale up to meet growing demand.
- Established organizations (over $1 million annual budget) that are introducing innovations that significantly modify or complement their core business.
- Collaborations for Systemic Change: Whole system approaches to social innovation that engage multiple sectors (public, private, citizen) in creative collaboration to shape public policy, corporate priorities, or citizen behaviour.
In addition to providing direct grants through the Fund, the Foundation may convene meetings with other social innovators, policy makers and funders; arrange access to Innoweave workshops; and commission studies or reports.
