The Social Innovation Fund

In 2010, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions was selected by the Corporation for National and Community Service as an inaugural recipient of a Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant. The Corporation was impressed with the strategic collaboration among 10 national foundations and more than 300 local funders that leveraged more $100 million in three years. SIF was also attracted by the unique organizational equal emphasis on both the needs of industry and the desire of workers for a good career.

These funds — $7.7 million over two years — are being used to help the National Fund scale up its efforts in 10 communities and commence work in six new communities. In each of these 21 communities, SIF funds require regional funding collaboratives to direct support to employers and workers in key industry sectors through the development of well-organized workforce partnerships. These partnerships will provide targeted training and career support assistance to more than 20,000 low-income individuals over three years.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. The Social Innovation Fund is an initiative of the Corporation that improves the lives of people in low-income U.S. communities. Through an innovative public-private partnership, the Social Innovation Fund and selected local and national grantmakers co-invest in programs that increase the scale of community-based solutions that have evidence of real impact in the areas of youth development, economic opportunity or healthy futures. Every Federal dollar invested is matched with private funds, and all programs are rigorously evaluated. As a result, the most effective approaches can be expanded to reach more people in need and key lessons can be captured and broadly shared.

The National Fund’s SIF grant supports the work of these collaboratives:

• Metropolitan Atlanta Workforce Funders Collaborative (Atlanta, GA): $300,000 over two years
• Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative (Baltimore, MD): $600,000 over two years.  
• SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce (Boston, MA): $600,000 over two years.
• Dan River Funding Collaborative (Danville, VA): $300,000 over two years.
• Central Iowa Works Funding Collaborative (Des Moines, IA): $600,000 over two years.
• Greenville Regional Funding Collaborative (Greenville, SC): $300,000 over two years.
• Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford (Hartford, CT): $300,000 over two years
• Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative (Jackson, MS): $300,000 over two years.
• Working Partners of Greater Louisville (Louisville, KY): $300,000 over two years.
• Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Council (Mobile, AL): $300,000 over two years.
• Greater New Orleans Workforce Funders Collaborative (New Orleans, LA): $300,000 over two years.
• Workforce Central (Wisconsin Rapids, WI): $400,000 over two years.  
• Greater Cincinnati Workforce Network (Cincinnati, OH): $600,000 over two years.
• Milwaukee Area Workforce Funding Alliance (Milwaukee, WI): $600,000 over two years.  
• New York City Workforce Innovation Fund (New York, NY): $600,000 over two years.  
• Pennsylvania Fund for Workforce Solutions (statewide): $600,000 over two years.  
• Job Opportunity Investment Network (JOIN) (Philadelphia, PA): $600,000 over two years.  
• San Diego Workforce Funders Collaborative (San Diego, CA): $396,625 over two years.
• Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative (San Francisco, CA): $600,000 over two years
• Workforce Innovations in Northwest Louisiana (Shreveport, LA): $300,000 
• SkillUp Washington (Seattle, WA): $600,000 over two years.

RESOURCES

• SIF RFP (Round Two) FAQ's
• Impact Evaluation RFP FAQ's
• Regional Collaboratives and Site Leaders can click here to find reporting templates.
• News Release: Six Communities in South, Southwest to receive $1.8 Million to Develop Innovative Approaches to Training and Career Development, February 15, 2011
• News Release: 10 Communities to Receive $5.5 Million to Strengthen Unique Approaches to Workforce Training, December 2, 2010

OPPORTUNITIES

• Request for Proposals: Support for Regional Funding Collaboratives for Workforce Development