Social Impact Fund
The Social Impact Fund (SIF) is a funding opportunity open to local 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that are implementing solutions that address root causes in one of three focus areas: children’s health & wellness, financial security, and youth technology initiatives.
Initiated in 2015, the SIF follows a collective giving model made up of funds donated by Ingage Partners employees and funds matched by Ingage Partners. Those investing in the Social Impact Fund will be voting on which of the finalists will receive the Social Impact Fund award.
What We’re Looking For
We are looking to fund, strengthen, and grow local solutions that deliver significant results to local residents in any of the following areas:
- Children’s Health & Wellness: Promoting behaviors, increasing education and awareness, increasing equity and access to care, and creating systems that lead to physical, mental, emotional wellness among children and youth.
- Financial Security: Enabling underserved and financially insecure people and their families to break the cycle of poverty through strategies such as connecting low-income people with work and the skills necessary to succeed in a changing labor market, building career pathways to higher paid employment, creating new, sustainable-wage jobs, among others.
- Youth Technology Initiatives: Increasing access and exposure to technology education and pathways to employment among our local youth population, especially those underserved communities and among those who are underrepresented in the technology industry.
Grant Eligibility
In order to be considered for a grant, your organization must meet the following criteria:
- Registered as a 501(c) 3 organization within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky/Dayton area
- Provide or intend to provide programming in any of the following areas:
- Children’s Health & Wellness
- Financial Security
- Youth Technology Initiatives
Applications that are programmatic, capital, start-up, or research-oriented will be considered. We regret that we cannot accept any of the following types of applications: endowment, existing operating costs, partisan activities, completed projects, individual churches, indigent care subsidy, travel, loans, pass-through funds, or for individuals.
Finalist Presentation
Up to four organizations will be selected to participate in the finalist presentations. Each presentation will consist of a short video submission followed by a live question and answer session with Ingage Partners employees.
Award
All finalist organizations will be awarded $1,000. Ingage Partners employees who invested in the Social Impact Fund will vote to select one winning organization, who will be awarded $40,000 and 100+ hours of volunteer/pro bono work from Ingage Partners (estimated value of pro bono time is $10,000). Final amount will be announced immediately following the finalist presentations. The winning award will be distributed in milestones during the grant year, with the full amount disbursed by October 31st.
Grant Process
2022 SIF Timeline
- Jan. 20 – All Letters of Intent (LOI) due by 5pm
- Jan. 31 – All organizations notified of status and finalists notified of request for further information
- Feb. 10 – Round 2 information due by 5pm
- Feb. 21 – Finalists notified
- Mar. 18 – Finalist presentations and awards announced
Eligible nonprofit organizations must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to be considered for the SIF award
FAQs
How are applications scored?
We are looking to fund, strengthen, and grow local solutions that deliver significant results to local residents. Programs with a focus on implementing solutions that address root causes are encouraged. The SIF committee assesses the LOI and Round 2 information in 4 areas: Impact, Feasible/Achievable, Evidence Based, and Durable. What we consider in these areas is as follows:
Impact
Does the proposal describe a significant and/or urgent problem and will the solution have a transformative impact? Is the depth of the program sufficient to address the problem described? Does the project address a problem and solution in one of our 3 focus areas (children’s health & wellness, financial insecurity, and youth technology initiatives)?
Feasible/Achievable
Is the budget cost effective and linked to activities and outcomes? Is the cost per person receiving services reasonable taking into account the intensity of the program and its intended results? Does the team have deep knowledge or expertise to deliver its proposal on its own or through its partners?
Evidence Based
Does the proposal present evidence that the solution or critical components of it have previously yielded concrete results? What evidence is there that the approach has or will work?
Durable
Does the solution either expect to solve a problem in the short-term or create a pathway to an enduring solution? Will the solution have a sustained impact? Is there evidence of ongoing support, either through partnerships or financial, that will ensure sustainability?
- IT assessment and/or package assessments and guidance on how improvements in tech can help organizations operate more effectively and efficiently
- Organizational process improvements
- Website updates and/or improvements
If you have questions or interested in learning more, contact us at interested@pifcincinnati.org