Federal Agency Announces $51 Million Available in New Funding Competition for Social Innovation Fund
Evidenced-based programs working in economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development eligible to apply
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) today released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) of up to $51 million for the 2015 grant competition of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF).
The deadline for applications will be 5 p.m. EST on March, 17 2015. Successful applicants will receive grants of between $1 and $10 million per year for 5 years.
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) unites public and private resources to evaluate and grow innovative community-based solutions that work. These solutions must have at least preliminary evidence of results in low-income communities in three priority areas: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development.
“The opening of the Social Innovation Fund’s 2015 grant competition marks five years of growth in providing evidence-based interventions for some of the most underserved communities and populations,” said Lois Nembhard, deputy director of the Social Innovation Fund. “This year the SIF will continue to invest in economic opportunity, healthy futures and youth development projects in underserved areas.”
In just five years, the SIF and its private-sector partners have invested more than half a billion dollars in compelling community solutions. As a result of $229 million in federal grants and more than $516 million in non-federal match commitments, the SIF has made grants to 35 grantmaking institutions and 189 nonprofits working in 37 states and the District of Columbia. These recipients have strong track records of identifying and growing high-performing nonprofit organizations and represent the diversity of the social sector.
During the 2015 fiscal year, CNCS plans to award approximately $51 million in grants, with up to $11 million going towards the continuation of existing SIF recipients. Each award will range from $1 to $10 million and will be matched dollar for dollar by the grantmaker. Grantmakers will then host their own open competitions to select innovative, effective nonprofits that will also match their grants.
Social Innovation Fund recipients receive significant technical assistance from CNCS to support implementation and evaluation of their programs. To date, the SIF has worked with nonprofits and grantees to develop 73 strong, rigorous evaluation models. Participation in the Social Innovation Fund gives grantmakers greater access to a national network of funders and nonprofits that are committed to investing in results-oriented solutions that improve lives in low-income communities.
The 2015 SIF NOFA, instructions on how to apply, and technical assistance information can be found at nationalservice.gov/SIF. Questions about the grant and application process can be sent to SIFApplication@cns.gov.