March 2023 Social Impact News Roundup: Inclusivity in Social Innovation

Building Resilience in Rural Communities

In times of crisis, those living in rural poverty often have more difficulty recovering from shocks. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal #3 and truly ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all, we need innovations that are designed for rural communities. In its latest report, our partners at Tierra Grata share how they are leveraging decentralized last-mile distribution networks to provide access to clean energy, water, and safe sanitation services to boost resilience. From the financial side, our partners at Swiss Capacity Building Facility recently shared a report on its promising microinsurance pilot in Ghana and Malawi – helping foster resilience by ensuring communities aren’t left with further financial difficulties after a death, birth, theft, accident, illness, or disaster. Meanwhile, TRANSFORM Support Hub member, OKO Finance, won the InsutechInsight Ambitious Insurer Award 2023 for its work in partnership with Allianz to provide more security to those in rural communities. 

Engaging the Next Generation of Scientific Innovators

Science and social innovation are among the core drivers of a fairer and more equitable future. In its latest impact report, our partners at Bayer Foundation share how it supports young and emerging scientists as well as social entrepreneurs around the globe to drive breakthrough scientific innovations and direct them towards the people and communities who need them. Scientific and technological innovation also play a key role in the fight against climate change – get inspired with this roundup of 10 climate tech social enterprises from our TRANSFORM Support Hub and beyond.

Overcoming Barriers to Financing with Impact Measurement

High-quality impact measurement and management (IMM) is vital for early-stage startups: it increases efficiency, strengthens business resilience, and helps companies become investment-ready by better articulating and validating their value propositions (for more tips on how to do that, check out this advice shared by Unilever’s Global Sustainability Director in a recent TRANSFORM Support Hub webinar.) Our partners at Mercy Corps Ventures recently created an open-source guide outlining how to run an IMM engagement with early-stage companies as an investor, and for guidance about how to approach impact measurement as a social entrepreneur, check out our guide for social enterprises here. 

Social Impact Job Openings

• Ashoka is hiring for a Corporate Partnership Associate (based in Washington, D.C.)
• Aspen Institute is hiring for a Senior Program Associate (based in New York, NY)
• Bridgespan Leadership Accelerator is hiring for a Senior Outreach and Partnerships Associate (hybrid/remote within US)
• Circulate Capital is hiring for a Senior Compliance Manager (based in Singapore)
• Echoing Green is hiring for a Communications Manager (based in New York, NY)
• Electronic Arts is hiring for a Head of Global Social Impact (hybrid out of Marina del Rey, CA)
• Female Founders Fund is hiring for a Head of Strategic Communications (hybrid out of New York, NY)
• Global Impact Investing Network is hiring for multiple positions (hybrid out of New York, NY), including:
  • Associate Director, Peer Learning
  • Research Associate
  • Grant Officer 
• Impact Force is hiring for a Project Lead/Manager (Ukraine – remote)
• Mastercard is hiring for a Senior Analyst, NAM Impact Programs (based in Purchase, NY)
• Patagonia is hiring for an Environmental Impact Officer (based in Ventura, CA)
• Proof of Impact is hiring for a UX/UI Designer (based in Miami, FL or remote)
• Siemens Energy Ventures is hiring for a Venture Analyst (global)
• Skoll Foundation is hiring for a Senior Manager, Talent & Culture (based in Palo Alto, CA)
• Social Enterprise Alliance is hiring for an Interim Executive Director (remote within US)
• World Bank Group is hiring a Research Analyst (based in Washington, D.C.)
• World Economic Forum is hiring for an Initiatives Lead, Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship (based in Geneva, Switzerland) 

Upcoming Events & New Programs

• April 13: Join Business Fights Poverty for a live, written discussion about social innovation in businesses! Hear from a diverse and exciting lineup of panelists, including MovingWorlds’ own Head of Partnerships, Alam Bains. Learn more here. 
• April 14: Join Upaya Social Ventures and Dalberg for a workshop on job dignity at the Marmalade Festival — the ecosystem-led event series hosted alongside the 2023 Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK. Register here. 
• April 20: Join Social Enterprise Alliance for a free webinar, “Introduction to Innovation Leadership.” Register here.
• April 24: Deadline to apply to the Urban Future Prize Competition, which seeks to find the brightest climate tech startups and award two winners with $50,000 cash prizes.
• April 26: Deadline to apply to the Green Changemakers Challenge, which will award sustainability innovators with up to $25,000 of grant funding and capacity support from HSBC and Ashoka. 
• April 28: Deadline to apply to the 2024 Toilet Board Coalition Accelerator, which provides sanitation entrepreneurs with 12 months of in-kind business support and access to capital.
• April 28: Deadline to apply to the Futures Fund Community Health Incubator 2.0, a fully funded opportunity with non-diluted grants and the potential follow-on investment of up to $200,000.
• April 28: Deadline to apply for the J.M.K. Innovation Prize, which will award innovators with transformative early-stage projects in the fields of the environment, heritage conservation, and social justice with $150,000 over three years, plus $25,000 in technical assistance funds.
• May 1-5: Catalyst 2030 is hosting its annual Catalyzing Change Week, with the theme of “Solutions From the Frontlines.” Learn more and register here.
• Ongoing: Calling social enterprise sellers! Did you know there’s a community ready and waiting to support your mission? In partnership with Social Enterprise UK and the World Fair Trade Organisation, eBay for Change helps social enterprises join the eBay marketplace and access millions of shoppers. Learn more and sign up here.

Congratulations to…

• Moto Hope Capital on being selected to be part of SOCAP23’s Global Entrepreneur Program!
• Britney Sealy, Founder of the social enterprise Work Consultancy, for being nominated by the Barbados Youth Business Trust to participate in the African Descendant Social Entrepreneurship Exchange sponsored by the U.S. Department of State!
• Laura Rana, Founder of social enterprise Khushi Kantha, for being named one of the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2023!
• PowerSouth for being invited to participate in the first Colloquium for Engaged Women in the Diaspora in Berlin!
• Ecomak Recyclers Founder, Ronald Mugaiga, for being selected from a pool of nearly 400 applicants to participate in the AFRISE Challenge 2023!
• Seabin Founder, Pete Ceglinksi, for being selected to present at the inaugural Ocean Plastic Action Forum!
• elli for graduating from the Founders Institute, the largest pre-seed accelerator in the world!
• Upaya Social Ventures on its recent feature by ANDE!

A Final Bit of Inspiration

“The future of social entrepreneurship is no longer about looking up to a select few who have some kind of rare gift for implementing innovative ideas. Every individual and organization has a role to play in mobilizing skills, talents, and life experiences to move towards a more just and equitable world where all have what they need to survive and thrive in life.”
Oscar Auliq-Ice, Founder, Icetratt Foundation for Social Investments