November 2022 Social Impact News Roundup: Inclusive Social Change

The Future of Procurement is Social

This month, the Sustainable Procurement Pledge celebrated its third anniversary, welcoming five additional leading global companies to its League of Champions: Bayer, CBRE, Colgate-Palmolive, Klöckner Pentaplast, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. We’re excited to see the social procurement movement continue to gain momentum through new partnerships and research, including the recently released Social Procurement Sector Spotlight: Textiles & Fashion report from Yunus Social Business. And social procurement is just one way that socially responsible corporations (like SAP, which was named Best Corporate Steward of 2022 by the Chamber of Commerce) can leverage social enterprise partnerships to embed more equitable and sustainable business practices. Learn more about all 10 ways on our blog here. 

Inclusive Representation in Driving Social Change 

Village Capital and The Black Innovation Alliance partnered to launch Resource, a nationwide project to support and connect entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) led by and focused on founders of color. The goal of the project is to create a stronger entrepreneurial infrastructure for founders of color by running “ESO accelerators” and creating a community of practice around these ecosystem leaders. Download the report for a first look at the people supporting the supporters. Representation matters in all fields of social change, including design – and to foster a more inclusive picture of the wide range of practitioners doing that work, Greater Good Studio Co-Founder George Aye recently launched V2 of the Social Change by Design directory.

This Holiday Season, Buy Social

The holidays are a great opportunity to buy social, embrace diverse-owned businesses, and support local, small businesses to scale economic equity, social impact, and environmental sustainability. For inspiration, check out this list compiled by our partners at SAP, which includes a number of our incredible TRANSFORM Support Hub social enterprises like Good Market, Tamul Plates, Enda Sportswear, Studio Coppre, Batik Boutique, and many more!

Social Impact Job Openings

• Acumen is hiring for a Development & Partnerships Operations and CRM Manager (based in New York, N.Y.)
• Ashoka is hiring for an Innovation Research Associate (based in Arlington, VA)
• Aspen Institute is hiring for a Senior Program Associate (based in New York, NY)
• Center for Humane Technology is hiring for a Chief of Staff (based in San Francisco, CA)
• Common Impact is hiring for a Chief Partnerships Officer (remote)
• Discovery Education is hiring for a Senior Manager, Social Impact Partnership Development (remote)
• Equal Measures 2030 is hiring for a Gender Data & Insights Analyst (remote)
• Intuit is hiring for a Senior Program Manager – Global Sustainability (remote)
• Kaya Impacto is hiring for Managing Director – Latam (based in Mexico City, Mexico) 
• Opportunity Finance Network is hiring for an Associate, Development & Capitalization (based in Washington, D.C.)
• Patagonia is hiring for an Environmental Program Officer – Thriving Communities (based in Ventura, CA)
• Practical Action is hiring for a Head of Global Distributors Collective (remote) 
• Sattva is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Engagement Manager, CSR Advisory (based in Gurgaon, India)
  • Consultant, Sustainability & Business Advisory (based in Gurgaon, Mumbai, or Bangalore India)
• Splash International is hiring for a Managing Director, Business Development (remote within U.S.)
• Sesame Workshop is hiring for a Project Coordinator – International Social Impact (based in New York, NY)
• Stand Together Foundation is hiring for a Program Officer (based in Arlington, VA)

Upcoming Events & New Programs

• December 1: EVPA is hosting its annual impact investing conference, which will include an EdTech workshop hosted by our friends at Sattva. Learn more and register here.
• December 12: Deadline to apply for Spring Impact’s Scale Accelerator: Women’s Empowerment, a fully-funded consultancy programme for locally-led social purpose organizations working on issues related to women’s empowerment in Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• December 23: Deadline to apply to the ACCEL incubator, open to BIPOC-led climatetech startups
• January 6: Deadline to apply to Village Capital’s Financial Solutions for Migrants accelerator, open to social enterprises working in an Sub-Saharan African / MENAT / South & Southeast Asian country 
• January 15: Deadline to apply for Changemakers for the Planet, a program open to young changemakers aged 18-35 with innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. 
• February 15: Deadline to apply to The Ripple Center Fellowship, a fully-funded immersive social entrepreneurship program for young adults aged 18-24.
• Ongoing: Google.org is accepting proposals for its Tech for Social Good Impact Challenge, open to European nonprofits, academic or research institutions, civic entities, and social enterprises in search of technical help and funding for projects focused around sustainability, economic opportunity, or cyber security.
• Ongoing: Jobtech Alliance is accepting applications to its Catalyst Jobtech Accelerator, open to early-stage jobtech platforms operating in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, and/or Uganda
• Ongoing: Join the TRANSFORM Support Hub as a social enterprise here or as a professional here for free access to our community platform, which is continuously updated with new events, award opportunities, and special access workshops.

Congratulations to….

• Caare Healthtech Services for being selected to participate in the IMMpact program conducted by Villgro Innovations Foundation, in collaboration with researchers from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Harvard Business School!
• Our partners at SAP for being named the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation Citizens Award winner for Best Corporate Steward in 2022!
• AgeWatch Africa Foundation for being recognized by the Care Economy Knowledge Hub for its innovative market-based solution to recognize, reward, reduce and redistribute care activities!
• Bambuhay for being recognized as the Grand Winner of Shell LiveWIRE Philippines, and Bambuhay’s CEO Mark Sultan Gersava for being recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year 2022: Circle of Excellence by Asia CEO Awards!
• McMac CX on the launch of its Planet People Profit Impact (PPPI) app to accelerate the deployment of proven-sustainable-best-practice designs, technologies, and policies in the built environment ecosystem!
• Prakti on the successful pilot of its new Prakti Air! Cooker in India, which integrates with traditional stoves to significantly reduce fuel use and reduce harmful emissions!
• Upaya Social Ventures on its most significant investment exit to date from its longstanding equity position in Tamul Plates, an Assam-based social enterprise that produces and markets high-quality, all-natural disposable plates and bowls made from arecanut (palm) tree leaves, all while creating jobs throughout a sustainable value chain!

A Final Bit of Inspiration

“There is power in [how we allocate our] spend to change the world. It’s in your personal spend, it’s in our business spend, and it’s in government’s spend. If we stop buying things that lead to waste, and instead buy things that matter and have an impact on people and the planet, the power is ours and we choose to apply that power every time we make a [purchasing] decision.”
Japen Holist, Head of Sustainability, SAP North America