8 social impact events not to miss in the second half of 2026
The second half of 2026 brings a packed calendar of social impact events for anyone working in social innovation, impact investing or the wider social economy, from AI-for-good gatherings in Geneva to Africa's largest social and solidarity economy forum in Dakar....
Cities of the future: 8 reflections from the World Cities Summit
Cities of the future met in Singapore 14-16 June 2026. Three days. Hundreds of urban leaders, researchers, and innovators gathered in Singapore for the World Cities Summit — and every session raised more questions than answers, which is exactly the sign of a truly...
8 social innovations tackling the loneliness epidemic
Loneliness has quietly become one of the defining public health issues of our time. The World Health Organization's Commission on Social Connection estimates that roughly one in six people worldwide experiences persistent loneliness, a condition now linked to hundreds...
8 mechanisms to finance social innovation
Funding social innovation has always meant navigating the gap between what philanthropy alone can afford and what markets alone will fund. That gap is now being filled by an increasingly sophisticated toolkit of financial instruments, many of them barely a decade old,...
8 impact events not to miss still this year
Impact events will abound in the last quarter of 2025. Here are eight of them happening across the globe in the coming months:Climate Week 2025 (22-24 October 2025, Milan, Italy)Climate Week 2025’s theme is “Addressing Global Climate Change for a Sustainable Future”...
AI for social innovation – 8 interesting reads to keep you up-to-date
AI for social innovation: how can social innovators leverage the recent progress in artificial intelligence technologies for social good? Below we list several recent initiatives and publications presenting both the opportunities and challenges of using AI for social...
8 social innovation events not to miss in 2025
Social innovation events will abound in the second half of 2025. Here are eight of them happening across the globe in the coming months:Africa Impact Summit 2025 (11-12 June 2025, Accra, Ghana)One of the leading social innovation events in Africa, the Africa Impact...
8 social impact funding opportunities in 2023
Social impact funding opportunities seem to be popping up all over the globe these days. Here's is a selection of 8 social impact funding opportunities to consider in 2023.100x Impact Accelerator by LSESocial impact funding is getting a new actor. 'The 100x Impact...
8 heart-warming global movements showing support for Ukraine
As the Russian invasion on Ukraine continues, last week we decided to compile for you the examples of inspiring social innovations and small and big gestures of people around the world that bring hope and light despite this unimaginable darkness.This week, we continue...
Ukraine: 8 inspiring ways in which people around the world are helping out
As the whole world is watching the Russian invasion on Ukraine in horror, we decided to compile for you the examples of inspiring social innovations and small and big gestures that bring hope and light despite this unimaginable darkness. People are buying Ukrainian...
Disruptive design: catalyst of social change
Interview with Cristina Yoshida and Diego del Moral, co-founders of Collective of Disruptive Design.At the intersection of systems thinking and design thinking, Collective of Disruptive Design (Colectivo de Diseño Disruptivo in Spanish) seeks out collaborative...
Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Mexico
Interview with Karol Arambula, CEO, and founder of MY World Mexico MY World Mexico is a social business and national movement established in 2014 aiming at promoting the understanding towards the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its...
Recycle Up! Ghana: youth entrepreneurial education for sustainable waste solutions
Interview with Alhassan Baba Muniru, Co-founder of Recycle Up! Ghana Recycle Up! Ghana is a social enterprise focused on youth entrepreneurial education and the co-creation of solutions to waste in Ghana; one of the biggest challenges in the country. This social...
4 social innovators share with SOCIA their thoughts about the social innovation learning needs in the VET system
Innovation is considered as a key source of competitiveness, sustainable economic growth and social cohesion by the European Commission and, particularly, social innovation is seen as a useful tool to respond to contemporary challenges. Thus, the role of education has...
Are you a passionate entrepreneur changing the world with your impact solution?
The applications for the Social Innovation Tournament (SIT) are open from 1 February to 3 March. The SIT, the EIB Institute Social Programme flagship initiative, recognizes and supports the best European social entrepreneurs whose primary purpose is to generate a...
FUTURE PROOFING STUDENTS
School of Future is creating a scalable enterprise that is powered by technology to help change this dynamic to "future proof" students. Future proof as they define it as: You truly feel ready to take on the evolving world. You know exactly who you are, you know the...
How to boost Social Innovation in Academy: an insight based on the Students4Change project
Students4Change was an extraordinary project that combined the knowledge and experience of different people and backgrounds in one specific goal: to promote competencies in social innovation and social entrepreneurship among the Latin American students of higher...
Value Proposition Canvas for fundraising: How and why fundraisers should start using this tool
Value proposition is a widely used concept, even though there is no unique definition of it. Traditionally, scholars tended to relate it to entrepreneurial and marketing practices, especially in the for-profit sector. For instance, value proposition has been often...
HOW TO STRENGTHEN ECOSYSTEMS OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN EDUCATION
INSIGHTS FROM GABRIELA CARRASCO AND WALDO SOTO, CO-FOUNDERS OF 2811 Co-authors: Malu Landaberea Waldo Soto and Gabriela Carrasco are the co-founders of 2811, a platform for social and ecological change that is currently in various continents but has a special impact...
How to make a living while changing the world
PCDN Global is a platform that provides skills, career, and community building opportunities to aspiring changemakers around the world. Their work spans from curating the latest information on jobs and opportunities for students and professionals who are in the social...
How social franchising can address global social issues: insights from RECOS
RECOSI (Regional and European Co-Operative for Social Industry) is a social franchise operating in IT reuse. It was formed in Ireland in early 2014 by a group of like-minded individuals who sought to help develop social enterprises that operate mainly in the area of...
How to reduce microplastics pollution: PlanetCare
Did you know that washing your clothes is causing microplastics pollution? Tiny plastic particles are polluting our oceans, where they can stay for centuries, harming sea life and making their way into the human food chain. These microplastics -- fragments of plastic...
Rainwater harvesting for social change
Enrique Lomnitz is the CEO and founder of Isla Urbana, a social enterprise based in Mexico City, who together with a multidisciplinary team has created and installed rainwater harvesting systems to provide low-income and water scarce populations in urban and rural...
Blockchain for Social Impact: Increasing Trust and Security in Social Projects
In this interview, Met Ciftci of Freewill and Taras Tovstyak of ELEKS speak about the origins, development, and evolution of a crowdfunding platform, SPIN, that verifies the feasibility of using blockchain for social impact projects. They reveal the profound motives...
The Relationship Between Social Impact and Sustainable Tourism: Insights from the Founder of Rooted
The tourism industry accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world’s workforce, and the ripple effects felt by other industries are profound. Tourism can be an incredible force for good but implemented improperly, it can also do a lot of damage. One of the most...
ARIZMENDI IKASTOLA: SOCIAL INNOVATION THROUGH EDUCATION
Arizmendi Ikastola is a non-profit cooperative school in the Basque Country that is highly committed to social innovation. The aim of the school goes far beyond the curricular contents and focuses on the development of the person. A model of a person...
8 inspiring examples of Social Innovation in the Philippines
Did you know that the Philippines has created approximately 30,000 social enterprises since 2007?According to the British Council report A Review of Social Enterprise Activity in the Philippines, the country has a strong entrepreneurial culture, with one million...
Social innovations in sanitation – the eco-friendly and climate-resilient bioloo
Before the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), sanitation facilities in India were scarce, with over 600 million people (half of India’s population) having no access to toilets, particularly in rural areas. People were forced to defecate in the open, which...
Sandra Tabares-Duque – Social impact production for a fairer world and social justice
Sandra Tabares-Duque has curated and produced film festivals and cultural activities in Europe and Latin America. In recent years she has focused on the production of diverse forms of audiovisual and transmedia storytelling. Her portfolio includes the multiple...
Giving access to essential health care, education, and economic opportunities by building 250 footbridges over impassable rivers and served over 1 Million communities around the world, insightful interview with Avery Bang the President & CEO of Bridges to Prosperity.
Almost 1 billion people around the world don't have safe access to critical resources like health care, education, or employment due to an impassable river. With a single innovation, Bridges to Prosperity can impact households across multiple...
Everyone is a Changemaker, an interview with Ashoka’s CEO and Chair Bill Drayton.
Ashoka identifies and supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs, learns from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilizes a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an "everyone a changemaker world."[1] To date, Ashoka has selected more...
Performing in social innovation – does it matter?
Fabienne Colling is the founder of Touchpoints, an NGO helping refugees in Luxembourg to pave their way to employment. I met her during the course on social innovation and sustainability at the University of Luxembourg. She is a very bright, impressively skilled and...
Ideas for a transversal Societal Impact Assessment
While research and innovation commonly aim at improving living conditions and social wellbeing, the public responsibility of the results is not always guaranteed. The recent shift from a shareholder-centred to a stakeholder-centred perspective fosters consideration of...
Inspiring interview with Mohit Mukherjee the founding Director of Centre for Executive Education, University of Peace
The Centre for Executive Education is located within the University of Peace in Costa Rica, established by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UPEACE), the UPEACE Centre for Executive Education delivers dynamic courses to leaders from around the world....
How to reach over 60,000 users worldwide with social innovation in eye health: insights from a chief Executive Officer at Smart Optometry
Over 150 million children worldwide suffer from lazy eye, strabismus, or convergence insufficiency. These issues significantly impact the quality of life – if nothing else, our school system delivers 80% of all knowledge through vision and if we don’t see well, we...
8 remarkable examples of social innovation in sport
Social innovations in sport can be seen across the globe. Social Innovation Academy presents 8 remarkable examples of social innovation in sport.
Cherie White – Exploring Think For The Future (TFTF) focus on social impact evidence
Cherie White is the founder of Think for the Future, a social enterprise that was established in 2012 to use a data-driven approach to tackle social and emotional barriers to learning. They work in partnership with national organisations to provide schools with...
Tech Transfer: One Piece in The SDG Achievement Puzzle
There is no single method to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). In the same way, there is no single actor that can allow us to reach our social, environmental and economic aims. There are, however, many small actions by many different actors that...
Youth and social entrepreneurship in Mexico Interview with Jorge Meléndez and Cecilia Cárdenas, co-founders of Emprendimiento Social México (ESMEX)
Social entrepreneurship in Mexico, as elsewhere, has become a source of innovative solutions to most pressing problems our society. These solutions have been created by social entrepreneurs, and have led to new ways of citizen participation, new business models with...
Social Innovation Process: make your beneficiaries part of the solution!
Whether in the classic or social economy, a large part of innovation failures is due to a solution formalisation that does not fit with the users’ needs and expectations. I’ve spent the last 5 years working in an accelerator supporting social entrepreneurs in the...
Social innovation in Malaysia: 8 impactful initiatives
Social innovation in Malaysia is seen as a novel way to bring about social outcomes. Social Innovation Academy presents 8 impactful projects!
Resilient cultural heritage: lessons learned from the city of Zagreb
Resilient cultural heritage: Social Innovation Academy introduces an article on the lessons learned from the city of Zagreb.
8 social innovators share how to capture audience’s attention
What is the best way to keep audience’s attention? Check out at Social Innovation Academy how 8 remarkable social innovators did it!
8 examples of social innovations for the circular economy in Hong Kong
What are the latest examples of innovations for the circular economy in Hong Kong? How are social innovation and the circular economy related?
Social innovation in Thailand: 8 outstanding projects
Thailand is fast developing into a social innovation hub in Asia. Social Innovation Academy introduces 8 oustanding projects!
How crises are a leverage for social innovation: 8 systemic change strategies to address systemic issues
Social innovation must involve all sectors of the society. Discover 8 systemic change strategies to address systemic issues in times of crisis, as COVID-19.
Cause-related marketing, a great strategy for companies with purpose
Cause-related marketing is a tool to improve brand engagement and generate positive impact. Let’s see how to design a campaign to maximise its benefit.
Understanding Social Impact Measurement – From a Monitoring and Evaluation to a Learning and Assessment Mindset
Social impact measurement has become big business, but is this approach what social innovation really needs? We must take a step back before it’s too late.
From Theory to Practice – Lessons in Leading Social Innovation from the Frontlines
Leading social innovation successfully requires skills, attitudes and understanding that you won’t learn in classroom. Insights by Corrina Grace.
Scale your impact and leave the world a great legacy: explore the strategies for scaling social impact
How can you leave a meaningful legacy? Explore the different scaling strategies: scaling up, deep, out and even scaling down to grow your good impact.
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