Four SIF Finalists Selected

The four finalists for the Root Cause-Social Innovation Forum “At-Risk Children and Youth in MetroWest” grant track are all winners in our eyes. They are four great agencies serving youth in MetroWest in a variety of innovative ways.

Congratulations to:

Everybody Wins! MetroBoston supports youth in Framingham and Waltham through Power Lunch, a reading and mentoring program which promotes literacy by pairing elementary school children, one-to-one, with volunteers from nearby businesses for a weekly read aloud session.

Family Success Partnership, a program of the Assabet Valley Collaborative, brings schools, state agencies and community organizations together to address the mental health needs of families who don’t meet traditional criteria for support.

The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation matches high school students in Framingham and Waltham with adult mentors who help them set and achieve goals, prepare to apply to college and experience success.

TEMPO Young Adult Resource Center, a program of Wayside Youth and Family in partnership with a coalition of human service agencies, helps at-risk youth age 17-24 achieve self sufficiency by offering an array of support services in a single downtown Framingham location.

The winning applicant will be announced in early December.

Once selected, Social Innovators receive 12 months of intensive support from the Social Innovation Forum, including:

• Consulting: identification of a social impact model and growth plan, preparation of a presentation for investors, mini-prospectus
• Executive Coaching: a year of guidance from an experienced business executive
• Presentation Advising: presentation and messaging support from high-level business executives
• Relationship Building Support: advice on funding strategies, and events to raise organizational profile
• Performance Measurement Support: selection of key targets, quarterly progress reporting, and presentation to funders of successes and lessons learned
• In-Kind Services: connections to in-kind service providers, including media and marketing services, legal services, research analysis, technology development, and leadership development
• Access to New Networks: exposure to a community of Social Impact Investors – investors of time, talent, and resources interested in matching dollars to impact
• Culminating in the opportunity to present at the Social Innovation Forum's annual Showcase in May 2012

Each Social Innovator receives a $10,000 grant from the sponsoring track partner, plus an additional $10,000 consulting engagement the following year upon completion of a key measures process.