Andrew Wolk

The Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund

Posted on Oct 30, 2009

One of the most exciting examples of government applying the principles of social innovation for accelerated social impact is the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Investing in Innovation, or i3, Fund (formerly known as the “What Works” fund). As the name suggests, the fund exists to identify and “support local efforts to start or expand [...]

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Does Measurement = Randomized Control Trials?

Posted on Oct 27, 2009

There is a debate going on about how to identify and invest in the highest-performing nonprofits – with a great emphasis on randomized control trial (RCT) studies. The RCT, a research methodology that involves randomly selecting subjects from a larger test group to receive an experimental product or service, is undoubtedly a rigorous way of [...]

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Debriefing SOCAP09

Posted on Sep 08, 2009

It was really amazing to be at the SOCAP09 conference last week, and I wanted to share some great resources for those who weren’t able to attend and want to learn more about the conversations that took place there.

The Pop!Tech blog has great summaries of different sessions during Day 1 and Day 2, all of [...]

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People, Ideas, and Why I’m Going to SOCAP09

Posted on Aug 27, 2009

Next week I’ll be heading out to San Francisco to attend the SOCAP09 (Social Capital Markets) conference. This marks the 2nd year of the conference, and boy have they already made quite a splash! Last year, despite the recession, it was sold out. This year looks to be the same…and with a stellar line up [...]

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FAQ – The Social Innovation Fund Hot Off the Press

Posted on Jul 22, 2009

The Corporation for National & Community Service in conjunction with the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation has just posted a “frequently asked questions” about the Social Innovation Fund.
Check it out here.

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Around the World Part II: Citizens & Communities

Posted on Jul 20, 2009

I am leaving Portugal with great inspiration and practical knowledge about how to further advance a social innovation agenda in the United States.
Friday, I sat on a panel with Christian Bason from MindLab in Denmark, who has been leading a citizen-based agenda for the Danish government for over eight years – and there is much [...]

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Social Innovation around the World

Posted on Jul 16, 2009

It is early morning in Lisbon, Portugal, on day two of the Social Innovation eXchange (SIX) International Summer School on Social Innovation. The first day was quite inspiring and also eye opening for me. There are about 120 people here from 24 countries around the world, all of whom are advancing social innovation [...]

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On “Why the Social Innovation Fund Matters”

Posted on Jul 10, 2009

Over on the Tactical Philanthropy blog, Sean Stannard-Stockton has provided some great arguments in support of the Social Innovation Fund.  I’d like to add in a few additional thoughts and concerns of my own:
First, we have to be careful not to get too caught up in the dollars − because in reality, $50 million (or even [...]

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A Historic Day – Are you ‘all in’?

Posted on Jul 01, 2009

I was sitting in the East Wing of the White House next to Bob Grimm, Director of Research and Policy Development for the Corporation for National and Community Service, waiting for the program to begin. I turned to him with my camera and camcorder in hand and asked, “Have you been here before?” He [...]

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An Invitation to the White House

Posted on Jun 30, 2009

Late Saturday night, I got home and checked my email for the first time that day to find an invitation from the White House to attend an event with President Obama to highlight the extraordinary efforts in communities to solve some of our country’s toughest problems.  Needless to say, it was an exciting moment for [...]

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