The U.S. Congress and taxpayers agree: Status quo government programs are not sustainable. Yet our federal policymakers are poised to eliminate one initiative that promises to be a game changer: the Social Innovation Fund.
Established in April 2009, the SIF was designed to more effectively tackle some of our nation’s most entrenched challenges, such as high school dropout rates, inadequate access to health care and school preparedness among young children.
By developing a new role for government as a catalyst for public-private partnerships, the SIF enables investment in proven solutions, harnessing the expertise and resources of the private and philanthropic sectors. This allows both sectors to collaborate in solving seemingly intractable problems in a manner that can be replicated in communities across the country.
The innovative partnership between government and the philanthropic community created in the SIF not only allows for a competitive and highly accountable process, it provides a 3:1 match for every government dollar, enabling taxpayers to see a leveraged return on their investment.
At a time when government at all levels — local, city and federal — is trying to do more with less, we must continue to look for innovative ways to foster cross-sector collaboration. Government can’t do all the work alone, and neither can nonprofits nor the business community. The SIF creates a venue through which the expertise and resources of each of these sectors can be brought together.
Amid our country’s economic uncertainty and the pending congressional budget decisions that stand to have a widespread impact on Americans, we should utilize every tool available to ensure that taxpayer and charitable dollars are used effectively and efficiently. The SIF is just the tool to change the conversation about the appropriate role for government in addressing many of our country’s social challenges.
In many communities, investments made possible by the SIF will have real economic impact. For example, AIDS United, one of the inaugural SIF intermediaries, recently made grants available to 10 sub-grantees, including the Atlanta AIDS Partnership, to develop community-driven, collaborative programs that improve individual health outcomes and strengthen local services. The Atlanta AIDS Partnership’s grant from AIDS United will support the integration of HIV care into primary health care settings in Atlanta’s most affected communities. Atlanta has some of the best HIV care in the country, but issues such as stigma around visiting an AIDS service organization and transportation problems prevent people living with HIV/AIDS from getting the care they need. This grant support will increase the capacity of select free/reduced clinics and federally qualified health care centers to provide high-quality HIV care in primary care settings near people’s homes.
All of the AIDS United supported programs across the country will help connect thousands of low-income individuals living with HIV to high-quality supportive services and HIV-specific health care. In addition, these community collaborations will help streamline our health care delivery systems to be more efficient, effective and patient-centered. With these grants, AIDS United has affirmed its commitment to the idea that quality treatment is extremely effective in preventing the transmission of HIV, which in turn has the opportunity to save taxpayers millions of dollars.
Across issue areas such as education, health care and youth development, SIF funds are making possible better outcomes at lower costs. This approach is right not just for our federal government, but for our states and local communities.
Public-private partnerships like those created by the SIF can move America further than any one sector alone. As the economy continues to create pressure on service delivery systems to do more with less, the Social Innovation Fund may be the first step to redefining how government can work — if Congress would just give it some time.
Milton Little is CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.
Alicia Philipp is executive director of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
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