Ashoka Social Financial Services (SFS) is pleased to announce a partnership with the Trico Foundation. Ashoka is a global organization that identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs. Trico Foundation is a Canadian organization that seeks to provoke innovation and build capacity in social entrepreneurship. Ashoka and Trico Foundation have partnered to develop a new Social Finance Framework.
Social entrepreneurs are increasingly using market forces to address previously intractable social problems. Successfully achieving impact at scale requires understanding how these social enterprises are similar to and yet different from traditional businesses. Recognizing that social enterprises have distinctive characteristics that make them different from commercial enterprises, we need a new framework that articulates these differences and demonstrates the opportunities they create in order to unleash the potential of the sector.
Working collaboratively with thought leaders and pioneers in the space and Ashoka’s network of 3,000 Fellows, Ashoka SFS seeks to articulate a new Social Finance Framework that offers social entrepreneurs, investors and colleagues insights, new opportunities and new trends based on a in-depth review of Ashoka’s Fellows using market forces to create social change. The initial framework will be presented at the upcoming Social Enterprise World Forum 2013 in Calgary, Canada.
“The generous support from the Trico Foundation will enable us to bring together key lessons from social entrepreneurs around the world. We hope this is the first step in creating an on-going partnership between Ashoka and Trico, two leaders with a shared vision on the importance of social entrepreneurship in creating a world that is better for all
“We have been impressed with the many paradigm shifting ideas emanating from Ashoka as it has worked to take social entrepreneurs to the next level. We are hoping that Ashoka can bring that same level of visionary yet practical insight to the world of social finance. We are excited about this initiative and thrilled that we can share it with the attendees at the 2013 Social Enterprise World Forum.”
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Ashoka envisions an Everyone A Changemaker™ world: a world that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address social problems and drive change. We are working towards this goal by applying the powerful innovations of social entrepreneurs to develop a competitive citizen sector around the globe. Social entrepreneurs tackle emerging and persistent problems, and in doing so inspire and enable all the world’s citizens to act as changemakers on the most pressing issues of our day. Since 1981, Ashoka has elected over 3,000 social entrepreneurs as Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in more than 70 countries. For more information, please visit www.ashoka.org
Article originally published at Social Enterprise World Forum.