Issue Brief #1:

Partnering for Success in 

the Social Innovation 

Fund

A product of the National Assessment of 

the Social Innovation Fund (SIF)

November 2014
Issue Brief #1: 

Partnering for Success in the Social Innovation Fund 

November 2014 

Authors 

Lara Malakoff, M.U.R.P. 

Janet Pershing, Ph.D. 

Janet Griffith, Ph.D. 

Prepared For 

Lily Zandniapour Ph.D. 

Office of Research and Evaluation 

Corporation for National and Community Service 

This document is a product of the National Assessment of the SIF, which seeks to document and capture 

the impact the SIF has on key program stakeholders. Its findings will provide evidence and tell the story 

of the SIF as well as identify lessons learned. The National Assessment is sponsored by the Corporation 

for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund, designed and managed by CNCS Office 

of Research and Evaluation, and conducted by ICF International. 

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. Upon 

request, this material will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities. 
nationalservice.gov/research 1 

1. Introduction 

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) leverages public and private 

resources to grow community solutions based on evidence of results. 

The National Assessment of the SIF seeks to document and capture 

the impact the SIF has on key program stakeholders. Findings from 

this multi-component independent assessment, sponsored by the 

Corporation for National and Community Service’s (CNCS) Office of 

Research and Evaluation and conducted by ICF International, will tell 

the story of the SIF and identify lessons learned. The SIF makes grants 

to experienced grant-making organizations, which identify promising programs within communities 

through an open and competitive process and distribute funds to high-performing nonprofit 

organizations that implement them, and match the federal funds dollar-for-dollar. SIF subgrantees also 

match the funding they receive dollar-for-dollar. All SIF-funded interventions undergo rigorous, 

independent evaluations to advance the base of evidence for the funded intervention. 

This issue brief shares lessons about how the SIF intermediary grantees collaborate with a host of 

partners at multiple levels to implement their programs. It provides action-oriented recommendations for 

current, incoming, and prospective SIF grantees, private and nonprofit 

organizations that might implement a SIF model, and policy makers. 

This issue brief is informed by insights from two SIF intermediaries 

from the 2010 cohort and two from the 2011 cohort with extensive 

experience forming and sustaining partnerships. These intermediaries 

used their experience with the SIF to reflect on their successes, 

challenges, and lessons learned about engaging in meaningful 

partnerships as part of the SIF. Such meaningful collaborations and 

partnerships can lead to more effective management, increased 

capacity, valuable insights, and greater success for intermediaries and 

subgrantees. 

2. Findings 

The SIF intermediaries made clear that successful partnerships require consistent investment of time and 

ongoing commitment from the partners. They consistently identified five common characteristics that 

lead to success in planning, executing, strengthening, and reassessing partnerships: 

 Aligning partners’ goals and objectives;

 Identifying complementary skills, resources, and capacities; 

 Establishing roles and operationalizing partnerships; 

 Building relationships and establishing trust; and 

 Revisiting and reassessing partnerships. 

Key Partners for SIF 

Intermediaries:

 CNCS 

 Evaluators

 Subgrantees

 Match funders

 Local and community-based 

organizations

Key Research Question:

What are the keys to success for 

effectively planning, executing, 

strengthening, and reassessing 

partnerships to implement the SIF 

model?
nationalservice.gov/research 2 

2.1 Aligning Partners’ Objectives and Goals

Partnerships are a cornerstone of the SIF, and they add a great deal of 

value to intermediaries’ activities. However, partnerships are only 

appropriate if the involved parties agree on similar goals and 

objectives. It can be easy for one partner to be so focused on its own 

agenda that the other partners’ goals are overlooked. Successful 

partnerships are grounded not only in philosophical alignment, shared values, and similar desired 

outcomes, but also in a clear recognition of what each partner will gain from investing time and energy in 

a collaboration. For example, a mutual desire for data to drive decision-making could catalyze 

collaboration between a SIF intermediary and other partners with slightly different agendas, as long as all 

partners benefit from collecting the data. SIF intermediaries emphasized that successful engagement with 

national funders, match funders, and evaluators involves identifying shared objectives and goals and 

focusing on the benefit each partner brings to the other(s). 

A collaboration between AIDS United, a 2010 SIF grantee, and its evaluation partner demonstrates the 

importance of shared objectives and philosophies. The mission of AIDS United is to end the AIDS 

epidemic in the U.S. It recognizes that HIV is a complex issue, people living with HIV often experience 

stigma, and it is difficult to quantify the results of HIV care. AIDS United engaged Johns Hopkins 

University as an evaluation partner, in part because both organizations were philosophically aligned 

about the sensitivities of providing HIV care. Both organizations were committed to performing a 

rigorous evaluation of the program that produced concrete outcomes, but they also both agreed that 

providing HIV care that recognizes the social complexities of the disease and is sensitive to the stigma 

that patients face is of utmost importance. Johns Hopkins University performed its evaluation with this 

philosophy in mind, resulting in a successful evaluation partnership. 

A partnership between The U.S. Soccer Foundation, a 2011 SIF 

grantee, and one of its funders demonstrates the importance of shared 

goals between the partners. The U.S. Soccer Foundation emphasized 

the importance of identifying how its program can help potential 

partners achieve their goals and objectives. The U.S. Soccer 

Foundation has a funding partnership with the Aetna Foundation, which sought to fund work based on a 

specific set of objectives. While holding firm to the design of its evidence-based program, the U.S. Soccer 

Foundation was able to articulate how its program fundamentally aligned with Aetna’s goals of 

promoting wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone, while supporting the 

communities it serves. With a clear vision of how the program addressed both partners’ goals and 

objectives, the partnership has thrived.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If 

you want to go far, go together.”

– African proverb

“You can’t do this work without 

deep partnerships.”

– 2014 SIF Convening participant

Recommendations: 

 Articulate your organization’s mission, objectives, and desired outcomes.

 Understand your partners’ missions, objectives, and desired outcomes.

 When possible, choose partners (e.g., evaluation partners, subgrantees, or funders) that are aligned 

with your program’s mission and approach to serving the community. 

 Seek ways to effectively align partners’ objectives and desired outcomes, even when alignment is not 

easily recognizable. 

 Identify how you and your partners can help each other achieve mutual goals and objectives. 
nationalservice.gov/research 3 

2.2 Identifying Complementary Skills, Resources, and Capacities 

Partnerships add value when each partner brings skills, resources, and strategies to the table that 

complement or reinforce one another. Successful partnerships expand the number and range of capacities 

that contribute to achieving a shared objective. To establish effective partnerships, intermediaries 

emphasized that it is important to assess the capacities the project needs in order to succeed, be realistic 

about which capacities do and do not exist within the organization, and identify partners that provide 

capacities that fill key needs. 

AIDS United successfully implemented its patient navigation model for HIV care by collaborating with 

academics, experts in the field, and strong implementing partners. AIDS United relies on these thought 

partners to provide insights and resources that complement the HIV care that it provides. For example, 

AIDS United prioritizes serving young, black, gay and bisexual men through its initiatives, because they 

are affected so disproportionately by HIV. AIDS United’s implementing partners used their strong ties to 

the affected communities to propose strategies for effectively reaching out to and engaging these 

populations, in order to improve provision of needed HIV care. 

Recommendations: 

 Identify the capacities and resources you need to accomplish your goals. 

 Compare the needs with an honest assessment of your own capacities and resources. 

 Identify the capacities and resources potential partners bring to the table. 

 Look at other intermediaries’ programs for ideas about the range of ways partnerships can add value.

 Maximize value by selecting partners with complementary or reinforcing skills, resources, and 

capacities. 

2.3 Establishing Roles and Operationalizing Partnerships 

Intermediaries reported that in the most successful collaborations, the partners come to explicit 

agreement about what is to be accomplished, what each partner brings to the table, what role each 

partner will play, and the activities and outputs each partner will contribute to reach the project’s 

collective goals. Expectations and roles are often documented with formal contracts or memoranda of 

understanding (e.g., evaluators, community engagement), but sometimes less formal approaches (e.g., 

records of meetings that capture agreements about roles and responsibilities) make sense. Written records 

provide immediate clarity about how each partner will contribute to the collective effort. For example, 

when Jobs for the Future does not have a formal contract with a partner, it nevertheless strives to 

document agreements through meeting notes that reflect the roles that each member of the partnership 

agrees to play, each member’s priorities, and the goals of the relationship. Such notes will ensure that, 

should there be future staffing changes in either organization, the new leaders will have insights into the 

partnership to allow the relationship to stay on track. 

Some collaborations have distinct roles for each partner, while others require partners to share roles or 

serve in multiple roles. In its partnership with its subgrantees, the U.S. Soccer Foundation assumes the 

roles of financial backer and motivator. As financial backer, the U.S. Soccer Foundation addresses 

financial matters, evaluations, and expectation-setting around federal compliance. As motivator, the 

Foundation helps its subgrantees develop their programs and make a difference in the community by 

pushing, encouraging, and brainstorming. 
nationalservice.gov/research 4 

Recommendations:

 Establish each partner’s role(s) in achieving agreed-upon goals. 

 Record roles and expectations formally, with contracts or memoranda of understanding, or 

informally, with meeting notes that capture key decisions and role assignments. 

 Deepen partnerships with subgrantees through supporting roles, such as financial backer and 

motivator. 

2.4 Building Relationships and Establishing Trust 

Some intermediaries emphasized that successful partnerships are 

made up of partners who are flexible, approachable, and inspire a 

strong level of trust. Asking questions like “Can I work effectively 

with this partner?” and “Can I trust this partner?” are as important as 

asking, “Does this partner have the capacities required to do the 

work?” 

SIF intermediaries must trust and be trusted by their 

partners. It can be difficult or seem risky for grantees 

to be honest with funders about problems that arise, 

but this level of trust is necessary for partnerships to 

work. AIDS United built trust with SIF Program 

Officers, who help grantees understand requirements 

and comply with program rules. The Program Office 

proactively confronted and communicated issues 

when they arose, documented them well, and found 

solutions. SIF intermediaries credited SIF Program 

Officers with building trust by avoiding any sense of 

blame. Instead, intermediaries felt that Program 

Officers had a clear understanding of the challenges 

intermediaries and subgrantees face, and engaged as 

problem-solving colleagues, focused on finding 

solutions when problems arose. 

Trust also helps intermediaries navigate challenges. 

For example, when SIF intermediaries engage existing 

partners as subgrantees, they must hold them to a new 

set of expectations, including rigorous evaluations, 

financial accountability, and strong outcomes. When 

2011 SIF grantee Mile High United Way’s subgrantees 

struggled with this shift in expectations, staff kept the 

conversation positive and proactive through open and 

honest conversations with the subgrantees and their 

Program Officer about the need for subgrantee 

capacity building. Once the needs were clarified, Mile 

High United Way hired a grant compliance officer to 

help subgrantees build the financial accountability 

skills the SIF required. 

“You can purchase 

implementation, but you have to

inspire collaboration.”

─2014 SIF Convening participant

Spotlight on Evaluation Partnerships:

Mile High United Way and

Butler Institute for Families

Mile High United Way (Mile High) attributes the 

success of its evaluation partnership with the Butler 

Institute for Families (Butler) to the two partners’ 

complimentary skills, compatible values, “soft skills,” 

and relationship-building. Butler has been providing 

cross-site and subgrantee evaluation support to Mile 

High since the beginning of its involvement in the 

SIF. 

Key factors that led Mile High to enter into a formal 

partnership with Butler included research capacity, 

proximity, and ability to hold frequent in-person 

meetings, but it was Butler’s “soft skills” that set it 

apart from other potential research partners. Mile 

High placed strong emphasis on partnering with an 

evaluator who not only had evaluation capacity but 

was also flexible, approachable, and had a work 

style that was compatible with Mile High. 

Mile High sought a partner who trusted them, could 

be trusted, and could build meaningful relationships 

with subgrantees and other research partners. Mile 

High nurtured this relationship, built on a strong 

foundation of trust, by engaging with Butler as often 

as several times per week, and encouraging 

frequent interaction between Butler and the 

subgrantees. Based on the success of this 

partnership, Mile High is applying this model of 

relationship-oriented partnerships to similar efforts 

within the organization.
nationalservice.gov/research 5 

SIF intermediaries often underestimate the time it takes to build deep relationships with key partners. But 

they strongly believe that it is time well spent, and encourage others to invest in frequent personal 

interactions, proactive information exchanges, and small-scale accomplishments over time to build 

effective relationships.

Recommendations: 

 Invest significant staff time and resources in building and maintaining relationships and nurturing 

collaboration. This can be worth it when the partners’ combined efforts make a measurable 

difference. 

 Identify partners with “soft skills” that facilitate problem solving and build trust and apply those 

skills throughout the life of the partnership. 

 Build partnerships over time by identifying opportunities to interact and share information. 

 Engage in open and honest conversations about challenges and solutions, and celebrate successes. 

2.5 Revisiting and Reassessing Partnerships 

Partnerships are never static, so it is important to revisit and reassess agreed-upon objectives, 

expectations, and roles throughout the life of a partnership. It is also important to ensure the opportunity 

cost of engaging in the partnership does not outweigh the benefits of investing the resources required for 

the partnership elsewhere. 

Revisiting a partnership is especially important if there are changes in a partnership’s objectives or its 

membership. For example, the U.S. Soccer Foundation found that as its evaluation objectives moved from 

implementation study to impact study, it was important to revisit its needs and select a new evaluator 

with appropriate expertise to conduct the impact study. 

Revisiting a partnership’s expectations periodically also provides the opportunity to reassess the value of 

continuing the partnership and whether the roles, directions, or level of formality need to be adjusted. For 

example, Jobs for the Future (JFF) has had success with an informal information exchange with a national 

association of alternative staffing agencies holding complimentary goals and objectives. JFF can easily 

imagine the partners revisiting the nature of this relationship and deciding to grow it into a more 

formally-recognized partnership. But the partners will only formalize their partnership if doing so will 

add value for both parties. 

Recommendations: 

 Periodically revisit and reassess the partnership’s shared objectives, goals, and expectations. 

 If partners diverge, reinforce shared goals, revise roles and expectations, or disband the partnership. 

 Apply lessons learned to the future of the partnership and to other partnerships.

3. About This Issue Brief 

This issue brief was informed by input from the following people from SIF Classic recipient 

organizations: 

Vignetta Charles and Erin Nortrup, AIDS United; Wylie Chen, U.S. Soccer Foundation; Cindy Eby and 

Jerene Petersen, Mile High United Way; and Navjeet Singh, Jobs for the Future. 
nationalservice.gov/research 6 

4. About the Social Innovation Fund 

The Social Innovation Fund, an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) 

under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, is a new approach by the federal government to 

address urgent national challenges. The fund mobilizes public and private resources to grow the impact 

of promising, innovative community-based solutions that have evidence of compelling results in three 

areas of priority need: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development. 

The operating model of the SIF is distinguished by the following six elements: 

Innovation │ Evidence │ Scale │ Grantmakers │ Match │ Knowledge Sharing 
Corporation for National and Community Service 

1201 New York Avenue, NW 

Washington, D.C. 20525

TEL: (202) 606-5000 

TTY: (202) 606-3472 

NationalService.gov