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Social Impact

The Funding Crisis Facing Nonprofits‌

We talked to Andrea Levere ’83 and Alexandra Sing ’20, CEO and COO of Capitalize Good, about the state of the social sector and the increased urgency of their work working with funders and nonprofits to move toward a model of stable, long-term capital.‌

A protester holding a sign reading "unfreeze the federal funds now."
  • How You Can Invest in Racial Justice

    Yale SOM’s Teresa Chahine and a panel of experts discussed how businesses, financial firms, and regular investors can make choices that empower local businesses and increase opportunity.

    students in a phlebotomy class
  • Feeding First Responders

    John Wang SOM/YLS ’09, founder of the Queens Night Market, describes transforming the community camaraderie and diverse food that made the market a draw into a project to feed first responders.

    A takeout box decorated to look like a hospital, with the text "thank you"
  • Don’t Stop Investing in Philanthropic Goals

    We asked Teresa Chahine, an expert in social entrepreneurship and public health, how philanthropies and donors can respond to the turmoil caused by COVID-19 while keeping their long-term goals in mind.

    Chefs Pepa Muñoz And Diego Guerrero Prepare Solidarity Menus
  • Responding to COVID-19 in the Developing World 

    The mass social distancing strategy being used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and Europe doesn’t easily translate to a developing country like Bangladesh, which lacks the capacity to impose restrictions or provide a social safety net for the unemployed.

    Idled boats on the shore of Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 31. Photo: Ahmed Salahuddin/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
  • How Evidence Can Make International Development More Effective

    Research by Yale SOM’s Rodrigo Canales and Tony Sheldon points toward a new model that brings together academics, policy makers, and NGOs from the beginning of the process in order to better integrate evidence generation into policy and practice.

    An NGO representative meeting with women in a village in Burkina Faso
  • Study Leverages Peer Effects to Encourage Adoption of Hygienic Latrines

    Consumers often aren’t willing to take a chance on a new product until their neighbors do. A new study investigated the use of targeted subsidies that leveraged such "peer effects" to spark adoption of hygienic latrines, which reduce the spread of pathogens.

    Children in Bangladesh during the fieldwork for the study
  • Three Questions: Prof. X. Frank Zhang on the Drop in Charitable Giving

    Adjusted for inflation, charitable giving in the United States fell by 1.7% in 2018, We asked Prof. X. Frank Zhang what explains the decline and how policymakers can encourage more giving.

    Albert Finney in the title role of the 1970 film "Scrooge." Photo: LMPC via Getty Images.
  • Is Making an Impact the Path to Profit?

    According to Prof. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie of Lagos Business School, entrepreneurs focused on solving problems and ongoing innovation grow their businesses faster, make more money—and have a bigger impact than any government or nonprofit.

    plants being watered and producing a coin
  • James Robertson ’99 on the Fallout from Doing the Right Thing

    James Robertson ’99, former CEO of the India HIV/AIDS Alliance, on facing the consequences of a tough ethical call—and the unexpected upside that can result.

    James Robertson and his team at the India HIV/AIDS Alliance
  • Can the Microcredit Model Be Improved?

    Studies suggest that the long-term impact of microfinance is limited. Yale SOM’s Mushfiq Mobarak and the University of Chicago’s Vikas Dimble write that the much-touted policy tool can help more people by modifying and extending its model.

    A microfinance meeting in Northern Togo. Photo: Godong/UIG via Getty Images.