Social innovation is a path to lasting change in North Texas - The Dallas Morning News

It’s no secret that many people across the D-FW metroplex face seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Consider these statistics for North Texas:

• 59% of Latinx, 65% of Black, 38% of white and 27% of Asian students don’t read on grade level by third grade.
• 88% of Latinx, 81% of Black, 61% of white and 66% of Asian young adults don’t earn a living wage.
• 33% of Latinx, 15% of Black, 8% of white and 11% of Asian residents are uninsured.

These disparities didn’t emerge overnight; they are the result of deeply entrenched, systemic problems that have been around for decades.

By working together — as businesses, nonprofits and governments — change can start to happen. When society is set up in a way that truly gives everyone equal opportunity, the result is a more diverse, more inclusive community where all North Texans can thrive.

To move toward that goal, D-FW needs new, innovative solutions to solve its most urgent challenges.

Social innovation drives transformational change

For nearly 100 years, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has worked to lift up all North Texans by focusing on the key areas of education, income and health.

But the scope of today’s social issues requires bold new approaches — and broad community support.

To that end, last year, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas launched its Aspire United 2030 goals:

• Increase by 50% the number of North Texas students reading on grade level by third grade.
• Increase by 20% the number of North Texas young adults who earn a living wage, adding nearly $800 million in wages per year to the economy.
• Increase to 96% the number of North Texans with access to affordable health care insurance.

These specific, measurable goals are designed to unite the entire community in a common vision for the next decade. The goals are a North Star for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, along with its partners and supporters, to drive transformational change and advance racial equity in education, income and health.

United Way Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture committee member and ‘The Pitch’ judge, Jorge Corral, with daughters Eva and Ali at the 2021 ‘The Pitch’ competition.(Courtesy of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas)

Such ambitious goals require creativity and innovative thinking. That’s why United Way of Metropolitan Dallas partners with social entrepreneurs who work to meet community needs in new ways. Over the last eight years, the nonprofit has fostered social innovation throughout North Texas by designing new initiatives and identifying, supporting and amplifying the work of promising social innovators.

As Susan Hoff, chief impact and strategy officer for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas puts it, social innovation is one of the best ways to effectively drive change.

“Today, big, bold solutions require new ways of thinking, fresh voices and unique perspectives,” she says. “For us, social innovation means identifying creative, never-before-seen ideas that address important needs in our community. We are always looking to support promising ventures that have the potential to improve education, income and health in North Texas.”

The organization’s original social innovation program, the United Way Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture, encourages the creation of bold solutions for challenges facing North Texas. The Accelerator gives entrepreneurs key resources — including funding, mentorship and community connections — to help their ventures grow and succeed.

Since its creation in 2013, the Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture has grown into an enormous success. The program has invested nearly $5.3 million in funding, training and mentoring for 54 North Texas social entrepreneurs. With the support of United Way’s community connections and credibility, these startups have gone on to raise an additional $28.4 million, build nearly 800 partnerships and receive national recognition as they expand their impact in North Texas and beyond.

For Accenture, the program represents an opportunity to make an exponential impact on North Texas.

“Together with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we bring a passion for innovation to life and create a greater good through the Social Innovation Accelerator,” says Jorge Corral, office managing director for Accenture in Dallas. “We believe social innovation offers a unique opportunity to help our community solve critical issues around income, education and health in new ways. At Accenture, we recognize that to address some of our community challenges, you need to bring new ideas and horsepower, and the fantastic Social Innovation Accelerator fellows bring that to life.”

United Way Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture fellows at ‘The Pitch’, representing local organizations Cornbread Hustle, Dwell With Dignity, To Be Like Me, The Welman Project and Trusted World.(Courtesy of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas)

The opportunity for even greater impact

The success of the Social Innovation Accelerator is proof that social innovation can play a significant role in the overall success of North Texas. Over the next several months and years, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas will expand the existing Accelerator and launch several initiatives that will enable it to support and partner with more organizations, engage with donors in new ways and create even greater impact throughout the region.

The first part of the expansion will include three new initiatives:

• The Incubator: Launching this fall, the Incubator is designed for startups from entrepreneurs who are women and/or people of color. It will be one of several pipelines that feed into the Social Innovation Accelerator, creating new opportunities for United Way to partner with promising young organizations.
• Alumni Program: Exclusively for graduates of the Incubator and Accelerator, this program will provide ongoing support for these organizations as they continue to grow. The goal of this program, which is currently in development, is to create an ever-greater collective impact over time.
• Model Replication Workshop: This program, which has a target launch of 2022, would allow United Way to replicate proven social innovation ventures to amplify their impact.

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas will also create new opportunities to partner with and support more established organizations that are driving positive change in North Texas. This includes two initiatives:

• Impact Investing Fund: This fund will allow United Way to serve as both a partner and stakeholder in for-profit ventures, helping them drive social impact through their business. It’s a natural evolution of the organization’s first impact investment, a partnership with Cherry that was announced in 2020.
• Innovation Challenges: These annual social innovation challenges will enable United Way to identify and activate transformative solutions in the areas of education, income and health. The first competition, the Health Innovation Tech Challenge set for this fall, will highlight organizations with innovative, technology-driven approaches to pediatric and mental health, with $1 million in prize funding.

Through these and other initiatives, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is working to put opportunity in the hands of all North Texans — and you can be part of the change. To learn more about the nonprofit’s social innovation work and for ways to get involved, visit unitedwaydallas.org/innovation.

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Social innovation is a path to lasting change in North Texas - The Dallas Morning News
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