Investing in Bold Ideas for Social Good
On Feb 14, 2014, the Community Foundation of Utah hosted the first Social Investors Forum (SIF), a venue for organizations to pitch innovative and sustainable ideas for addressing Utah’s most pressing community needs.
Since 2014, $498,500 has been awarded to social enterprises to seed innovative ideas that can change our communities for the better. In addition to investments of capital, funded organizations have also received strategic guidance and mentorship on their projects from members of the SIF Investment Committee.
Applications for the next Social Investors Forum are now closed. Join us for the pitch event on Friday, November 8th, at Kiln in Salt Lake to see the six finalists:
Education at Work
The Family Place
Hello!Bulk
One Small Miracle
Project Embrace
University of Utah First Star Academy
RSVP
Application Criteria
Proposals must meet the following criteria:
- Utah-based: Must operate for the benefit of Utahns.
- Innovative: Must demonstrate a novel approach to solving a social problem.
- Sustainable: Must include a sustainable funding model.
- Impact: Must describe the positive impact of your proposal and how impact will be measured.
- Emerging: Preference is given to startups, spin-off programs, or new initiatives in existing organizations committed to change.
How to Participate
Applications for the next Social Investors Forum are now closed. Join us for the pitch event on Friday, November 8th, at Kiln in Salt Lake to see the 6 finalists.
RSVP
The Community Foundation of Utah will consider grants, loans, and other investments for selected proposals.
If you have additional questions about the Social Investors Forum, please contact Rosemary at .
The Community Foundation of Utah is honored to receive the generous support of:

View Past Finalists & Proposals
Spring 2019 Finalists
- Awardee: Switchpoint Community Resource Center - $100,000 loan to establish a 24-hour childcare facility for low-income individuals.
- BWild
- Fathers and Families Coalition of Utah
- Green Urban Lunch Box
- Unshackled
Fall 2018 Finalists
- Awardee: Volunteers of America, Utah - $24,000 matching grant, renewable up to three years, to provide a Case Manager for the Maud's Cafe expansion
- Awardee: International Rescue Committee, Spice Kitchen Incubator - Offered mentorship with the Investment Committee for The Spice Cafe and Storefront
- Awardee: Bicycle Collective - Offered mentorship with the Investment Committee for business growth
- Spy Hop
Spring 2018 Finalists
- Awardee: Encircle - Provided with mentorship connections with the Investment Committee
- Moab Free Health Clinic
- Bicycle Collective
- Network for Good
- Triple Bottom Line Foundation
September 2017 Finalists
- Awardee: Volunteers of America, Utah - $27,500 matching grant for Maud's Cafe, a coffee shop that serves as a training program for homeless youth to gain self-sufficiency.
- Youth Futures
- Green Urban Lunchbox
- Gilded
- STEM MX
June 2016 Finalists
- Awardee: Senior Charity Care Foundation - $50,000 loan for Project Thrive, a capacity building program that increases accessibility to affordable dental care for vulnerable Utah seniors.
- Awardee: The Other Side Academy - Loan offered to operate a social enterprise food truck, which supports the organization and provides skill-building opportunities to participants.
- Columbus Community Center
- Playworks Utah
- Refugee Ventures
See the compendium of responses to the June 2016 Call for Investments:
Batch 1 and
Batch 2
December 2015 Finalists
- Awardee: East African Refugee Goat Project - $30,000 grant to fund herd transportation and fencing for its goat herd, generating income and funding scholarships for refugee youth.
- AyudaFin
- Cranium Café
- The Green Urban Lunchbox
- Wasatch Community Gardens
See the compendium of all 31 responses to the December 2015 Call for Investments.
June 2015 Finalists
- Awardee: Spy Hop Productions - $40,000 loan to acquire camera equipment for Phase 2 Productions.
- Community Development Fund of Utah (Community Development Corporation of Utah)
- Kentlands Initiative
- Kidnected World
- Sorenson Unity Center
- Urban Yield
See the compendium of all 54 responses to the June 2015 Call for Investments.
November 2014 Finalists
- Awardee: Spice Kitchen Incubator (International Rescue Committee) - $52,000 grant for their commercial kitchen and entrepreneur training program for refugees.
- Awardee: Comunidades Unidas - $35,000 grant to create a low-cost, high-quality immigration and naturalization legal services program using an earned-income model.
- Awardee: Greater Salt Lake Development Corporation - $100,000 grant for a loan loss reserve fund serving low income communities.
- The Downtown Alliance’s Winter Market
- The Gifted Music School
- Senior Charity Care Foundation
- Utah Clean Energy
- Utahns Against Hunger
February 2014 Finalists
- Awardee: Green Urban Lunchbox - $20,000 grant for Fruit Share, which gathers fruit from SLC fruit tree owners, redirecting fruit that would otherwise go to waste to local food banks.
- Awardee: Salt Lake Bicycle Collective - $20,000 grant for Earn-A-Bike, a 6-week introductory bike mechanics course for youth.
Read the 2014 Social Investors Forum impact report.
Past and Present Venture Philanthropy Utah Committee
- Adam Slovik
- Alex Lawrence
- Beth Holbrook
- Brent Thomson
- Cree Zischke
- Curtis Thornhill
- Damon Kirchmeier
- Devin Thorpe
- Dr. James Evans
- Dustin Haggett
- Greg Warnock
- Gretchen Anderson
- Jeramy Lund
- Jeremy Hanks
- Jim Sorenson
- John Richards
- Julie Buchholz
- Ken Krull
- Lewis Hower
- Martin Frey
- Marty Tate
- Mike Glauser
- Patrick Mullen
- Phil Hansen
- Rob Wuebker
- Sam Funk
- Scott Huntsman
- Scott Paul
- Spencer Cook
- Stephen Walter
- Steve Grizzell
- Trish Coughlin
- Wei Chen
- Zeke Dumke, IV