Investing in Bold Ideas for Social Good
Since 2014, the Community Foundation of Utah has been hosting the Social Investors Forum (SIF), a venue for organizations to pitch innovative and sustainable ideas for addressing Utah’s most pressing community needs.
Since then, over $598,500 has been awarded 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.
SIF takes place twice a year, in the spring and fall. This year's fall event will be hosted through a virtual platform not only for safety, but to include social endeavors state-wide. It will take place as a Zoom webinar on November 5th, 2021. Registration information will be available soon.
Get Involved
Make a Donation
Investing in sustainable funding, innovative ideas for social good, and Utah’s future is more important than ever. Your contribution to the Social Investors Forum can make a big difference for a nonprofit or social enterprise.
Attend the Event
The health and safety of our Social Investors Forum participants is of utmost importance. Due to COVID-19 concerns, we plan to hold the Social Investors Forum remotely. The event will take place as a Zoom webinar on November 5th, 2021.
Apply for Funding
This year, SIF will be hosted through a virtual platform not only for safety, but to include social endeavors state wide.
Additionally, in the spirit of innovation and constant improvement, CFU has redesigned the application process to be more transparent, less time consuming, and ultimately more accessible to all prospective applicants. Now, applicants can expect to spend a maximum of 20 minutes on their initial indication of interest form. This maximizes participants' time spent on their application: those who are unlikely to advance will not spend undue amounts of time on proposals while those who are strong prospects will know their time is well spent on the full application.
Project Criteria
Submissions must meet the following criteria:
- Utah-based: Operates for the benefit of Utahns.
- Innovative: Demonstrates a novel approach to solving a social problem.
- Sustainable: Develops an earned revenue stream for the organization.
- Impact: Describes the positive impact of your proposal and how impact will be measured.
View Past Finalists & Proposals
Spring 2021 Finalists
- Awardee: Switchpoint Community Resource Center - $240,000 grant and 0% loan funds to launch their Vertical Towers Greenhouse, which provides water-efficient, aeroponic produce to feed the local homeless community as well as supply local restaurants
- Awardee: Portal Entryways - $100,000 equity investment to support a tech startup that is making smarter and safer ADA doors. This is the Forum’s first Mission Related Investment (MRI), a charitable investment in for-profit ventures having social benefit at the core of their missions
- Awardee: Utah Society for Environmental Educators - a $4,500 grant to help launch continuing education opportunities for environmental educators
- Color Country Animal Welfare
- Spy Hop
Fall 2020 Finalists
- Awardee: Playworks - $20,000 grant to fund a new position to grow the number of schools participating in their programs.
- Awardee: Science Moab - $35,000 grant to pair scientists conducting field research with high school students to cultivate student interest in the sciences.
- Awardee: Neighborworks Salt Lake - offered mentorship to help develop a more sustainable business model for their loan fund program assisting low-income homeowners in need of vital home repairs.
- Moab Free Health Clinic
- Salt Lake Community Bail Fund
Spring 2020 Finalists
- Awardee: Womenpreneurs - $45,000 grant to support an initiative to provide financial support and mentorship to black, female small business owners, in partnership with the Utah Black Chamber
- Awardee: International Rescue Committee - $25,000 grant to support translation services for refugee and immigrant communities
- Awardee: The Green Urban Lunchbox - offered mentorship to assist with financial modeling for their farmer training program
- Planned Parenthood Association of Utah
- United Way of Northern Utah
- Flourish Ventures
Fall 2019 Finalists
- Awardee: First Star Academy - a three-year matching grant totaling $30,000 to support foster youth through college
- Awardee: Hello!Bulk - a no-interest loan to obtain a vehicle for their zero-waste grocery store
- Awardee: One Small Miracle - Offered mentorship with the Investment Committee
- Awardee: The Family Place - Offered mentorship with the Investment Committee
- Education at Work
- Project Embrace
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
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
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
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
Past and Present Investment Committee Members
- 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
If you have additional questions about the Social Investors Forum, please contact us here.
The Community Foundation of Utah is honored to receive the generous support of:
