Ashoka (non-profit organization): Difference between revisions
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[[Kim Feinberg]], founder of Tomorrow Trust |
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[[Kyle Zimmer]], founder of First Book |
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[[Vera Cordeiro]], for reforming the Brazilian health care system |
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[[Mohammad Abbad Andaloussi]], founder of Al Jisr |
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[[Magda Iskander]], founder of Care with Love |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 20:09, 5 November 2009
 | This article contains promotional content. (May 2008) |
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization supporting the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through a Social Venture Capital approach with the goal of elevating the citizen sector to a competitive level equal to the business sector. The organization currently operates in over 60 countries and supports the work of over 2,000 social entrepreneurs, elected as Ashoka Fellows. Ashoka also creates mosaics of best practices that map the commonalities and intersections of key principles that guide Fellows’ individual solutions.[1] Ashoka’s initiatives include Changemakers, Youth Venture, and Full Economic Citizenship.
History
Ashoka was founded in 1981 by Bill Drayton, a well known social entrepreneur. Ashoka began with an annual budget of $50,000, and elected its first Fellow in India in 1981. During its first decade, Ashoka focused exclusively on finding and investing in leading social entrepreneurs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Central Europe. During the 1990’s, Ashoka expanded its services beyond directly supporting fellows. Today, Ashoka has an annual revenue of nearly $30 million, [2] and has expanded into North America, Western Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East.
Other Programs
Changemakers
Changemakers sponsors collaborative competitions intended to develop innovative solutions to social problems. The open sourcing social solutions model aims to challenge the traditional focus of issues like human trafficking and conflict resolution with a broader, more complete set of stakeholders. Participants include individuals, nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, public corporations, private companies, and government agencies.
Social entrepreneurs can post their project information on the Changemakers.net website. Any visitor to the website can view these projects and registered users can communicate with participants to help refine and improve their project up until the competition deadline. The website also serves as a library resource for social entrepreneurs, with information on a variety of topics such as aging, health, and rural development.[3]
Changemakers was founded in 1994 by Sushmita Ghosh, the president emerita of Ashoka, and originally started as a magazine based in Calcutta, India. The project was placed online in 1998.[4]
Youth Venture
Youth Venture invests in teams of young people to start and lead their own social ventures. The concept for Youth Venture emerged following an Ashoka Fellow collaboration around youth and civic participation. Currently, Youth Venture operates in the US, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa, Thailand, and across Europe.
Global Academy
The Global Academy is a group of social entrepreneurs. Members of the program attempt to direct and advance the field of social entrepreneurship, and to bridge social and business entrepreneurs. Founding members include Muhammad Yunus, Alice Tepper Marlin, Bill Drayton, Peter Eigen, Oded Grajew, and Fazel Abed. The Global Academy also established the University Network, a network of academics and practitioners focused on strengthening teaching and research in social entrepreneurship so that more action will result.
Full Economic Citizenship (FEC)
In 2003, Ashoka launched the Full Economic Citizenship (FEC) initiative. This program is intended to enable business-social alliances to develop the products and the distribution channels to serve currently marginalized markets better. In particular low income housing, health care, small farmers' and energy sectors. Ashoka's goal is to transform these sectors by encouraging these types of partnerships.[5]
For instance, in 2004, Ashoka worked with Cemex, a global cement and building products company, to identify ways in which Cemex could leverage social distribution networks to deliver housing products and services to the poor.[6]
Social Financial Services
Ashoka started the Social Financial Services (SFS) program to address the lack of quantity and diversity in financial support for social ventures. SFS works with leading financial intermediaries to educate them about the value inherent in the social sector and helps them develop new products and services with the goal of having those institutions invest strategically in the sector. [7] In 2006, SFS partnered with Deutsche Bank to launch Eye Fund I, a fund intended to provide loans and guarantees to support the development of affordable, sustainable and accessible eye care for the world's poor while providing a near-market return for investors. [8] In 2007, this partnership was selected as number 13 on Fast Company magazine’s ‘Fast 50: 50 Profit-Driven Solutions for what Ails the Planet’. [9]
Notable Fellows
George Abraham - Founder and CEO of Score Foundation, which runs Project Eyeway. He is also the founding Chairman of the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) and the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI). Elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2000.
Muhammad Yunus – Founder, Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Yunus was elected as a founding member of Ashoka’s Global Academy in 2001. In November, 2003 Yunus collaborated with Ashoka to host the Grameen-Ashoka Dialogue to explore the emerging trend of social-business ventures for poverty eradication. In 2006, Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Fazle Hasan Abed - Founder, BRAC in Bangladesh, Abed was also a founding member of Ashoka's Global Academy. BRAC is one of the largest development organizations in the world, with notable successes in their treatment of tuberculosis and diarrhea, providing a market for rural artisans with their social enterprise Aarong, and creating a national network of schools for the children of the poor. Dr. Abed was the recipient of the Clinton Global Initiative's first ever Clinton Global Citizen Award in 2007.[10]
Zackie Achmat – Founder, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Achmat holds the state accountable to its constitutional obligation of guaranteeing a right to life to all citizens by providing affordable AIDS medications. Achmat was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2003.
Sakena Yacoobi - Founder, Afghan Institute of Learning. Elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2006.
Dr. Sudarshan - Founder of VGKK and Karuna Trust was one of the first few Ashoka Fellows in 1982. He is well known for his work on tribal rights and primary health care.
Jimmy Whales, co-founder of Wikipedia.
Jeroo Billimoria, founder of Aflatoun Child Saving International, Childline India Foundation and Child Helpline International
Kim Feinberg, founder of Tomorrow Trust
Kyle Zimmer, founder of First Book
Vera Cordeiro, for reforming the Brazilian health care system
Mohammad Abbad Andaloussi, founder of Al Jisr
Magda Iskander, founder of Care with Love
References
- ^ Drayton, W: "Everyone a Changemaker: Social Entrepreneurship's Ultimate Goal". Innovations, Vol. 1/No.1, p. 80-96, 2006
- ^ "Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". 2003
- ^ http://proxied.changemakers.net/library/
- ^ http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/faq
- ^ Full Economic Citizenship, Ashoka. Retrieved 2009-09-01
- ^ A Lever Long Enough to Move the World
- ^ Social Financial Services | Ashoka.org
- ^ "Deutsche Bank to launch Investment Fund supporting Eye Care Hospitals in Developing Countries". Deutsche Bank, 2006
- ^ Fishman, C: "Deutsche Bank: A Perfect Vision of What's Needed". Fast Company, 2007
- ^ http://clintonglobalinitiative.org/Page.aspx?pid=2469
Bibliography
- Bornstein, David. How To Change The World: Social Entrepreneurs and The Power of New Ideas. Oxford University Press, NY: 2004, ISBN 0195138058.