Built around the people who use it.
The Social Innovation Engine is calibrated to six working audiences — governments, donors, innovators, academics, corporates, and citizens. Every part of the platform is shaped by what these audiences need to do their jobs better.
Maintained by One Family Foundation
Why this platform exists
Most policy platforms tell people what to think.
This one shows what has actually worked — and connects you to the people behind it.
Three problems we heard repeatedly before building the platform:
- 01
Too many recommendations, too little verified evidence.
Briefs and reports arrive with case studies that have not been independently verified. Outcomes are claimed, not measured. Provenance is unclear.
- 02
Examples come from contexts that do not match.
A pilot in one country rarely transfers to a national rollout in another. Without comparable contexts, the lessons are decorative rather than actionable.
- 03
No visible path from interest to action.
Even when an idea fits, it is unclear how to contact the team behind it, what funding model worked, or whether the original innovators are open to peer exchange.
Governments
Find what works for the briefs your ministry is writing.
Policy advisors and ministries use the platform to shortlist proven interventions for the challenges their constituencies face. Every innovation is verified before it appears, and every recommendation is sourced.
- Filter by policy challenge, region, and stage of evidence.
- Direct introductions to the named teams behind each innovation — no anonymous referrals.
- Access to the Government Council for Social Innovation (GCSI) — peer policy exchange across 50+ governments.
02For Donors
Donors
Direct philanthropic capital toward proven, scale-ready innovations.
Whether you give as an individual, family office, or foundation, you need confidence that every dollar moves the needle. 1FF surfaces verified innovations with documented outcomes, transparent costs, and clear paths to scale — so your giving compounds, not duplicates.
- Outcome-verified innovations with cost-per-impact at hand.
- Filter by SDG, region, scale-readiness, and stage.
- Direct introductions to the named delivery teams behind each innovation.
Innovators
Get your work in front of the people building policy.
NGOs, social enterprises, and operational teams with documented outcomes can list their work on the platform. Once verified, listings are visible to policy advisors searching for peer-comparable interventions.
- Free submission and verification — no listing fee, no paywalls.
- A verification record you can cite in funding proposals and government conversations.
- Direct introductions when policy advisors request a connection.
04For Academics
Academics
Build evidence on what works — and ground your research in real-world delivery.
Universities, research institutes, and policy analysts strengthen the field by validating outcomes, comparing across contexts, and identifying patterns no single innovator can see. 1FF gives you a structured, citable catalogue of operational innovations with verified data — so your work informs the next generation of delivery.
- Cross-comparable, methodology-tagged innovation data.
- Open citations and authorship attribution preserved end-to-end.
- Direct contact paths to implementing teams for follow-up research.
Corporates
Align your CSR, ESG, and impact investments with verified outcomes.
Corporate citizenship today demands evidence — to your board, your employees, and the communities you serve. 1FF lets you channel CSR funds, employee-volunteer programmes, and impact investments toward innovations that demonstrably move the needle on the SDGs, with the documentation your reporting frameworks require.
- ESG-aligned innovations with audited, citable outcomes.
- Match to causes by SDG, region, or employee interest.
- Co-fund with peer corporates, foundations, and government partners.
06For Citizens
Citizens
Discover, support, and amplify the innovations changing your community.
Every citizen has a role in solving the problems that matter to them — whether that means volunteering hours, donating directly, or simply amplifying what already works. 1FF puts thousands of independently verified social innovations in your hands, so you can give with confidence and act with clarity.
- Explore innovations by region, cause, and SDG — no jargon, no paywalls.
- Give, volunteer, or share — every entry is independently verified.
- Follow innovations and track their progress over time.
How verification works.
The platform's credibility rests on consistent, published criteria. The methodology below is reviewed annually and applies to every innovation.
Source intake
Innovations enter the platform via three streams — incubated organisations, direct submissions, and trusted partner catalogs (European Commission Social Innovation Index, Schwab Foundation, Ashoka, and others).
Documentation review
Every innovation submits primary documentation: outcome data, named implementing team, funding model, and time horizon. Missing fields block publication.
Verification level assignment
Verified by 1FF — incubated organisations and innovations with directly observable outcomes. Verified source — sourced from a trusted partner catalog with independent review. Submitted · Pending — under review, not yet publicly visible by default.
Annual re-review
Every innovation is re-reviewed annually. Innovations whose teams disband or whose outcomes are no longer documented are archived with a public note.
Pick the path that fits your role.
Explore the catalogue, submit your innovation, or learn how 1FF and GCSI fit together.