Social Innovation at UNC

Innovation means more than developing the newest app, the latest technology or even robust revenue models. Carolina faculty, students and alumni also use their ingenuity to help solve some of the most daunting social challenges in North Carolina and around the world. Through Social Innovation at UNC, you can help these bold minds scale their ideas to address social justice and environmental issues in ways that are more inventive and meaningful than ever.

How this opportunity makes a difference
You have the opportunity to help us build the best higher education ecosystem for social entrepreneurship in the United States — one that will be a model for the University of North Carolina system and other institutions across the state and beyond. Together, we’ll create a first-in-class social innovation field-building environment in the Research Triangle Park by collaborating with institutions like NC Central University, NC State University, Duke University and private sector organizations. And we’ll develop new ways for the corporate and philanthropic sector to fund results-driven innovation for the public good.

By taking a cohesive approach to social innovation that cultivates a network of change agents across the University and in the extended community, we will jumpstart a new era of innovation, making the greatest human, community, economic and environmental impact possible in North Carolina and beyond.

Social Innovation at UNC will be a public-private infrastructure that includes:

• World-class scholarship, research, teaching, and data analytics across all disciplines.
• In-house expertise in human-centered design and systems thinking.
• Dedicated co-working space for social venture development, including incubators and accelerators in the heart of campus and in the community.
• Mentoring for ventures from seasoned entrepreneurs in our local community, entrepreneurs in residence, professors of the practice and alumni.
• Seed funding to help scale early-stage ventures, including purpose-driven companies, social enterprises, and socio-economic development organizations that serve both the public and private sectors.

Why your gift matters
Our strategy fosters social innovation and entrepreneurship in our faculty and students by equipping them with practical tools and resources that help them take their ideas to the innovative edge. Your financial support will help them hone a disruptive innovative mindset that encourages applying knowledge in the pursuit of solving complex social justice issues and environmental challenges.