SOCIAL VENTURES

What SOCIAL VENTURES does

Social Ventures is a small, privately-held philanthropic collective founded in 2012 and based in San Diego, operating as a connector between social entrepreneurs pursuing systems-level change and philanthropists seeking high-impact investment opportunities. The organization applies venture-capital-style due diligence, strategic cultivation, and a portfolio approach to systems-change philanthropy, deliberately distinguishing itself from traditional philanthropy focused on hospitals, universities, and programmatic outcomes. It serves two primary constituencies: social entrepreneurs with proven models ready to scale at a systems level, and individuals or families seeking structured support to deploy philanthropic capital into systems-change work without the fear of 'making a mistake.'

The organization's core offering comprises three programs — aggregate funds that pool capital with like-minded funders, an annual fellowship for a social entrepreneur ready to activate a systems-change effort, and an engagement program that shares research and opportunities across the funder network. It maintains a disclosed portfolio of five systems-change organizations spanning healthcare social determinants, climate-health, child welfare, and workforce housing: Health Leads, The Health Initiative, Healthcare Without Harm, Foster America, and Washington House Conservancy. All content is positioned as open source to unlock philanthropic capital for the broader social sector.

The business is not a commercial enterprise: there is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed revenue stream, no pricing model, and no institutional investment. The organization is funded and governed by three named founders — Lisa Bernstein, John Mandile, and Joshua B. Bernstein — each bringing decades of operating, investing, or philanthropic experience. Operations are US-domestic and the operating team is described as 1–10 people. Distribution is purely relationship-driven through website contact forms, curated content, and direct outreach.

Name

SOCIAL VENTURES

Legal name

Social Ventures

Website

https://socialventures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Social Ventures is a small US-based philanthropic collective, founded in 2012, that connects social entrepreneurs pursuing systems-level change with philanthropists through due diligence, an annual fellowship, and aggregate co-investment programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Advisory and Social Impact Investing

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ)

Keywords

• Systems change philanthropy
• Impact investing advisory
• Social venture funding
• Philanthropic due diligence
• Social entrepreneur mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Capital: Social Ventures raises and deploys philanthropic capital from individuals and families committed to investing in social systems solutions. As a connector between philanthropists and social entrepreneurs, they facilitate funding relationships without traditional revenue generation. All content is open source and intended to unlock philanthropic funds to more rapidly address social sector challenges.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Social Ventures is a philanthropic collective that connects social entrepreneurs pursuing systems-level change with philanthropists seeking high-impact investment opportunities. It provides due diligence, strategic guidance, mentorship, and direct funding to portfolio organizations addressing social challenges in health, housing, child welfare, and climate, while all content is published open source to unlock additional philanthropic capital.

Product overview

Social Ventures is a philanthropic organization that functions as a connector, coach, and collective of funders for social entrepreneurs. The core offering includes due diligence processes, strategic guidance, mentorship, and financial support for organizations ready to develop and activate systems change strategies. The organization operates three primary programs: aggregate funds (joining philanthropists for collective impact), an annual fellowship for social entrepreneurs, and engagement activities that connect funders with opportunities. Social Ventures maintains a portfolio of invested organizations including Health Leads, The Health Initiative, Healthcare Without Harm, Foster America, and Washington House Conservancy, each addressing different social sector challenges at a systems level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Entrepreneurs Program A program by which Social Ventures works with social entrepreneurs whose organizations have a successful model and a vision for systems-level impact, providing strategic guidance, mentorship, operating leverage, and funding readiness support as they progress through due diligence.
• Philanthropists Engagement Program A program through which Social Ventures engages individuals and families committing philanthropic capital, providing curated systems-change opportunities, due diligence support, co-investment through aggregate funds, and learning opportunities alongside other funders, with no gate to entry or mandatory investment.
• Aggregate Funds Collaboration A model in which Social Ventures joins other philanthropists to maximize learning and broaden networks while collectively investing in systems-change initiatives.
• Annual Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs An annual fellowship awarded to a social entrepreneur ready to plan and activate a systems-change effort, providing a strategic partnership and dedicated support from Social Ventures over the fellowship period.
• Portfolio Investment — Health Leads Portfolio investment in Health Leads, an organization addressing social determinants of health by connecting patients with essential needs like food, housing, and utilities, led by Executive Director Alexandra Quinn.
• Portfolio Investment — The Health Initiative Portfolio investment in The Health Initiative, co-founded by Rebecca Onie and Rocco Perla, focused on transforming healthcare from treatment to prevention by addressing social determinants and climate impacts.
• Portfolio Investment — Healthcare Without Harm Portfolio investment in Healthcare Without Harm, led by Executive Director Gary Cohen, working to reduce the health sector's environmental footprint while building climate-resilient communities.
• Portfolio Investment — Foster America Portfolio investment in Foster America, founded by Sherry Lachman, which addresses the child welfare crisis through innovative, interdisciplinary systems-change work supporting children and families.
• Portfolio Investment — Washington House Conservancy Portfolio investment in Washington House Conservancy, led by Executive Director Kimberly Driggins, addressing workforce housing affordability in the Washington DC area to support working families and community stability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports social entrepreneurs disrupting multiple forces holding social problems in place simultaneously

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Blue Meridian Partners: A philanthropic scaling vehicle that aggregates capital from multiple funders to back proven social solutions at scale. SV's Aggregate Funds program is structurally analogous to Blue Meridian's pooled-fund approach.
• Omidyar Network: A philanthropic investment firm founded by eBay's Pierre Omidyar that takes a systems-change approach to issues like governance, education, and financial inclusion. Comparable in mission and willingness to fund high-risk, transformative bets.
• Ashoka: One of the largest global networks for social entrepreneurs, with established fellowship and venture support programs. Ashoka is a broad incumbent in social-entrepreneur support, comparable to SV's mission of identifying and cultivating systems-change leaders at scale.
• The Skoll Foundation: A leading global foundation investing in social entrepreneurs and driving systemic change through large-scale grants, social capital, and convenings. SV is highly comparable in mission, though smaller in capital deployment.

Direct peers

• Arabella Advisors: A philanthropy advisory firm that helps donors design strategies, manage funds, and deploy capital to high-impact social enterprises. Arabella serves the same funder-and-entrepreneur connector role SV plays, though at a larger scale.
• Echoing Green: A social-impact organization that runs a fellowship program for emerging leaders, mirroring SV's fellowship offering. Both organizations focus on identifying and backing social entrepreneurs pursuing transformative change in their sectors.
• Bridgespan Group: A nonprofit advisory and consulting firm cited as a content collaborator by SV. Bridgespan advises philanthropists, nonprofits, and social-sector leaders on strategy, funding, and scaling — overlapping directly with SV's mission of expanding high-impact philanthropic deployment.
• New Profit: A venture philanthropy organization that backs social entrepreneurs tackling systemic challenges in education, economic mobility, and health. New Profit is explicitly cited by SV as a content collaborator and operates a very similar model of incubation, funding, and scaling support for systems-change leaders.
• FSG: A global social impact advisory firm referenced by SV as a content collaborator. FSG advises foundations and corporations on social impact strategy and is comparable in operating model — both curate knowledge, perform due diligence, and convene funders around systems-change themes.

Emerging players

• Tara Health Foundation: A private foundation focused on health equity and systems change with a similar VC-style due diligence approach. Comparable as a small private foundation applying rigor and a portfolio lens to social-sector investing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sv4sustain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/social-ventures-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SOCIAL VENTURES