The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS)

What The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS) does

The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS) is a student-run grantmaking endowment housed within Georgetown University's Center for Social Justice, established in 2011 when the university repurposed approximately $1.5 million of student activity fees into a dedicated social-innovation fund. SIPS allocates roughly $60,000 in award money annually across two core programs: the Annual Awardee Program, which funds current Georgetown undergraduates and post-2001 alumni developing their own social ventures, and the Summer Scholars Program, which funds unpaid summer internships at pre-existing nonprofits, research ventures, or social enterprises. Two named special awards extend the program: the Kurt Kaull Award for community health and wellness projects and the Gwendolyn Mikell Award for Womxn's Empowerment, co-administered with Georgetown's BRAVE Summit. Since inception, SIPS has distributed $333,864 to 112 awardees whose projects have been implemented in 33 countries.

Operational governance is split between an Executive Committee of approximately 12 undergraduate students — handling outreach, project management mentorship, application processing, and Board pitches — and a Board of Trustees of 9 faculty, alumni, and student members who hold final approval authority on funding decisions. SIPS applies a four-pillar evaluation framework (Innovation, Sustainability, Impact on Community, and Impact on the Student or Alum) and pairs each applicant with a dedicated Project Manager for development support. Beyond funding, awardees receive ongoing mentorship, network access to former awardees and practitioners, and a symposium presentation venue for outcomes.

The fund is structured as a program of Georgetown University rather than a separately incorporated entity, with the institution acting as both parent organization and primary funder. It generates no revenue of its own; it is sustained entirely by the original Georgetown endowment, the Center for Social Justice infrastructure, and volunteer student labor. There is no proprietary technology underlying the offering — selection, mentorship, and disbursement are all human-mediated processes — and pricing is not applicable since SIPS awards grants rather than sells products or services. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: information sessions, coffee chats, campus fairs, and a multi-channel social presence (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) recruit applicants from the Georgetown undergraduate and alumni base.

Name

The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS)

Legal name

Social Innovation and Public Service Fund

Website

https://sips.georgetown.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS) is a student-run grantmaking endowment at Georgetown University that distributes roughly $60,000 annually to undergraduate and alumni social ventures, having funded 112 awardees across 33 countries since 2011.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAE

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAK

Education Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Student grantmaking fund
• Social venture funding
• Nonprofit grant programs
• University endowment fund
• Social innovation awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Distribution: SIPS allocates approximately $60,000 in award money every year to support students and alumni developing social ventures. The fund originated from student activity fees at Georgetown University in 2011, totaling $1.5 million. Since then, SIPS has invested more than $250,000 in student and alumni projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SIPS is a student-run grantmaking fund at Georgetown University that allocates approximately $60,000 annually from an endowment to support undergraduate and alumni social ventures addressing pressing social issues. The fund runs multiple named award programs (Annual Awardee Program, Summer Scholars Program, Kurt Kaull Award, and Gwendolyn Mikell Award for Womxn's Empowerment) that provide competitive grant funding and capacity-building support to individual applicants. To date, SIPS has funded 112 awardees across 33 countries, distributing a cumulative $333,864.

Product overview

The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS) is a student-run grantmaking program at Georgetown University that does not operate as a traditional technology product. It functions as a funding vehicle that allocates approximately $60,000 annually to student and alumni social ventures. The core offering consists of multiple award programs: the Annual Awardee Program for students developing their own social initiatives, the Summer Scholars Program for students working at existing organizations, the Kurt Kaull Award for health and wellness-focused projects, and the Gwendolyn Mikell Award for Womxn's Empowerment. SIPS also offers leadership opportunities through its Executive Committee. The organization is housed within the Center for Social Justice and is inspired by Georgetown's Jesuit tradition of service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Awardee Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 112 awardees funded across 33 countries with $333,864 total distributed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Center for Social Justice (CSJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIPS is housed in and operates as a program of the Center for Social Justice at Georgetown University. The CSJ provides institutional support, infrastructure, and alignment with Georgetown's Jesuit mission of social justice. SIPS Executive Committee works within the CSJ framework.
• BRAVE SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Gwendolyn Mikell Award for Womxn's Empowerment. SIPS Fund and Georgetown University's BRAVE Summit jointly award an undergraduate student or alumni for contributions to womxn's empowerment. This partnership addresses inequities and barriers that womxn continue to face.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Echoing Green: Social entrepreneur fellowship providing seed funding and leadership development to early-stage social change leaders. Directly comparable to SIPS in mission and stage of awardee support, though Echoing Green is a standalone global program not tied to a single university.
• Resolution Project: Nonprofit that empowers university students to launch social ventures through fellowships, funding, and mentorship. Comparable to SIPS in serving a student social-entrepreneur pipeline, though Resolution is multi-university and venture-stage.
• Davis Projects for Peace: Foundation program providing $10,000 grants to university students to implement summer social impact projects worldwide. Comparable to SIPS as a student-focused grantmaking fund with international project reach, though it operates across multiple universities.
• Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U): University-based initiative funding and supporting student-led social impact projects. Closely comparable to SIPS as a university-affiliated program that backs student social entrepreneurs with funding and mentorship.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: Global nonprofit that identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs via fellowship and grant support. Comparable to SIPS as a grantmaking entity backing innovative social ventures, though Ashoka operates at vastly larger scale and serves founders globally rather than a single university.
• Skoll Foundation: Major philanthropy funding social entrepreneurs tackling the world's most pressing problems. Comparable mission to SIPS in backing social innovators, but operates at vastly greater scale and at a later stage.

Regional players

• Global Health Corps: Nonprofit placing young leaders in health-focused roles globally, with strong ties to Georgetown alumni (Matthew Carvalho noted similar training mission). Comparable to SIPS in developing next-generation social-impact leaders, though focused specifically on global health.

Others

• Ashoka U: Ashoka's university-focused initiative embedding social entrepreneurship into higher education. Comparable to SIPS as a university-affiliated channel for student social innovation, though it functions as a network rather than a grantmaking vehicle.
• Georgetown Center for Social Justice (CSJ): Georgetown's Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service — the parent host of SIPS. Comparable as the institutional infrastructure through which SIPS operates and receives oversight.

Emerging players

• Halcyon: Washington D.C.-based incubator and fellowship program for early-stage social entrepreneurs. Comparable to SIPS as a Georgetown-adjacent social venture support organization (Phil Wong is a Halcyon Fellow); operates at a later venture stage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Georgetown_SIPS
• Facebookfacebook.com/SIPSfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thesips
• Instagraminstagram.com/georgetownsips

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Social Innovation and Public Service Fund (SIPS)