One of the biggest challenges for social organizations is defining which of their projects are best suited for application, as they often have more than one initiative worthy of funding on the one hand, and on the other, there are countless funders and investors available to support some of the best social innovation initiatives.

Defining the project’s mission and objectives
Most entities present a specific mission (e.g., promoting education), but the truth is that this same mission (objective) has the ability and virtue to break down into several other “smaller” missions to be fulfilled, with concrete actions and projects that occur and evolve over time and space, giving rise to other new objectives (e.g., promoting inclusive education; developing socio-emotional skills in children and young people, among others). In reality, what is intended and happens is that organizations tend to follow and respond to emerging social needs and the characteristics of specific populations and communities with and for whom they work, designing their actions accordingly – needs vs. intervention objectives.

Is this opportunity suitable for my organization?
This is one of the key questions that arises first for any application: “What social problem is the open funding opportunity aiming to address? Is this opportunity actually directed at us (organization)?” Any entity intending to apply for support should begin by reflecting on some fundamental questions that will shape the project and the application itself, starting by answering the following:

Is this funding opportunity aligned with the mission of our social organization?

Will our objective (e.g., promoting education) and its respective specific objectives (e.g., promoting inclusive education; developing socio-emotional skills in children and young people) be eligible for this opportunity?

Are the activities proposed in our project/organization creative and effective solutions to the identified problem (e.g., school dropout)?

If the answer is yes, this is a good starting point to design what will become your winning social innovation project. From here, you can not only understand whether your initiative fits the opportunity (whether it is eligible for funding), but also adapt existing ideas according to the specifics of each call, think about the budget and plan all other required sections of any proposal, such as social impact assessment and the expected results for each proposed intervention/activity.

Who is my project aimed at: defining the target audience
It is also important not to forget that for each of the points mentioned above, it is essential to know, identify and clearly describe the target population of any initiative, even if the first thought is “everyone” or “society in general.” There are highly innovative projects that can impact more than one specific group of individuals, but the more objective and focused we are, the more effective our intervention will be. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly define what is intended, when, how and with/for whom (direct beneficiaries of the initiative).

Knowing when to ask for help: involving other professionals
If you need help organizing the ideas and objectives of your social innovation initiative for a specific application, it is highly recommended to seek support from other professionals in the field to review your proposal. Sometimes everything seems so clear and obvious to us that we are not able to put ourselves in the position of those who will read and evaluate it. External input can be extremely valuable for the success of any project.

Andreia Arenga
11.04.2022

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