A cornucopia of reading to propel you through the weekend brings this week’s free Social Impact Bond Newsletter to a fascinating conclusion….
See you Monday when we’ll all clearly be on the cusp of, well, September for one thing…
Rick Cohen: A Flagship SIB Has Flopped, But The Fans Are Undeterred
Third Sector
The failure of the Rikers Island prison initiative does not mean social impact bonds will no longer be attractive to Wall Street.
Social Impact Bonds: The Best Of All Worlds?
Helen Dickinson – Power To Persuade
The ‘innovative finance’ model of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) is being hailed as an answer to funding critical social problems. In this post, guest contributor Helen Dickinson looks at the hype and potential of SIBs and if they really are the best of all worlds.
Throwback (and Look Forward): Social Impact Bonds
Alyssa Haywoode – Eye On Early Education
We’re throwing back and looking forward.
In 2013, we blogged about how social impact blogs could be used to finance early education, explaining:
“Preschools and investment banks seem to be worlds apart, but this month Goldman Sachs announced that it would use a ‘social impact bond,’ to invest in high-quality early childhood programs in Utah and serve some 3,500 children.
“Piloted in the United Kingdom in 2010, social impact bonds loan private money to effective public programs.
“In Utah, Goldman Sachs is working with Chicago investor J.B. Pritzker and the United Way of Salt Lake to offer $7 million in loans to pay for the expansion of preschool programs that enroll at-risk children.”
Read the rest of the blog here.
Now in 2015, we’re adding this update: a white paper from the Save the Children Action Network called, “Innovative Financing for Early Childhood Education: State and Local Options.”
The white paper “lists a toolbox of solutions aimed at bridging the gap between lawmakers’ desire to expand access to early childhood education and balance the budget. Offering ideas that appeal to Republicans and Democrats alike, Save the Children Action Network’s report gives lawmakers a variety of options for smart and innovative ways to fund the early learning programs that ensure the future success of our children and country.”
Among these solutions: social impact bonds.