Hyphen

We are thrilled to announce the publication of a new article series, “Social Innovation and the Journey to Transformation”, published today in the Winter 2025 Issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review. As we reflect on the past year and look forward to the next, we’ll be deep-diving into each article’s insights, learnings, and examples. We worked shoulder-to-shoulder with social innovators and other funders from around the globe to develop the series and share what’s working and what we’ve learned about forging solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. https://skoll.wf/journey We invite you to join us in exploring the impactful insights and strategies social innovators are using to drive social transformation. Discover how collaborative efforts in philanthropy are helping innovators take their solutions to the next level of scale and sustainability. From system orchestration and mission-aligned investing to storytelling and new evaluation and learning approaches, this series explores what it takes to transform societies around the world. Philanthropy can play an even larger role in providing sustained support to social innovators who build bridges across sectors and drive collective action. How can we, together, identify new ways to accelerate social transformation, collaborate with one another, and join efforts for outsized impact? Keep an eye out over the coming weeks as we share more inspiring stories and practical lessons from the frontlines of social innovation. #JourneyToTransformation #SocialInnovation #CollaborativePhilanthropy #Impact #CollectiveAction

Opinion: To create an equitable economy, grant makers should address the financial and training hurdles that cause so many entrepreneurs to fail, writes Sandy Fernandez. https://bit.ly/4eUmfBH Fernandez is vice president of North America at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and part of the Mastercard Strive USA program leadership team.

This has been one of the busiest seasons of my life in all aspects, but I’m incredibly grateful for the impact we’re driving Milken Institute. At the top of the list is some big news.? In June, we announced at The White House and the U.S. Department of the Treasury that the Milken Institute became the home?for the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE), a groundbreaking national effort to expand access to capital for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI). IIE harnesses the power of public-private collaboration to ensure the equitable implementation of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s $10 billion?State Small Business Credit Initiative(SSBCI), 40% of which is designated for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI). This process was a months-long sprint that required late nights, lots of reading and an incredible deal team including Rachel Halfaker, Chelsea Wells, Jeff Valliere, and Mike Piwowar. We have some incredible partners and colleagues at Nowak Metro Finance Lab, IIE.VC, The Aspen Institute, Mission Driven Finance?, Founders First Capital Partners, Next Street, Scale Link, and JumpStart Inc. that led an incredible 18-month pilot led by Hyphen, resulting in?$215 MM in deployed capital, reached 7,931 organizations, and provided 2,223 hours of technical training. Excited to share over the next few weeks what we’ve been working on over the last 8-9 months and catch up on what’s been a four-month hiatus from LinkedIn. More to come!

What can be done to help entrepreneurs of color, women and veterans, who have ideas for small businesses but face disproportionate obstacles getting financing? ? “Entrepreneurs of color are more likely to be denied credit,” says Archana Sahgal, president and founder of Hyphen, a national public-private partnership accelerator. “They’re more likely to pay higher interest loans. They’re less likely to apply for loans because of their fear of being denied. And so, to a certain extent, entrepreneurs of color are effectively being locked out of the best, most effective ways for wealth in this country.” With that in mind, the federal government has turned to a public-private partnership, the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship, to help such groups raise the money they need on the road to entrepreneurship. Read about how it works and how it’s going: https://bit.ly/4dtn8kb #entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #underserved #EntrepreneursOfColor Troy Duffie Milken Institute Lauren Grattan Mission Driven Finance? New Economy Initiative U.S. Department of the Treasury Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Change Labs Laura Aka

Public-Private Money Fuels Growth for #DiverseSmallBusinesses Great news for #minorityownedbusinesses! A new initiative is unlocking billions in funding through #publicprivatepartnerships. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) and the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE) provide much-needed capital to diverse fund managers and entrepreneurs. Here's the breakdown: *Matching Funds: The IIE leverages public funds with a 1:1 match requirement from private investors. *Focus on Equity: This program aims to bridge the funding gap for businesses owned by people of color. Benefits for All: Diverse VC firms and entrepreneurs also gain access to capital through the IIE. Key Players: *Hyphen: Manages the IIE program and connects diverse businesses with financing. *Founders First Capital Partners: Helps government and corporate #suppliers secure funding. *JumpStart Inc.: Supports #diverseemergingmanagers and entrepreneurs. This initiative is a significant step towards a more inclusive small business ecosystem. Are you a #diverseentrepreneur looking for funding? Read my article and share your thoughts in the comments!? Public-Private Partnership Bring Billions To Diverse-Owned Businesses via @forbes

Public-Private Money Fuels Growth for #DiverseSmallBusinesses Great news for #minorityownedbusinesses! A new initiative is unlocking billions in funding through #publicprivatepartnerships. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) and the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE) provide much-needed capital to diverse fund managers and entrepreneurs. Here's the breakdown: *Matching Funds: The IIE leverages public funds with a 1:1 match requirement from private investors. *Focus on Equity: This program aims to bridge the funding gap for businesses owned by people of color. Benefits for All: Diverse VC firms and entrepreneurs also gain access to capital through the IIE. Key Players: *Hyphen: Manages the IIE program and connects diverse businesses with financing. *Founders First Capital Partners: Helps government and corporate #suppliers secure funding. *JumpStart Inc.: Supports #diverseemergingmanagers and entrepreneurs. This initiative is a significant step towards a more inclusive small business ecosystem. Are you a #diverseentrepreneur looking for funding? Read my article and share your thoughts in the comments!? Public-Private Partnership Bring Billions To Diverse-Owned Businesses via @forbes