In October 2016, I was thrilled to join the Innovate Springfield team to head up its Social Innovation Program.  Since then, I’ve been asked: what is social innovation, and how will it benefit the Springfield community? 

 

Social innovation is a field that produces new, more effective, more creative solutions to social problems.  It is distinct from social entrepreneurship -- when a for-profit business aligns its mission with solving social problems or benefiting social causes --  in that it focuses on supporting non-profits and agencies that serve others.