The Social Impact Fund (SIF) is a left-of-center grantmaking organization and activism incubator backed by film and television actors and other wealthy entertainment industry players. SIF identifies “removing the common administrative burdens” to philanthropy as one of its main objectives, and it promises “discretion” to its donors and supporters, touting the fact that “names of individual donors are not publicly disclosed.” The fund also offers to serve as a fiscal sponsor for new and developing advocacy projects, providing them with legal structure and “immediate charitable status” which allows them to apply for grants and hold fundraisers. 1
Initiatives
The Social Impact Fund functions as a fiscal sponsor for more than two dozen organizations and campaigns, many of which are wholly or primarily backed by celebrity actors and entertainers. 2
Singer and record producer John Legend backs a campaign which promotes left-of-center criminal justice policies. Canadian performer Shawn Mendes backs a youth activism support project. Actor Ryan Reynolds backs an initiative which works to increase the number of racial and other minorities in the entertainment industry. British actress Lily Collins backs a grantmaking organization promoting the normalization of same-sex attraction and gender reassignment. 3
Some SIF fiscally sponsored causes do not explicitly identify their backers: this includes the anti-fossil fuel advocacy group Grounded, which pushes for the imposition of far-reaching environmentalist policies by the year 2030, an alleged point of no return according to climate change groups such as the 2030 Fund and Architecture 2030. 4
Not all the fund’s projects have an overt political motivation, such as the One Family Foundation of actor Bradley Cooper, which assists cancer patients and their families. 5
Fiscal sponsorship involves an established nonprofit such as the Social Impact Fund providing administrative support to a newly founded or still-growing organization or initiative. SIF touts the ease and speed of startup its fiscal sponsorships offer, claiming that activists can “get started quickly” without dealing directly with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It also repeatedly emphasizes the “secure and discrete” nature of its work, promising that donors can remain anonymous. 6
Leadership
Craig Cichy is the executive director of the Social Impact Fund. A career left-of-center philanthropy manager, he previously worked for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, another grantmaking organization backed by prominent actors, performers, and other celebrities. Prior to that, he was the director of a fund organized by MAC Cosmetics that raises AIDS awareness. 7
Ines Kuperschmit is the chair of the Social Impact Fund board of directors. She is an education attorney who provides services to the California Department of Education and to the state Office of Civil Rights. Kuperschmit also co-founded a nonprofit legal services organization which worked with parents navigating the public education system. 8
Financials
In 2022, Social Impact Fund received more than $10.5 million in contributions and grants, a decline of more than $3 million in 2021. 9 In addition to its financial backers from the entertainment industry, the SIF has received funding from the Ford Foundation, one of the most influential left-of-center grantmaking organizations in the United States, including a $300,000 grant in December 2021. 10
References
- Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/
- “Our programs for impact.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/partners
- “Our programs for impact.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/partners
- “Our programs for impact.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/partners
- “Our programs for impact.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/partners
- “Our service model.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/services
- “Our Staff.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/about#Staff
- “Our Board.” Social Impact Fund. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.socialimpactfund.org/about#BoardofDirectors
- Social Impact Fund 2022 Internal Revenue Service Form 990. Accessed August 14, 2023.
https://irp.cdn-website.com/b61d0555/files/uploaded/SIF%202022%20Form%20990%20(Public).pdf
- “Core support for KW Foundation’s programs.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/social-impact-fund-142408/