Social Change Initiative (SCI) is an international advocacy organization headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland. SCI claims to support left-of-center social change and peacebuilding efforts, with a particular focus on Northern Ireland. ¹

Programs and Activities

Among Social Change Initiative’s activities is supporting philanthropy. This includes re-granting initiatives and helping funders design and evaluate effective grant-making programs that align with SCI’s long-term policy goals. ² SCI’s initiatives are supported by a number of philanthropic foundations, including the Atlantic Philanthropies, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, DFA Reconciliation Fund, Unbound Philanthropy, the Human Dignity Foundation, and the Oak Foundation. ²

SCI employs a diverse range of methods to achieve its mission. These include strategic consultancy for advocacy and policy development, fellowships aimed at enhancing leadership skills among activists, and mentoring programs that connect emerging leaders with seasoned professionals. ² Through its own research and publications, SCI’s work spans policy areas such as human rights, migration, and peacebuilding, with a particular focus on both local efforts in Northern Ireland and broader international movements. ²

Funding and Partnerships

From 2014 through 2020, a partnership between Atlantic Philanthropies and the Northern Ireland government resulted in a joint investment of £62 million (approximately $85 million), with £25 million (approximately $34 million) contributed by Atlantic. ³ The initiative targeted reforms in public services and encouraged collaboration across sectors, focusing on evidence-based policy decisions. The program produced research reports, such as the Shifting Gear report developed with Deloitte, which analyzed the factors enabling effective public service transformation and identified lessons with potential application beyond Northern Ireland. ⁴ A separate report, “Back to Normal or Back to Better?,” assessed shifts in public sector work practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for future service delivery. ⁵

Key initiatives within the partnership included the Early Intervention Transformation Programme (EITP), which implemented 18 projects to improve children’s services and support for disadvantaged families. EITP coordinated funding across government departments and applied collaborative, evidence-based approaches to areas like antenatal care and parental engagement. ⁶ The partnership also addressed dementia care, introducing best practices and support for carers, workforce training, digital health tools, and data use within publicly supported programs. Documentation of this work included reports and films highlighting the strategic processes and outcomes of public-private cooperation. ⁶

Additionally, the initiative supported the expansion of shared education in Northern Ireland, building on pilot programs begun in 2007. This effort fostered collaboration between schools across denominational and cultural lines, contributing to both academic achievement and community relations. Research and reports, such as “Shared Education: The First Ten Years,” examined how sustained philanthropic and government partnership could influence public systems. ⁷

1.  Social Change Initiative. Social Change Initiative Website. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com.
2. Social Change Initiative, What We Do, accessed June 23, 2025, https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/what-we-do.
3. Atlantic Philanthropies. “Our Work.” Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed June 2025. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/our-work/.
4. Deloitte. “Shifting Gear: Enabling Conditions for Public Service Transformation.” Deloitte, 2019. https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/public-sector/articles/shifting-gear-public-service-transformation.html.
5. Social Change Initiative, Making Change with Government, accessed June 23, 2025, https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/making-change-with-government-page.
6. Social Change Initiative. “Early Intervention Transformation Programme.” Social Change Initiative, 2019. https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/publications/early-intervention-transformation-programme/.
7. Social Change Initiative. “Shared Education: The First Ten Years.” Social Change Initiative, 2021. https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/publications/shared-education-the-first-ten-years/