Social innovation
What is social innovation? What are some examples?
Social innovation is a new solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable or just than existing solutions, where the value created goes primarily to society as a whole. It can be a new product, but also a new service, partnership model or policy.
Last updated: · hangel
Stages of social innovation
- Spotting the need: defining the problem together with the people it affects.
- Developing ideas: generating proposals with people from different fields.
- Prototyping and testing: trying it at small scale, learning and improving.
- Sustaining: building a model in which the solution can live on its own resources.
- Scaling: taking it to other cities, organisations and countries.
- Systemic change: contributing to changes in rules, habits and policies.
Example areas from the world and Turkiye
- Microcredit: Grameen Bank, founded by Muhammad Yunus, gave small collateral-free loans to poor women; Yunus and the bank received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
- Online and micro-volunteering platforms: made volunteering independent of time and place.
- Donation-through-shopping models: directed part of everyday spending to civil society.
- Disaster solidarity networks: fast coordination of caravan owners, logistics companies and volunteers.
Resources that support social innovation
National and international grant programmes, development agency calls, European Union programmes and foundation funds are key resources for social innovation projects. A strong application starts with a project text that clearly explains the problem and the expected impact.
Social innovation with hangel and Social Business Global
hangel's Grants and Funds section lists open grant and funding calls with deadlines, amounts and focus areas, and the Write Your Project assistant helps you prepare a project text that follows the call's guidelines.
At the international social entrepreneurship workshops it has held since 2019, Social Business Global studies how different countries solve similar problems; 632 social enterprises from 54 countries have been reported through this work, and the association works to adapt these examples to Turkish civil society.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between social innovation and social entrepreneurship?
Social innovation is the new solution itself and can come from an NGO, a public body or a company. Social entrepreneurship is putting such a solution into practice through a venture that earns its own income.
Where can I find grants for social innovation projects?
hangel's Grants and Funds section (hangel.org/hibe-fonlar) lists open grant and funding calls with deadlines, amounts and focus areas.
What is the best-known example of social innovation?
A frequently cited example is microcredit, spread by Muhammad Yunus through Grameen Bank; Yunus and the bank received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
About hangel
hangel is a transparent social impact platform that makes doing good part of everyday life. It brings NGOs, volunteers, student clubs and brands together: volunteering opportunities, events, open grant and funding calls, a civil-society library and hangel Market, where a share of your purchase becomes a donation to the NGO you choose, all in one place. Management panels are free for NGOs and clubs; every NGO profile shows a transparency score and every product shows its donation rate. There's no such thing as struggling alone.
Social Business Global
Social Business Global is a civil society organisation founded in Istanbul in 2020 that carries social entrepreneurship and social innovation from Turkiye to the world (officially Uluslararası Sosyal Fayda Derneği), and it works together with hangel. In 2020-2025 it reached 15,621 people at 126 events and reviewed 632 social enterprises from 54 countries.
Social Business Global website