In order to succeed and become sustainable, social entrepreneurs—much like business entrepreneurs—require support structures tailored to their needs. Ashoka is building an infrastructure that supports the growth and expansion of the field of social entrepreneurship, including seed financing and capital, bridges to the business and academic sectors, and strategic partnerships that deliver social and financial value.

Ashoka has long recognized the importance of collaboration with other sectors, particularly business, whose models of competition and innovation provide critical lessons for citizen organizations. Our work in this area is helping close the historical gap between the business and civil society, creating important avenues for integration and synergy between both communities.

Ashoka Support Network – A fee-supported global community of successful business people who share their knowledge and networks to help Fellows spread their solutions.

Citizen Base Initiative - Initiative to help citizen sector organizations engage with the local community and develop new resources, such as funds, people, goods, and services.

Social Financial Services (SFS) – Global initiative to create new types of financial instruments and structures to provide capital for social ventures.

Strategic Partners - Partnerships to build bridges with the business sectors and help support Ashoka's initiatives and the citizen sector.

University Network for Social Entrepreneurs - Online resource hub and an action-oriented discussion forum to expand social entrepreneurship education and participation around the world.

Please Note: The links above will take you from the Ashoka-US website to the Ashoka Global website.