SIS Awards
Social Innovation Summit “Innovator of the Year” Award
As part of Social Innovation Summit’s mission to elevate groundbreaking ideas and shine a spotlight on the most innovative leaders addressing the most urgent social issues, we are honoring a select group of community members through our SIS “Innovator of the Year” Award. If we are obsessed with anything, it is great people making a positive impact. And we are here to celebrate SIS community members who are hungry not just to talk about the next big thing, but to build it
The History
For the past decade, SIS has brought together social innovators from around the world who are motivated to drive change. SIS Awards are a celebration of this impactful community.
The Audience
Our flagship annual event welcomes thousands of social impact executives including social impact representatives from major corporations, global philanthropists, funders, and entrepreneurial changemakers.
The Impact
Impact an executive leadership community that spans 100,000 professionals across 100 countries eager to celebrate incredible achievements that drive impact.
Nomination Details
The SIS Awards celebrate the incredible Social Impact Achievements of our global community. The Awards are a celebration of programs, people, and partnerships that have created a positive impact in the last year, and those that show a roadmap to future success and lasting impact.
Stay turned for 2024 Award details…
2023 SIS Innovator of the Year Award
The Social Innovation Summit Innovator of the Year Awards are a celebration of collaborations by groups and organizations that have created a positive impact in the last year and show a roadmap to future success and lasting impact.
2023 Winner
- Born This Way Foundation & Jack.org – Be There Certificate (Mental Health & Wellness) (Learn More)
- Award accepted by Mitu Yilma, Director of Digital – Born This Way Foundation
- The Be There Certificate is a free, self-paced learning experience designed to increase mental health literacy and provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health. It provides a deep understanding of Be There’s 5 Golden Rules — a simple but actionable framework on how to recognize when someone might be struggling with their mental health, your role in supporting that person, and how to connect them to the help they deserve.
Previous Awards Recipients
2021-2022 Awards Categories & Recipients:
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL & GOVERNANCE (ESG) AWARD
Winner: Action for Racial Equity (ARE)
Accepted By: Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation; Head of Citi Community Investing and Development – Citi
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AWARD
Winner: Project Community Capital
Accepted By: Dr. Gina Merritt, Founder – Project Community Capital®
EDUCATION AWARD
Winner: University Innovation Alliance
Accepted By: Dr. Bridget Burns, Chief Executive Officer – University Innovation Alliance
HEALTH & WELLBEING AWARD
Winner: #FirstRespondersFirst
Accepted By: Deborah Marcus, Executive – CAA Foundation & Kasia Laskowski, Executive Director – Thrive Global Foundation
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI) AWARD
Winner: Trust for Public Land
Accepted By: Linda Hwang, Senior Director, Strategy & Innovation – Trust for Public Land
FUTURE OF WORK AWARD
Winner: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Accepted By: British Robinson, President & CEO – The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
COVID RESPONSE & IMPACT AWARD
Off Their Plate
Off Their Plate empowers local kitchens led by women and people of color to feed their communities through employment and nutrition. We are an entirely volunteer corps of business folk, engineers, and creatives partnering with food industry workers to build a more equitable food economy.
Accepted by: Natalie Guo, Founder, Off Their Plate
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AWARD
Block by Block Amani Housing Strategy
Northwestern Mutual is leading the Block by Block Amani Housing Strategy, a unique collaboration between residents of Milwaukee’s most distressed neighborhoods (Amani), several community non-profits, and Northwestern Mutual. The Block by Block initiative addresses the need for quality affordable housing and eliminates blighted properties – connecting residents to existing housing programs, engaging the community in the revitalization process and providing residents with onsite training to learn transferable skills for the trade industry.
Accepted by: LaQuondra Shaw, Program Officer, Northwestern Mutual
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION AWARD
The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative
The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative (MLI) provides minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship.
Accepted by: Coach Tommy Amaker, Harvard University & Coach John Calipari, University of Kentucky
FUTURE OF WORK AWARDS
FutureFit AI
FutureFit AI partnered with Fortune 500 companies during the economic fallout from the pandemic to ‘Reimagine Layoffs’ by providing laid off employees with an AI-powered tool that acted as a ‘GPS for their career’ to help them navigate into their next role — supporting them from career path exploration, to reskilling, to job placement with a combination of advanced labor market data and algorithms, alongside career resources and human guidance.
Accepted by: Hamoon Ekhtiari, Founder & CEO, FutureFit AI