research and innovation projects funded
Whether you are a charity, a not-for-profit organization, a hospital, municipality, or social enterprise you’ll face challenges that you don’t have the capacity to tackle. To fill those gaps, you may need new team members. Bringing in fresh eyes and specialized expertise for a project can help you to realize your objectives – within your budget and your timeline.
Bringing a qualified intern on board, whether it’s a college student, a university student, grad or postdoc, is a smart strategy, allowing you to tap into their knowledge and know-how while keeping your budget in check. It’s also a great way to boost your organization’s productivity and create a valuable work opportunity for students who are passionate about the challenges you face.
Working directly with the community you are serving is essential to delivering products, processes, and programs that create impact. Determining what those needs are demands time, energy, and care: consulting with community members, collecting information, co-designing solutions, tracking progress, and analyzing feedback.
Your organization should also be open to adjusting to the changing landscape and exploring the potential of new solutions to meet community needs. New insight and information can help you to increase your impact by adjusting what you do and how you do it.
Working with an academic partner can help you to collect the information and insight you need to better understand community needs and make better decisions about how to deliver on your mandate as effectively as possible.
Exploring new ideas and initiatives requires funding and it can be difficult to find funders and donors who will provide for the overhead cost of research. The lack of ability to explore and learn from communities in a strategic way can cause many organizations to fall into a rut; delivering products, services, and programs in the same way year in, year out.
Understanding how to optimize your budget – to make it stretch further – identifying new funding streams available to you and knowing how to utilize that money in the right way at the right time are all important factors in supporting, enhancing, and accelerating your efforts.
Successful change makers cannot operate in a vacuum. Bringing about meaningful change means getting people onboard, collaborating with a range of stakeholders, and sharing knowledge and learnings with others who may be facing similar challenges.
Strong partner networks are essential to the effective operation of a not-for-profit organization. Tackling a challenge through an academic partnership can forge connections with new organizations and deliver fresh knowledge to your sector – knowledge that others can benefit from.
