Case Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Case Foundation’s civic engagement grantmaking currently centers around engaging Millennials in social activism and democratic participation through innovative, technological approaches.
IP TAKE: The Case Foundation is a dynamic, data-driven funder that is proactive about its grantmaking. While it does not accept requests for funding, organizations who are willing to share their data may be able to establish a relationship. This funder likes to take risks and applies an impact investing approach to some of its work.
PROFILE: The Case Foundation was established in 1997 by Steve and Jean Case, both signatories of the Giving Pledge. The foundation seeks to “invest in people and ideas that can change the world” by harnessing “the best impulses of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and collaboration to drive exponential impact.” The foundation’s philosophy is based on Case’s five “Be Fearless” principles: make big bets, be bold, make failure matter, reach beyond your bubble, and let urgency conquer fear. It conducts its work through the three focus areas of Civic Engagement, Entrepreneurship, and Revolutionizing Philanthropy.
Steve Case is a co-founder and former CEO of America Online. In 2005, he founded the investment fund Revolution, with a mission to “build disruptive, innovative companies that offer consumers more choice, convenience and control in their lives." Case is author The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future, which was released in 2016. The book describes the Third Wave as "a period in which entrepreneurs will vastly transform major 'real world' sectors like health, education, transportation, energy, and food—and in the process change the way we live our daily lives."
The Case Foundation strongly believes that Philanthropy has the power to catalyze great social change. To this end, it embraces Impact Investing and believes that grantmakers should Be Fearless, and “embrace risks with potential to produce exponential social returns.”
Grants for Civics and Democracy
The Case Foundation’s Civic Engagement work to find “better, smarter and more effective ways” to “catalyze the efforts of changemakers who put citizens at the center of efforts to solve the world’s greatest social challenges.” The current main focus of this program is Millennial Engagment, and the foundation recently concluded its ten-year Millennial Impact Project. Case’s yearly Millennial Impact Reports revealed that the activists of that generation are “diverse, idealistic, and passionate about challenging the status quo in their daily efforts to make the world a better place.” For instance, the foundation’s research has shown that Millennials see various forms of contribution—monetary, volunteer time, or social networking—as valid, care more about issues than organizations, engage with several causes at once, are influenced by the actions of their peers, and prefer innovative, technological approaches.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
Case works to increase the number of entrepreneurs who bring fresh ideas to all areas of business. Its Entrepreneurship efforts seek to support “the development of sustainable, market-driven models to build skills, networks and pathways to unlock the potential of first-movers and risk takers everywhere.” This program’s focus is three-pronged. The Global Entrepreneurship initiative works to create “strong startup ecosystems” that allow potential entrepreneurs to bring innovative and creative solutions to complex social challenges. The Inclusive Entrepreneurship initiative promotes equal opportunities for “all entrepreneurs—particularly women and people of color—in all places in order to create stronger communities, close the opportunity gap and scale creative solutions to persistent problems.” Finally, the Entrepreneurship program supports Impact Investing, which aligns “the pursuit of profit and purpose.”
Important Grant Details:
In previous years, the foundation has made grants to organizations such as City Year, Atlas Corps, Youth Serve America, the National Conference on Citizenship, and Global Year Citizen—all of which encourage people to give their time and connect them to volunteer opportunities.
Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000. While the foundation does not have a grants database, grant seekers may review its Blog and Resources pages for more information on its grantmaking habits.
The Case Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funding. As the foundation’s Millennial Impact Project has recently concluded, the next phase of its civic engagement work remains to be seen.
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