For Good: Social Venture Partners selects finalists for charitable investment

Social Venture Partners (SVP) Tampa Chapter, which helps individuals and nonprofits looking to give back to the community, is in the process of selecting which charity they will fund.

After a speaker series earlier this year and discussions among its members, the SVP decided to focus on one specific issue.

“The five finalists we have chosen fit into the focus areas that we had set, which is homelessness and foster care,” says Rebekah Heppner, Executive Director and Founding Partner of SVP. “In particular, these groups were doing things that were more preventative so that less people are in the foster care system or end up homeless.”

The five finalists selected are Adoption Related Services of Pinellas, Alpha House of Tampa, Bright Community Trust, Positive Spin and Ready for Life.

Heppner says the final application and selection process requires that finalists submit additional information, SVP members conduct site visits in September. On November 12th, remaining finalists and ultimately funding recipients will be announced.

She goes on to say that there has been a heavy interest from those wanting to invest and become a part of SVP. The deadline to become a member and become part of this year's effort is October 31st.

What is SVP’s goal in all this? To help these charities by combining financial and human capital to strengthen their infrastructure in order to fulfill their missions.

“Ultimately we are looking for groups that are at the right point in the development where our partners can really make a difference,” Heppner says. “This means they already have a good business foundation that works, and have ideas that they have shared in their application where we can help them even more.”

For more information, visit the Social Venture Partners website.
Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.

Read more articles by Kimberly Patterson.

Kimberly Patterson is a news editor for 83 Degrees Media in the Tampa Bay region of Florida.