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According to a 2019 point-in-time count, there are more than 612 unsheltered homeless individuals in the Coachella Valley. A Southern California company, Renova Energy, has handed out a few dozen cell phone solar chargers to homeless individuals living in Sunrise Park in downtown Palm Springs to power their phones while living unsheltered so they can reach public safety, caseworkers, family members, doctors and friends.
Renova Energy CEO Vincent Battaglia believes that any business no matter how large or small has the responsibility to give back. And he's not alone.
Companies around the country are doing more to tackle homelessness. Some companies, like Microsoft, are providing loans for affordable housing in Seattle. Others are small start-ups like The Giving Keys, an L.A. jewelry company that hires homeless individuals, or Detroit's Empowerment Plan, which hires homeless women to sew jackets for people on the streets.
According to experts, there are several ways businesses can work toward being socially responsible: philanthropy, volunteering, using company skills to create human-centered products or services, or providing innovative opportunities for community members.
For any business wanting to be sustainable and mission-based, it needs to be innovative. Abby Fifer Mandell, a University of Southern California business professor and the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab director, requires the need for business models that are "financially sustainable, which means they have to be clever, creative and innovative, and are also digging deep on pressing problems by addressing long-term solutions." Read the Entire Article
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
The People's Bank of China says it will start allowing people in China to use the country's new digital currency, the Digital Yuan, to buy goods and services starting next month, the BBC...more
When it comes to corporate social responsibility, India's government and public sector companies are at the top of the list. But when it comes to companies of all sizes, they're at the bottom,...more
The world's biggest state investors are getting into the business of making positive social and environmental impact investments. Singapore's Temasek Holdings, one of the world's largest state...more
"Our long-term vision is to see every dollar invested globally as a net positive for people and planet." So says Niklas Adalberth, the founder of Norrsken Foundation, which operates Norrsken VC,...more
When it comes to giving back to the communities in which they operate, India's companies are in a race against time to up their game. A new survey from Deloitte finds that just 28% of companies...more
"We've noticed that there are a wide variety of investment opportunities that can truly be transformative for women's and children's health and have confirmed, time and time again, that without...more
Chris Pan's commencement speech at Ohio State has been called "cringe-worthy" and "the worst Ohio State commencement speech ever"but the social entrepreneur and 1999 Ohio State graduate wants to set...more
"It is a night that shines a light on some of the best and brightest women in business." So reads a press release on the winners of the 2024 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards in Ireland,...more
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says the Appalachian Community Grant Program represents "a historic, $500 million investment in Ohio's 32 Appalachian counties." The state has allocated $21.9 million in...more
Rumors have been swirling that the Lakeland Cultural Arts Center in Florida is going under, but the organization's president says those rumors are "greatly exaggerated." In a statement released...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
3 Social Enterprises Earn Honors at Social Enterprise Award
Three social enterprises were recognized at the 2013 President’s Challenge Social Enterprise Award for their major contributions to society. SATA CommHealth and Bliss Restaurant landed Social Enterprise of the Year titles, while Bettr Barista Coffee Academy bagged the award for Social Enterprise Start-up of the Year.
