News and Press Releases

Hearth’s Outreach Program Chosen as 2009 Boston Social Innovator

Press Release
December 11, 2008

Boston, MA—Hearth, which is working to end elder homelessness, is among six area nonprofits selected as a 2009 Social Innovator by the Cambridge-based Social Innovation Form to receive over $100,000 in cash and services. The Forum was launched by Root Cause to help organizations like Hearth who have the field expertise, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit, develop the business frameworks and skills required to make a lasting social impact and grow to capacity.

“We believe that Hearth is demonstrating an innovative and highly effective solution to end elder homelessness,” said Susan Musinsky, director of the Social Innovation Forum. “We are thrilled to have the chance to help them refine their model and make a lasting impact in Boston.

Hearth’s Outreach Program was selected as a 2009 Social Innovator for its unique approach to addressing elder homelessness in the Greater Boston area. The organization won the Social Innovation Forum’s The Promise of Healthy Aging category, which was co-sponsored by Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

Through the Forum, Hearth’s Outreach Program will participate in a twelve-month support program that provides the organization with consulting services, executive coaching, and introductions to a network of venture philanthropists looking to support innovative nonprofits in greater Boston.

On May 5, 2009, the Hearth Outreach Program will participate in the Social Innovation Forum’s showcase event—modeled after venture capital forums in which early-stage organizations present their ideas directly to investors—where the organization will present its work to more than 200 Boston-area business and philanthropic leaders. After the event, Hearth will join the Social Innovation Forum’s growing community of graduates, who are eligible to receive additional support services as they continue to expand their impact. Hearth’s 2009 cohort includes: Raw Art Works, Bessie Tartt Wilson Children’s Foundation, ACCESS, Hull Lifesaving Museum – Maritime Apprentice Program, and More Than Words.

As a Social Innovation Forum innovator, Hearth’s Outreach Program will receive financial support from Tufts Health Plan Foundation. Root Cause is a nonprofit organization that advances enduring solutions to social and economic problems by supporting social innovators and educating social impact investors.

Root Cause does this work through business planning and implementation, leadership development, research, and the creation of networks that unite the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.