The Young Foundation is helping to build the field of social innovation in four main ways:

• Practice: developing practical ways of designing, shaping, and growing social innovations through Launchpad, which is primarily focused on education and health but also working in other fields. Launchpad is one of a number of accelerators around the world that are developing new ways to finance and grow effective innovations (from Pittsburgh to Estonia, Canada to New Zealand).
  

• Understanding: research on the past, present and future of social innovation.  This has included a series of overview reports (Social Silicon Valleys and Social Innovation: What it is, why it matters, how it can be accelerated published by Said Business School at Oxford); and the Social Innovator Series: Ways to design, develop and grow social innovation. These are contributing to a growing field of research on the field, which includes centres in the Netherlands, Canada, the US, Singapore.

• Networks: global networks, with the Social Innovation Exchange.  This is providing a network of networks to link together the many organisations and individuals working in the field, from public policy and social entrepreneurship to design and community action.

• Tools: developing practical tools which can be shared around the world - through new ventures like our Global Innovation Academy. including training courses and modules; tools for guiding financial commitments; tools for helping innovators and organisations decide on alternative growth strategies; open source tools for developing projects; and tools for helping local innovation.