Social Innovation and Impact Seed Grant 2026 Funding Opportunity

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Social Innovation and Impact: Seed Funding Guidelines

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Timeline and Resources

• SII NOFO Public Release – April 10, 2026
• SII Workshop – May 4, 2026 | Register
• Application Deadline – May 21, 2026 | Apply
• Decisions – June 12, 2026

The following resources are designed to provide support and assistance to applicants.

• Funding Opportunity FAQs (PDF)
• Application Workshop: Optional, virtual workshop designed to provide support for individuals preparing or considering applications. Registration is available on our website beginning in April.

• Human-Centered Design Workbook: This workbook emphasizes the importance of and steps towards effective human-centered design. Applicants should feel free to use and reference the strategies and tools contained within as appropriate.
• Social Innovation Resources
• Questions? Email iincontact@uillinois.edu

Program Background

The University of Illinois System’s Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation (OVPEDI) is committed to advancing the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) by providing supplemental funding for several projects. IIN members are guided by the following principles:

• Drive inclusive innovation, equitable workforce development and sustainable economic growth throughout the state of Illinois;
• Assess and meet regional needs through a combination of collaborative research, public-private partnerships, and entrepreneurship and training programs;
• Collaborate with hubs across the state and share best practices; and
• Advocate for the value of higher education at the state and national levels.

Social Innovation and Impact has multiple meanings, including the broad economic, health-related, and social well-being of the state and its communities, and environmental sustainability of its food and water ecosystem, which includes addressing issues affecting groups who are underserved, under-represented, or under-resourced.

Social Innovation and Impact elements may involve creative and disruptive problem-solving around the type of example issues identified below. These are intended as examples and not an exhaustive list.

• Education and Workforce Development: developing and sustaining the education of its citizens, and developing a productive and inclusive workforce for the 21st century;
• Economic Development: sustaining and developing the economy of the state, including understanding how best to support the growth of diverse entrepreneurship, business formation and non-profit capacity-building in Illinois;
• Health and Wellness: sustaining and improving the general health and social wellness of all Illinois citizens, including local and regional communities;
• Water, Food, and Agriculture: sustaining the water supply, with 20% of the world’s freshwater supply in the shores of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin – the largest in the U.S. and second largest in the world – and enhancing the home to a national leader in food and agriculture;
• Computing and Data: under the umbrella of Social Innovation and Impact, there is a foundation of computing, big data, and artificial intelligence. This is an important area in its own right as Illinois develops its high- tech industry, but in this context, it is seen as an enabler for all other aspects of sustainability as articulated above;
• Environmental Justice and Sustainability: applying a social innovation lens to the transition to and use of clean energy technologies, mitigating environmental social impacts on communities, or otherwise addressing socio-environmental challenges to livable and healthy communities;
• Arts and Humanities: creating community arts or historical projects that orchestrate social action such as documentaries, built environmental beautification, preservation of landscape, mural projects, and similar projects to celebrate the health and cultural wealth of communities and create change through the arts;
• Social Justice: fostering racial justice, compassionate immigration, community policing, reduction of recidivism, access to critical services, etc.; and
• Other: could be a combination of themes or an area of focus within social innovation and impact not listed above.

Eligibility

• The Lead PI must be from an IIN Hub.
• At least two IIN Hubs must be involved significantly in the project with at least one Co-PI from a second IIN Hub. Note that the University of Illinois Hubs are considered one Hub for this program and must partner with a non-University of Illinois Hub. SIUE and SIUC are considered separate Hubs and may partner under this program.
• Projects must include a Co-PI or collaborator from at least one Illinois community-based organization, which depending on the region of the State, may include community organizations, government organizations, social enterprises, and for-profit businesses contributing financially. For example, a local public health agency may provide wrap-around services beyond their primary mission.
  • The most competitive proposals will reflect an equitable partnership with the community of service, such as a community organization serving as a Co-PI working with a specific target population.
  • A Letter of Collaboration from your community partner must be included and should demonstrate shared enthusiasm for the project, provide a description of the partnership and respective organizational roles, share a history of the partnership (if any), and list any financial or in-kind compensation to the Community-Based Organization (CBO).
• While there is no limit on the number of proposals a Hub may submit, an applicant may only be designated as PI on one proposal per year. There is no limit on the number of projects for Co-PIs.
• The project must represent a “seed” concept not previously funded by this program or the IIN Sustaining Illinois program, or in later stages of project development regardless of “seed” funding source.
• The project must be completed in either one or two years of funding. Applicants must specify in the application whether the project will be completed in one or two years and provide a timeline consistent with the selected period of performance. Interim performance periods, such as 18 months, will not be considered or approved.
• The proposed start date is anticipated to be as early as August 1, 2026, and no later than October 30, 2026.
• Previously submitted but unfunded projects to this program or the IIN Sustaining Illinois Seed Grant program may be re-submitted a maximum of three times in a three-year period.

Project Requirements

• The proposal must contain all components listed in the Proposal Outline on pages 8-9.
• The project must align with IIN principles. Social Innovation and Impact must be the dominant theme, and projects addressing multiple Social Innovation and Impact elements are preferred. Social Innovation and Impact project elements may include:
  • Capacity-building
  • Applied research
  • Evaluation
  • Community-based participatory research
  • Coalition building
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Utilization of research and transfer
  • Participatory action research
  • Scholarship to practice
  • Technical assistance

While one-time activities may be considered, the preference is for projects with longer-term impacts or depth of engagement. The preference is for projects that are dependent on the existence of a community’s complex social problem(s) for the project’s transformational social impact. Consideration will be given to projects that incorporate human-centered design, systems thinking, and entrepreneurial approaches in program design and delivery.

Examples of this transformative work include proposals addressing health disparities, affordable housing, digital inclusion, and food deserts where the transformative impact on the community to be served is the goal of the project rather than exclusively the research or technologies and tools to be tested or developed.

• Specify the number of IIN hubs (minimum of 2) involved and the significance of each hub’s participation must be identified in the project description and reflected in the project budget. Additionally, specify the number of non-IIN hubs institutions or organizations, including community-based organization(s) must be identified and the significance of their engagement.
• Community Partnership: The project must include direct collaboration with one or more community-based organizations (CBOs). A Letter of Support from the CBO(s) is required as part of your application.
  • A letter of support from your community partner must be included and should: demonstrate shared enthusiasm for the project, provide a description of the partnership and respective organizational roles, share a history of the partnership (if any), and list any financial or in-kind compensation to the CBO.
• Organizational Capacity: Identify approaches to increase organizational capacity or to otherwise provide organizational assistance for community-based organization(s) (e.g., scaling, coordination, entrepreneurship, technical assistance with research and grant writing, etc.
• Sustainability Plan: Identify how the programming will continue after the seed funding ends.
• Budget: Refer to the budget template available on page 9 of this document.
• Proposals must address inclusion, equity, and diversity, and social innovation. Key issues facing underserved, under-represented, and under-resourced groups should be identified and addressed, and the target populations or representative group(s) must be specifically identified. Under-represented, underserved, and under-resourced groups include, but are not limited to, the following:
• If your team previously received an award from IIN, describe the accomplishments from that project, provide an estimate of the project’s completion including which milestones have been achieved, and an estimate of when you expect to finish the work. Please note applications for new awards must be for a totally different project or a meaningfully distinct component of the one that was already supported.
• All project work will be completed in the State of Illinois or benefit the State of Illinois exclusively.

Funding

Total funding for this program is not expected to exceed $200,000 from OVPEDI for this competition. It is anticipated that 2-4 awards will be made under the Spring 2026 application cycle. Up to $100,000 will be available for a two-year project. Up to $50,000 will be available for a one-year project.

• Unallowed costs include:
  • Indirect costs; however, these costs can be used as matching.
  • Equipment (i.e., acquisition cost of $5,000 or more and useful life of over a year); however, the purchase of digital devices may be considered an eligible expense with a detailed explanation of need and authorized use and disposition after the completion of the grant.
  • Activities conducted or funded by a for-profit co-PI or participant, including salaries and expenses (use of space, incidentals, materials, etc.) of the for-profit entity, even if the for-profit entity is engaged in the project. While consultants may be funded under this program, it is the intent to fund public and non-profit engagements.
• Match of at least 25% is strongly encouraged but not required, and may be in the form of cash, personnel time, or unrecovered indirect costs. Match is a consideration in evaluating the budget category.
• No more than 30% of the requested funds may pay for full-time researchers’/professors’ salaries and benefits.
• Proposals must account for all anticipated expenditures to be funded under this grant. Proposals must also include the full project budget specifying IIN funds and any outside funding sources.
• Any program income, such as a participation or program fee, must be explained in the budget narrative. A determination about the cost as necessary to the project will be made for each project during the project evaluation. Any program income including participation fees will be reviewed. The budget narrative and budget templates are available on page 9.

Deliverables

• A written, technical report must be submitted electronically to OVPEDI every six (6) months with a final technical report due upon completion of the project. The written report does not need to follow a specific format, and could include programmatic progress, key accomplishments, and challenges encountered.
• Interim reports and information must be submitted upon request.
• Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to presenting their project to the IIN Social Innovation and Impact Committee and to participate in related IIN events, such as the Social Innovation and Impact Showcase, the IIN Annual Conference, and other events as requested.
• Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to acknowledge IIN in outcomes and reports with the following statement or something similar: “This material is based upon work supported by the Illinois Innovation Network.”
• Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to notify OVPEDI of publications and follow-on funding achieved resulting from this grant, even after its expiration. We encourage continued reporting on outcomes, metrics, follow-on funding, and opportunities for future engagement/promotion activities.
• Lead PI and Co-PIs commit to complete any funding documentation within the timelines set forth by the IIN and the University of Illinois System.
• As feasibility to complete the work in the specified timeframe is a review criteria, no-cost extensions will only be granted in rare circumstances.

Proposal Outline

• Cover Page (1 page limit)
  • Project Name
  • Requested Period of Performance (project duration of one year)
  • PI Name
    • IIN Hub
    • Contact information
  • Co-Principal Investigator Name(s)
    • IIN Hub(s)
    • Contact Information
• Abstract (250 words or less)
  • Briefly describe the community need for your project, its expected impact, and how your project will meet community needs.
• Project Description, including a timeline (2 pages)
• Scope of Work (1 page)
• If applicable, information about previous award (1 page)
• Potential for Future Work, including follow-on funding (0.5 page)
• Letters of Collaboration for Community Partner(s) (1 page each)
• Bios for Team Members (PI, Co-PI(s), and Others) (0.5 page for team member)
• Budget & Budget Summary (2 Pages*^T)
  • For the Budget, applicants must use the budget template below
  • The Budget Summary should include an explanation for how the costs were estimated and how they benefit or will be used for the project

* A separate budget is required for projects that will provide funding to the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of Illinois Springfield, or the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and 3 pages will be allowed.

^T If federal funds will be used by the PI, Co-PI, or community organization, then up to 3 pages are allowed and to confirm the eligibility of the federal funds to be used.

Budget Template

Submission

Proposals will be accepted at go.uillinois.edu/SII no later than 11:59 P.M. Central Time on May 21, 2026. Any questions should be submitted to iincontact@uillinois.edu prior to the deadline.

• Recipients of the awards will be notified no later than June 12, 2026 by which Awardees will be issued an agreement on a fixed price payment basis. Two-year projects will receive partial, up-front funding.
• A review committee consisting of members of the IIN, including its Council, Committees, and OVPEDI staff, as needed, will evaluate all proposals received and will make recommendations to OVPEDI for funding. No IIN member will review submissions or make recommendations on proposals from its own hub.
• Each proposal will be reviewed according to the process below:
  • Round 1: All proposals will be reviewed for eligibility. Proposals with missing documentation or requirements will be ineligible for Round 2.
  • Round 2: Abstracts from all projects are reviewed by the IIN Review Committee with attention to alignment with IIN priorities and social innovation themes (page 4).
  • Round 3: Project proposals that meet IIN principle criteria are evaluated for award according to the matrix below.

Proposal Section

• Project and activity alignment with IIN principles (equity) – 15%
• Project addresses Sustaining Illinois Social Innovation area(s) – 15%
• Scope of work (feasibility of completing work in the specified timeframe) – 30%
• Collaboration component with other hubs and/areas throughout Illinois – 15%
• Budget/Matching Funds – 10%
• Demonstrates potential for further work – 15%