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Welcome to the
Innovation Network for Communities
The INC mission is to develop and spread scalable innovations
that transform the performance of community systems.
WHAT INC IS
INC is a new kind of national non-profit organization—a network focused on supporting civic entrepreneurs in the development and launch of scalable innovations that can transform the performance of their community’s economic development, education, workforce development, land use, transportation, energy, health care and other systems.
By “innovation” INC does not just mean “change” or “reform.” INC targets innovations that meet these criteria:
- Systems transformation. Innovations that have the ability to replace a significant function of an existing community system, or create a new system that does not currently exist.
- A genuine innovation. Innovations that achieve improvements in the performance outcomes of a community system and reductions in the cost of outcomes.
- Financially sustainable. Innovations that have an economic model that is sustainable (meaning that it is based on a predictable choice-drive value exchange) and generates margins allowing capitalization of ongoing investment in growth and innovation. The “business models” may often be market-driven ones, meaning revenues come from “customers” who pay for goods or services, but public or philanthropic funds could be involved as early-stage investment capital in the innovation development or as customer revenues.
- Scalable. Innovations that can be expanded to other places using a common set of core systems and that are not context-dependent.
URBAN SCHOOLS THAT WORK:
Lessons and Questions from Detroit's University Preparatory Academy
Downloaded 214 times since April 11, 2007.
NET GAINS:
A Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change
Downloaded 1443 times since December 15, 2006.
YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
A Field Ripe for Investment
Downloaded 353 times since March 25, 2007.
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INC ARTICLE 11/07:
Using Social Innovations to Transform Community Systems
By John Cleveland, Peter Plastrik & Bill Shutkin
How to accelerate, increase, and spread impact of place-based innovation.
WBUR News Series: The New Transnational Immigrants
By Alvaro Lima
Results from a recent survey of Brazilian immigrants in Massachusetts & a report on the growth of transnational immigration.
Social Networking for Social Innovation
By Karen Wolf
Scanning Internet social networking capacities & their potential value for social innovators.
Urban Schools that Work
By Doug Ross & Peter Plastrik
Lessons from a successful school in Detroitwhat works and what is still needed.
Net Gains Handbook
By Peter Plastrik & Madeleine Taylor
How nonprofits can use network-building strategies to increase their impact.
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