Social Innovation Accelerator

Social Innovation Accelerator is sponsored by United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. The Social Innovation Accelerator invests human, social, and financial capital in experimentation-, growth-, and mature-stage organizations in the social innovation sector.

Social Innovation Accelerator - United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Social Innovation Accelerator The Social Innovation Accelerator invests human, social and financial capital in experimentation-, growth- and mature-stage organizations in the social innovation sector.

Through the program, United Way enables social entrepreneurs to build capacity, scale and expand their ventures in order to drive impact in education, income and health in North Texas. At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we recognize that getting a new social venture off the ground can be incredibly challenging.

The Social Innovation Accelerator is just one of the ways we support social innovators, enabling new or existing nonprofit and for-profit organizations to access the resources and connections they need to scale their ventures and achieve success.

View Our Impact Across All Programs served by Accelerator fellows since 2013 invested through the Accelerator and The Pitch annually of mentoring and coaching provided to Accelerator fellows each year served by Accelerator fellows since 2013 invested through the Accelerator and The Pitch annually of mentoring and coaching provided to Accelerator fellows each year Since 2013, this innovative program has enabled us to partner with local social entrepreneurs who are meeting unmet needs in the areas of education, income and health in our community.

We identify innovative ideas that are poised to improve North Texas, and then we provide support in three key areas: Seed funding, which is linked to the completion of program milestones, ensures each organization can quickly grow its impact. Expert instruction and personalized mentoring from local business experts empowers fellows to refine their business plans and create a roadmap for growth.

Access to United Way’s community connections and credibility allows fellows to increase their visibility and benefit from previously untapped resources. Interested in joining the Social Innovation Accelerator? Applications are now closed for the 2026 Social Innovation Accelerator cohort.

If you’re interested in applying for the Accelerator, please fill out the interest form and keep an eye out for our next application round, in spring 2027. Each year, the Social Innovation Accelerator program culminates in The Pitch, our live competition where social entrepreneurs vie for game-changing funding in front of a panel of judges and a live audience.

Chair, Social Innovation Accelerator Lab Product Marketing Manager, Texas Instruments Finance Operations Strategy and Transformation Branch Manager, WaFd Bank Sales and Customer Success Leader, The Athena Advisory Security Compliance Manager, Samsara Nonprofit Advisor and Board Member; Bank of America (Retired) Director, Corporate Responsibility, AT&T President and Founder, Carson’s Village Operations Leader, Amazon Logistics Marketing Leader; AT&T (Retired)​ Chief Payments and Logistics Officer, JustPark Director of Operations, Holloway Benefit Concepts Owner of LBK Roofing & TKI investments Marketing Strategy for Healthcare and Education Nonprofit Advisor and Board Member Community Volunteer; Professor, UT Dallas (Retired)​ President and CEO, XCeede Solutions CEO, GreenPath Group & ZETA Founder & Chief Strategist, LaGrande Marketing President and Founder, SageBerry Consulting​ & Senior Retail Contributor, Forbes Senior Leader and AMBG Go To Market Lead, Accenture Managing Director, Housing Connector Healthcare Innovation Leader, Not-for Profit Board Member & Advisor Abide Women’s Health Services A Black-led nonprofit that offers culturally informed prenatal and postnatal care.

Abide offers low-cost access to healthcare with the goal of reducing infant and maternal mortality among Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) folk. Adaptive Training Foundation Adaptive Training Foundation provides access and inclusion to individuals living with physical or traumatic impairments by empowering them through exercise and community.

A “tech for good” organization providing education and empowerment technologies for underserved populations in North Texas and around the globe. Their SafeNight app and program provides emergency shelter and broader services for survivors of domestic/intimate partner violence.

Community Impact Social Enterprise Award, Community Council of Greater Dallas Winner, Dallas Business Journal – Pitch Tank 100,000 Students, WorkReady Mobile App Jermaine and ShaKimberly Cooper AES empowers individuals 17 years of age and older who did not graduate high school by offering a three- to six-month alternative program that allows them to earn their Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency.

Social Innovator of the Year, United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Camelback Ventures Fellow Agape Resource & Assistance Center A scalable and replicable affordable housing solution that supports residents to sustain or attain economic stability. United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient Akola is a globally-inspired jewelry brand, creating beautiful designs to lift up and champion women around the world.

The organization provides life-changing job opportunities through vertically-integrated manufacturing, employing women in Uganda to make each Akola piece. Ark of Hope for Children empowers advocates and donors to bring care and awareness to those victimized as children by human trafficking, child abuse and bullying. The human rights umbrella organization uses a trauma informed approach to serve survivors through various programs.

Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute Beacon Hill brings high-quality tutoring and afterschool programs to North Texas schools and neighborhoods where they are needed most. The organization partners with teachers and parents to change the odds for 1,500+ public and charter school students each year.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award Block Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that educates, equips and empowers communities and their leaders to reshape and reactivate built environments to promote the growth of healthy and vibrant neighborhoods.

Their initiatives include a workforce development program that teaches students how to use digital fabrication to reshape their communities while earning a living wage. Social Innovator of the Year Creates access to computer science in under-resourced communities and prepares students for the technology careers of the future through project-based learning and mentoring from industry professionals.

Technology Advocate, Tech Titans Awards 2022 (Robyn Brown) Women Who STEAM Award, Dallas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated 2021 (Robyn Brown) Superintendent’s Award, Dallas City of Learning, Big Thought 2019 Honoree and Advocate, Dallas Business Journal Women in Technology Awards 2018 (Robyn Brown) Bonton Farms is an urban farm and market whose mission is to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity in a former food desert, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.

Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, D CEO Award BT Foundry is a nonprofit creative agency in Dallas built with learning in mind. Their programs provide real-world job training, workforce development, and an employment pathway to talented creatives, opening doors to future careers in advertising and marketing.

Cafe Momentum provides a transformative experience through a paid internship program that provides 12 months of curriculum for justice-involved youth, ages 15-19. Interns rotate through all aspects of the restaurant environment, focusing on life and social skills, coaching and development.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, Starbucks Upstander, Crystal Charity Fellow, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award Carson’s Village provides a wide range of free support services to help families navigate the challenging decisions they face after the sudden death of a loved one.

Center for Employment Opportunities Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) offers individuals just coming home from prison the ongoing support necessary to build career capital and financial stability. We believe that everyone, regardless of their past, deserves the chance to work toward a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Combined Arms brings together veteran-focused nonprofits and agencies and communities across the nation committed to serving those who served. These 250+ organizations provide 1,200+ resources that empower veterans to lead the successful civilian lives they want. 69% of those suffering from a mental health condition didn’t know that the symptoms they were suffering from were caused by their mental health.

Connected Mind helps to identify the six most common connected mental health conditions so people can get the help they need. Validated, peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings A staffing agency for second chances, which changes lives by helping people with criminal records find meaningful employment.

Social Innovator of the Year Cornerstone Crossroads Academy Cornerstone Crossroads Academy (CCA) seeks to develop urban youth through transformative education, equipping future leaders to impact their communities for Christ. CCA looks for innovative ways to efficiently prepare students for an evolving workforce, equipping them to learn, think, plan and problem solve.

Dallas Teacher Residency aims to prepare and support highly effective classroom teachers for urban school districts to ensure that all students, regardless of ZIP code, are provided with a high quality education. A nonprofit offering anti-bias-based, judgment-free education and postpartum support to mothers in communities that traditionally receive the lowest quality of care.

Delighted to Doula seeks to reduce maternal mortality rates and increase the number of mothers who have access to healthcare. Dwell with Dignity supplies families with furniture, art and kitchen essentials so they can create a home. They also launched a retail pop-up thrift shop where high-end furniture, art and accessories are sold at deep discount to fund the homes where domestic abuse survivors and their families can thrive.

D CEO Award, Obama Foundation Leaders USA Education Opens Doors partners with middle schools across the country, training teachers to equip their students with the college and career knowledge and skills they need for long-term success.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow, D CEO Award Offers short-term training programs that create a lasting impact, including certification programs to bridge gaps in education and to create expertise, as well as workforce training for adults to create opportunities for sustainable employment.

The organization also runs a food pantry to address the lack of access to fresh, healthy and nutritious food in South Dallas. Social Innovator of the Year, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award, President’s Lifetime Achievement Award A national nonprofit that transitions individuals and families out of homelessness to economic self-sufficiency.

EntryWay provides full-time employment, housing and career training opportunities in partnership with the real estate industry. Equal Heart is a 501(c)3 nonprofit focused on alleviating hunger and supporting community nonprofits in their own mission.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient A nonprofit that delivers engaging and innovative educational services to youth through after-school programs and carefully designed curriculums, with a mission to transform the way young people learn and grow while building confidence, boosting creativity and developing competency. F. A.

R. M. aims to reestablish the meaning in the lives of veterans through agricultural therapeutic rehabilitation and training.

The program allows veterans reintegrating into society to once again become teachers, providers, nurturers and leaders while empowering them to the lead the change in America’s distressed food system. FEED Oak Cliff’s Transformative Community Market is a community-based approach to transforming underserved food environments and increasing entrepreneurship in Southern Dallas.

The community hub is designed as a single, yet comprehensive access point that includes a commercial kitchen, a community-based market and a community hub and gathering place that sells healthy, convenient food. First3Years nurtures early relational and mental health of infants and toddlers in Texas.

Working in deep collaboration with caregivers, parents and professionals statewide, the team cultivates strong early childhood systems, educates our workforce and advances best practices.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient Habitat for Humanity of Collin County Habitat for Humanity of Collin County works to eliminate substandard housing locally and worldwide by building homes for local families, advocating for fair housing policies and providing training to help families improve their shelter conditions.

Hand to Hold provides personalized support before, during and after a NICU stay to help ensure all NICU families thrive. Services include support groups, a peer-to-peer mentoring program, loss and bereavement support, counseling and resources. Healthy Futures of Texas (formerly Ntarupt) Works to improve the well-being of young Texans through equitable access to sexual health education, contraception, and resources.

The organization addresses the increasing barriers that young people in Texas face to obtain quality sex education, access to contraception and sexual healthcare, and expand into related areas of young adult health. United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient A platform that seamlessly integrates hip-hop culture, literacy and social-emotional learning to elevate student learning environments.

The mission of Heart House is to empower refugee, immigrant and under-resourced children in Vickery Meadow by providing enhanced opportunities for educational equity through literacy and social-emotional learning.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Crystal Charity Fellow Heart of Courage provides support and resources for women who have lost temporary custody of their children due to drug addiction, incarceration, domestic violence, mental health issues or homelessness, working to reunite and create a better future for their families.

The organization provides an array of services, such as court advocacy, one-on-one peer mentoring, parent support groups, and educational and career support.

The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award ilooklikeLOVE’s EmpowerU Program equips new and expecting mothers to actively expand their mental, maternal and financial capacity for building thriving, sustainable environments that shift their children’s lives toward a brighter future.

The eight-week Mommy Cohort provides group and individual developmental sessions and instruction in pre/post-natal education, life skills development, financial literacy and employment readiness, with a goal of positioning low-income single mothers to be engaged in living wage employment and/or training by the time their child turns 1.

Strategic Partner, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Dollars for College Program A nonprofit financial platform that invests in diverse Texas women through access to capital, peer coaching and a community of leaders to close the wealth gap. JUST reimagines microfinance from a client-led approach through a peer-guidance model.

Works to address high dropout rates in Dallas by focusing on the four major areas of the child’s world that makes the biggest impact upon their lives: the individual student, the school, the family and the community. Initiatives include after-school social-emotional support, summer enrichment camps, families services and community outreach.

Kimiya International Fight Club A 12-week program for women that combines boxing, coaching, yoga and group therapy to address access, affordability and negative stigma surrounding post-traumatic healing, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and to promote self-care. Provides micro and small business loans to diverse, hard-working entrepreneurs, with a goal of leveling the financial playing field for underestimated business founders.

Provides a continuum of care to pregnant and parenting teens and their children in foster care in safe, stable long-term housing. Services include individualized case management plans, educational assistance, mental health counseling, life skills and supportive services, which are crucial to achieving independence.

Richard Marcus, Robert Elkin, Eric Cedillo Seeks to increase electoral participation in underrerepresented communities, particularly youth and communities of color. March to the Polls provides student programming and community programming, and their partnership with nine North Texas school districts allows the organization to provide voter education to students, families and neighborhoods.

D CEO Nonprofit of the Year, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Impact Award 2023, El Pueblo Unido / The Village United Mexican American Bar Association 2023, “In Her Shoes” Honorary Women, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum 2024 A full-day, year-long continuing education and job placement program in North Texas, aimed to give adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities the chance at higher education and an opportunity to let their untapped possibilities shine.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, D CEO Award Jesse Acosta and Alejandra Zendejas The Pasos All Stars Program is a four-week summer intervention program that works to close the learning gaps of rising ninth graders in literacy and math by combining academics with the fundamentals of sneaker design.

A mission-driven research organization with industry-leading expertise in the practical applications of advanced data science and social determinants of health. PCCI started as a department within Parkland Health and was spun out as an independent, not-for-profit organization in 2012 to not only serve the needs of Parkland, but to also pursue additional transformative initiatives that could have a broader impact.

Works to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled talent to leading businesses. More than 20,000 graduates have launched successful careers through Per Scholas’ no-cost technical training.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow HaeSung Han, Jennifer Tinker Equips youth who have experienced child maltreatment, commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking to find their voices, reclaim their narratives and persist forward.

The organization’s goal is to break the cycle of re-victimization for youth in the juvenile justice system and Child Protective Services through a five-systems model that brings a school, trauma therapy with 24/7 support, creative arts, advocacy and paid internships all under one roof.

Social Innovator of the Year, Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, Presidential Leadership Scholar, 2019 D CEO Award, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award, Texas Women’s Foundation Young Leader Award, Obama Foundation Leaders USA, BBVA Fellow, Dallas Psychological Association Pam Blumenthal Comunity Service Award, peer-reviewed research published in Trauma Care Journal Preserve Owner Prosperity An organization that works to stabilize and strengthen historically under-resourced neighborhoods, preserve and elevate their unique histories, and ensure that as revitalization advances, legacy homeowners can participate in the prosperous future of their communities Principal Impact Collaborative Specializes in designing and facilitating adult learning opportunities for leaders in the education and public sector.

PIC’s content is delivered by experts in the fields of design thinking, wellbeing and transformative leadership.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient Works to equip the North Texas community with the power of reading by tutoring young readers in classrooms and after school and bringing proven and powerful ways to teach reading to educators, parents and program leaders United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Crystal Charity Fellow, CNM Certified Prime, CNM 2023 A Night of Light Fundraising Success Award Winner Seeks to increase the number of kindergarten-ready preschoolers who have achieved an age-appropriate level of literacy development through family-led, at-home story time sessions.

Reading to New Heights provides free one-on-one virtual tutoring sessions for adults with low literacy. The organization leverages certified educators who teach the fundamentals of reading as if the adult is learning for the first time, which equips them to successfully navigate many demands of day-to-day life.

Reading to New Heights provides a discreet option for those who wish to avoid a group setting and prefer a personalized learning experience. Delivers health and wellbeing education to Hispanic women and their families by creating positive health communities with culturally tailored and accessible chronic disease prevention programs at the center.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, D CEO Award, Roddenberry Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award Provides academic navigation, personal guidance and financial support to support at-risk students attending college, enabling more individuals to earn life-changing vocational, associate or undergraduate degrees. Social Innovator of the Year, D CEO Award Society of St.

Vincent de Paul A volunteer organization that offers direct aid to those in need across nine counties in North Texas. Through personal, compassionate interaction, members provide short-term financial, material and emotional support to neighbors in crisis.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient Somos Tejas Community Initiative Seeks to create a more equitable Texas by empowering Latinos through leadership develoment and community service that is rooted in the Latino culture. A nonprofit that links residents in Southern Dallas to reliable transportation necessary to access jobs that pay a living wage, resulting in greater financial stability for themselves and their families.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award Provides free educational videos co-developed with educators and employers that are designed to engage students in authentic STEM problem solving while exposing them to STEM career opportunities.

Stand for Children Leadership Center -The Home Visit Partnerships Trains teachers to engage and partner with families to build authentic, trusting relationships through home visits to ensure every child is socially, emotionally and academically successful.

Partners with school districts to offer students timely digital services like academic tutoring, mental health support and postsecondary planning after school and over the weekends to complement the short school day. A multi-sensory emotional health and wellness program that encourages children to opt for kindness over “tacky” language and behavior.

Tacky Box is an innovative emotional processing tool designed to empower children with a daily, hands-on opportunity to process complex emotions, fostering kindness and positive social interactions. Creates access to STEM education, IT accelerated career training and other career services in lower-income communities in North Texas.

Tech Savvy DFW has a mission to ensure that students in minority communities have a chance to future proof their own lives. Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Program, Dallas Business Council An outreach organization that teaches academic subjects through the creative arts, with a goal of giving students a greater chance of becoming functional members of society as they develop a stronger, better, academic result.

Their method of teaching encourages children’s imaginative side, combining structure with exploration. Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Program, “Best of Show” Most Innovative Teaching Tool for Students Award from Dallas Business Council Florencia Velasco Fortner A nonprofit that offers high-impact programming in education, wealth and health to improve the socioeconomic status of Latino families.

Initiatives include culturally responsive educational advancement, Latino capacity building, community outreach and community health programs.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, D CEO Award, The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award Leads programs, events and alliances that work to break through and tear down the societal walls that discourage or prevent people from living safe, healthy and prosperous lives.

The Walls Project offers a bold vision for what’s possible in a community, creating pathways for economic prosperity, lifetime learning, creative expression and healthy living for all, particularly for those impacted by poverty. Gives teachers the tools and the creativity needed to provide equal education regardless of school funding.

The Welman Project connects educators in need of supplies and companies with surplus goods to make better use of the resources already available in our community. An innovative disability awareness program, currently targeted to students and teachers, that aims to build more inclusive communities through education and purposeful interactions.

The organization also empowers people who live with disabilities by providing employment and a platform to share their individual stories and advocate for others. Leads young clients—each of whom carry labels such as homeless, foster and/or sex-trafficked—to a place of sustainability where they can thrive.

The organization serves youth in school during the school day, in transitional homes, in youth centers or any other location where their services are needed. Together We Thrive offers life coaches who provide the consistency of a healthy adult that thousands of North Texas youth are looking for and need. A nonprofit positioned at the intersection of college sports, education, workforce development and racial equity.

Through post-sport career development, post-graduate internship matching and bespoke athlete transition support, Trey is developing the diverse and talented young athletes of today to be tomorrow’s changemakers.

Presidential Leadership Scholar, Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow Provides on-demand clothing and food to schools, nonprofits and police departments so they do not need to maintain a clothing closet or food pantry, enabling each agency to focus more on their core mission.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, D CEO Award A technology company founded on the premise that access to educational support services should be universal and free. By partnering with educational institutions, Upswing provides students, staff and admins with a modern student services experience that results in more students attaining a degree.

A nonprofit that supports cost-burdened residents in workforce housing communities by providing resources and services to help residents maintain home, health and economic advancement Wesley Rankin Community Center Initiatives include a pre-apprenticeship program for high school students that seeks to improve workplace readiness while addressing low living wages.

United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, Crystal Charity Fellow Delivers inclusive, comprehensive sex education with a racial equity focus to students across Dallas, equipping them to thrive and experience healthier relationships for life. A peer-to-peer program that seeks to decrease the number of lives lost to breast cancer, with an emphasis on marginalized populations.

Peer 2 Peer enables women to live longer through early detection and gives survivors purpose, pride and the power to thrive after breast cancer. Offers individuals in under-served communities self-healing and stress reducing methods for a healthy lifestyle through the practice of yoga and mindfulness.

Young Leaders, Strong City Works to educate students on untold local histories and narratives of race and identity, equip them with tools to create equity through community change and activate them to realize their visions for change.

The organization’s Race & Money Curriculum provides the historical context necessary to help youth not only navigate but begin solving for economic inequities for themselves, their families and communities.

The Dallas Foundation Racial Equity Fund Award Provides justice-involved youth with the skills needed to break the cycle of incarceration and create positive futures, delivering programs that help youth explore their interests and talents while building character, connections and capabilities essential for their success.

Programs are offered to youth who are in juvenile placement or on community supervision in Collin and Dallas counties, and include career readiness, culinary arts, financial empowerment and reentry support.

Stand Together Foundation Catalyst Network Fellow, D CEO Award, United Way Community Impact Grant Recipient, GroundFloor “One Up the Vote” Winner Delivers culturally competent nutrition education to minorities with diabetes to address socioeconomic and lifestyle barriers to healthful eating, helping patients lose weight and lower their A1C levels.

The Social Innovation Accelerator is supported by: The Eugene McDermott Foundation • The Moozie Family Foundation • Toyota Motor North America • Explore Our Other Programs Social innovation is at the heart of the work we do 365 days a year.

Our programs provide financial, human and social capital to help identify, develop and grow social ventures that are implementing new and innovative solutions to the most urgent challenges facing North Texas in education, income and health. Social Innovation Incubator An organizational and leadership development program for early-stage social ventures.

Creates impact in Southern Dallas by providing healthy meals, quality childcare, career opportunities & resources to ensure students succeed. Social Innovation Alumni Program The Social Innovation Alumni program is designed to continue the investment of human, social and financial capital in Social Innovation Lab.