Social Venture Fund Student Practicum（五）.docVIP

NYU STUDENT SOCIAL VENTURE FUND PRACTICUM Spring, 2008 Meeting time: Wednesdays, 6:00 – 9:00 PM Location: NYU Stern, KMC 7-191 Instructor: Adjunct Professor Matthew Klein Executive Director Blue Ridge Foundation New York Phone: (718) 923-1400 x222 Email: mklein@ Office Hours: By appointment BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION The NYU Student Social Venture Fund Practicum Course is designed to give students the opportunity to learn about venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship through actual engaged grant-making. Class members will function as the staff of a capitalized fund – supervising the Fund’s operation, making grant recommendations, and providing management assistance to grantees. In recent years “venture philanthropy” – the practice of imbuing philanthropic work with concepts drawn from private sector venture capital experience – has been a prominent topic in the social sector. Venture philanthropy can apply to a wide range of activities, but generally includes a few common characteristics: an active relationship between the grant-maker and the grantee; management assistance that accompanies financial support; a willingness to support the general operations and administrative costs of nonprofit organizations; and, a keen interest in tracking performance. The concept of “social entrepreneurship” also describes a broad continuum of work, ranging from creative strategies used by pure nonprofits to the practice by some institutions of promoting a social good by selling a product or service and generating revenue for their operations. Several factors have caused those interested in social change to think entrepreneurially, including the cultural celebration of entrepreneurship and business success; the political trend toward fewer government-provided services; a longstanding frustration among nonprofit leaders with traditional fundraising; and, the growth of networks and associations promoting various social entrepreneurship strands. The Practicum operate