Rigor in Workforce Development Evaluation: New Resources Available
By Celeste Richie and Katherine Shamraj Rigorous evaluation is a cornerstone of Third Sector’s approach to Pay for Success (PFS). The success of a PFS project hinges on quality evaluation methods to determine whether an intervention achieves desired outcomes. In our engagements, we advocate for the most rigorous method appropriate–including well designed Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and high quality Quasi Experimental Designs (QEDs) studies–for a given intervention. Third Sector’s insistence on rigor is a differentiator. Only four PFS programs launched in the US to date have used RCTs; three of …
Third Sector Attends Salt Lake Innovation Summit
By Nadia Ahmed and Will Toaspern Last week, Third Sector engaged with some of the country’s most forward thinking leaders at the Salt Lake County Innovation Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah. We connected with over 400 attendees who share our commitment to innovative solutions to society’s toughest problems. Pay for Success (PFS) was at the center of the conversation, including a panel entitled “Pay for Success 2.0” moderated by Third Sector Co-Founder and Co-President, Caroline Whistler. To a standing-room only crowd, Caroline facilitated a discussion between the industry’s leading …
Cuyahoga Partnering for Family Success Program Partner Perspectives and Lessons Learned Report
In Cuyahoga County, Ohio the nation’s first county-level Pay for Success (PFS) project is helping policymakers and government leaders measurably improve the lives of its vulnerable families. Over the 5-year duration of the PFS project known as the Cuyahoga Partnering for Family Success Program, community leaders in Cuyahoga County are using Pay for Success to improve services for vulnerable families. Read the Full Report Here
Why Pay for Success? Start with Government Procurement
Pay for Success (PFS) is often spoken about in terms of finance. Many within the PFS field describe the cross-sector contracting model as a new, innovative way to finance social services for vulnerable people. While funders are important to PFS for several reasons, the model is not, at its core, a financial tool. Rather, PFS is an opportunity to improve government accountability and transparency by changing the way government contracts for social services. Procurement is, admittedly, a wonky term. Many Americans are unaware that local and state governments routinely contract …
What can the Australian Job Services System teach us about Pay for Success?
By John Grossman and Kevin Tan. Pay for Success (PFS) holds promise. By diverting resources to programs that are measurably successful, the PFS model could move the needle on many seemingly intractable social problems. In the United States, however, PFS is still a niche concept. In the three years since the first PFS contract was signed in New York, only seven more PFS projects have been launched in the United States. This is reason for reflection. Observers and practitioners in the field alike should think deeply about why the national …
CEO and Co-Founder George Overholser featured in Chronicle of Philanthropy Webinar
Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. has been featured in a webinar series exploring Pay for Success and its potential. Hosted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, CEO and Co-Founder George Overholser answered questions about the model, and how its addressing the most pressing issues for vulnerable communities around the United States. George spoke on a virtual panel discussion that included the James Irvine Foundation, Living Cities, and the Urban Institute. Their discussion has been published in three parts: Pay for Success Financing: Overview “What is pay for success, who uses it, …
Caroline Whistler Featured in Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 40 Under 40
Caroline Whistler, Co-Founder and Co-President of Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc., has been named as one of the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 40 under 40. The list features young nonprofit and philanthropic leaders who are driving forward innovative solutions to pressing problems. The financing portion of such deals has gotten the lion’s share of attention…but Ms. Whistler says the real potential for transformation is in persuading governments to tie funding to results for people in need: “It allows government to step back and say, ‘Wait, what do we really want to …
Empowering Service Providers What We Learned in Cuyahoga County
By Brian Beachkofski and Marcia Chong In the Pay for Success (PFS) model, governments, funders, and nonprofits work together to construct projects that measurably serve our most vulnerable populations. Within this cross-sector mix of stakeholders, local service providers play a critical role. Bringing local expertise to the table, these on-the-ground organizations are responsible for delivering services, and achieving the outcomes agreed to in the PFS contract. FrontLine Services is one such organization. Third Sector worked closely with the community nonprofit to explore how Pay for Success could scale its continuum …
Why Workforce Development? Third Sector’s Second Round SIF Competition
Pay for Performance (P4P) contracting can be a powerful tool to align limited resources with results. The innovative contracting model has been leveraged across the country to address our most pressing social problems. Third Sector’s first Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Competition is empowering nine governments and organizations to explore the impact of performance-based contracting across issue areas, from homelessness to maternal health, from criminal justice to education. In 2016, Third Sector is building off this work by launching a second round SIF competition. This competition is dedicated to only one …
Third Sector Launches Pay for Success Competition Focused on Youth Workforce Development
Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. (Third Sector), a nonprofit advisory services firm that is leading the development of Pay for Success projects across the U.S., has launched a national competition to support government projects in the area of youth workforce development. The competition is being funded by a grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a key White House initiative and program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “This competition will allow new jurisdictions around the country to explore the viability of PFS in the area of youth …
Paying for Success in Permanent Supportive Housing John Perovich and Jacob Moy in Shelterforce
Associate John Perovich and Analyst Jake Moy have been featured in Rooflines, the blog of Shelterforce, a publication of the National Housing Institute. Their piece, “Paying for Success in Permanent Supportive Housing” explores how the innovative contracting model can construct effective housing solutions for chronically homeless individuals. “Interest in the PFS model is growing. A total of $8.6 million of federal funding has recently been designated for PSH programs leveraging the PFS model. For jurisdictions considering a bid for these funds, the project in Santa Clara County offers several insights …
Resources to Results: Washington State Pay for Success Symposium
Pay for Success (PFS) projects call for an ongoing dialogue with multiple community stakeholders. Two PFS feasibility studies, supported through grants from the the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund, are underway in Washington State: Department of Early Learning and Thrive Washington study, and Health Care Authority study. To begin this dialogue in Washington, Third Sector worked with partners to host an educational convening for interested stakeholders to learn more about PFS. The November 18th event included panels with experts involved in the launched PFS projects in …
Co-President John Grossman Featured in Government Executive
John Grossman, Co-President at Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc., was featured in a Government Executive by Patrick Lester, entitled, “Does Pay for Success Work? Define ‘Success'” “We shouldn’t make the perfect the enemy of the good,” agreed John Grossman, co-president at Third Sector Capital Partners. “The goal is continuous improvement. Success comes in changing the way government and the social sector do business.” Read the full article here.
Third Sector hosts Pay for Success event with Net Impact San Francisco
We opened up our San Francisco office in late October to host an exciting conversation about how Pay for Success (PFS) is impacting our most at-risk populations across the country. The event, “Scaling Social Impact: Pay for Success & Social Impact Bonds”, was co-hosted with the Net Impact San Francisco Professional Chapter. Net Impact is a global community of professional leaders and students creating positive social and environmental change in the workplace and the world. Third Sector has been committed to furthering Net Impact’s mission by participating in chapter and …
Pay For Success Lessons from SOCAP15
Constructing Pay for Success contracts is an inherently cross-sector practice. Each of our projects brings together government, nonprofit, and private stakeholders to address our most pressing social issues. In a sense, the Pay for Success (PFS) model itself is an acknowledgement that no one organization can create effective and sustainable change on their own, without reaching across sector boundaries. The multi-party nature of our work brought us to SOCAP15, a national conference of social impact entrepreneurs and organizations that share our cross-sector approach. At SOCAP15, Third Sector participated in two …
Santa Clara and Hillside Awarded NFF Grants
Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has announced two of our partners, Santa Clara County and Hillside Family of Agencies, have been selected as grant recipients through the federal Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Pay for Success initiative. Santa Clara County has been awarded the SIF grant to launch a Pay for Success project serving individuals with acute mental illness. The selected service provider, Telecare Corporation, will focus on clients who have frequent stays in psychiatric emergency care, and ensure these patients are stabilized in less restrictive, community-based environments. The SIF grant supports …
Pay for Success Readiness and Opportunities for Social Enterprises: Third Sector and Year Up
What impact can Pay for Success contracting have on workforce development? What opportunities does the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) present for Pay for Success projects? Earlier this month, Third Sector Capital Partners partnered with Year Up to explore these questions in the kick-off webinar of a series hosted by America Forward, Alternative Staffing Alliance, and SE4Jobs. Our discussion covered the basic stages of Pay for Success contracting, opportunities social enterprises can fit into performance-based contracting, and how Pay for Success can be applied within the workforce development space. Interested? Access a recording of the webinar below. The webinar was presented by Associate …
Co-President Caroline Whistler to Present at SOCAP15, Oct. 7-8th
What impact has PFS had on the United States social sector? As the model gains traction, what can PFS achieve in the future? Next week, TSCP Co-President and Co-Founder Caroline Whistler will be tackling these questions at SOCAP15, an annual conference of leading impact investors, social entrepreneurs, and cross-sector practitioners. On October 6th and 7th, Caroline will be presenting the PFS model, its development, and its ability to more efficiently drive government resources toward more effective social services. You can catch Caroline at SOCAP15 in San Francisco at: Social Sector Transformation through Pay for …
Santa Clara County Selects Telecare Corporation for Innovative “Pay for Success” Project
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the selection of Telecare Corporation as the service provider for a Pay for Success project to improve stability and wellness of some of the County’s most severely mentally ill individuals through intensive outpatient treatment, case management, and supportive services. “Improving the stability and wellness of members of our community who suffer from acute mental illness is a high priority for the County,” said President Dave Cortese, County of Santa Clara. “We are hopeful that through this project, we’ll be able to offer …
Nonprofit Finance Fund Publishes PFS Blog Posts from Third Sector, Project Partners
Nonprofit Finance Fund has published blog posts interviewing Third Sector and its project partners in Salt Lake County and Illinois about their experiences developing PFS projects in both jurisdictions. Titled “Voices from PFS Pioneers”, both projects explain the genesis of project development, unique challenges, and innovations developed through project construction. Third Sector is working with the State of Illinois and Conscience Community Network on the Illinois Dually-Involved Youth Project, which seeks to improve outcomes for youth involved in both the foster care and juvenile justice systems. Third Sector is also …