SiMPACT Leading the Way in Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis in Canada

There is increasing interest in the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology in Canada. As Canada’s leader in SROI training and analysis, SiMPACT Strategy Group is seen as an active contributor to this thriving agenda and important cross-sector conversation. SiMPACT is represented on the international methodology committee organized by The SROI Network and regularly participates in activities designed to strengthen the international network.

Social finance investors, government and foundations are increasingly seeking to understand social value creation and community organizations are striving to demonstrate the value of their work. Corporations are seeking to value the impact of community investments with 74% of LBG Canada companies have expressing a desire to learn more about SROI.

SiMPACT’s work in SROI is a blend of consulting, capacity-building across all sectors, accreditation training for professionals and housing the SROI Canada Secretariat.

SROI Canada is a non-profit organization established to advance the SROI Canada methodology in Canada. Other founding partners include the City of Calgary, Saskatchewan Abilities Council and Social Capital Partners in Toronto. As the acting SROI Canada secretariat, SiMPACT manages www.sroi-canada.ca, promotes discussion on linked in, organizes accreditation training and manages a database of financial proxies. For access to the financial proxy database, contact Anne Miller, Team Lead, SROI Initiative.

SROI accreditation courses are regularly held in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Information is available on the SROI Canada website http://www.sroi-canada.ca/accreditation/accreditation.html.

In addition, SiMPACT has been working with the Region of Waterloo to value their STEP Home homelessness initiatives through an SROI lens. We are working with Humewood House in Toronto to use SROI to demonstrate the value of investment in supporting pregnant and parenting teens through their pregnancies, to stabilize their circumstances and into the future.

In Alberta, SiMPACT has begun the third year of a project with the Safe Communities Secretariat, Alberta Justice, to integrate the SROI methodology into the evaluation frameworks of 88 crime prevention pilot projects. This large-scale project has involved training of project managers and program staff, ongoing and review of SROI work, research and inter-project coordination in development of financial proxies.

The above is a snapshot of SiMPACT's recent SROI work. For more information about SROI, please contact Anne Miller or Stephanie Robertson, President, SiMPACT Strategy Group.