Social Venture Partners Minnesota is proud to work with GiveMN.org to offer GiveMN.org users the opportunity to help some of the most innovative and effective social entrepreneurs working in Minnesota today. The Social Entrepreneur’s Cup is an annual competition to recognize Minnesota’s homegrown social entrepreneurs and the organizations they lead. Social Entrepreneur’s Cup finalists represent a broad spectrum of social issues including the arts, health, poverty reduction, and sustainability. We applaud the finalists for their innovation and the hope they bring to our world. By clicking on their link, you can make your online donation to any of the finalists. The 2010 Social Entrepreneur’s Cup finalists are:

Acara Institute

The Acara Institute brings together a collection of talents, minds, and resources - represented by diverse teams and individuals from academia and industry - to collaboratively launch viable businesses to address societal change while teaching social entrepreneurship to aspiring students. 

Bright New Ideas

Bright New Ideas designs, manufactures, and distributes affordable solar-LED lamp systems for people around the world for the 1.6 billion people in the developing world do not have access to electricity.  

Mind Body Solutions

Fifty-four million people in America live with a disability, making it the nation’s largest minority group. Mind Body Solutions delivers a mind-body approach to those living with trauma, loss, and disability, as well as to their caregivers, with the goal of transforming the disability and rehabilitation experience.

Springboard for the Arts

Springboard for the Arts provides programs that help artists access high quality, affordable health care. Springboard’s Artists’ Access to Healthcare program applies the creative process to a complicated system to help uninsured and underinsured artists get the care they need.