Data at Scale

The prevalence of data in the social sector means that government agencies and nonprofit providers, in theory, have a wealth of information at their disposal to understand what works and more effectively deploy resources to achieve better outcomes. Administrative data (data collected by governments or nonprofits as part of administering a specific program) in particular provides a cost-effective and accurate way to understand participant outcomes and break the silos between agencies serving similar populations who operate in different policy domains.

The practical reality is that providers and government agencies cannot easily

By Nadia Ahmed

On August 28th, Third Sector was invited to the 7th annual Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) Executive Leadership Institute in Austin, TX. For the first time, the two-day conference, in addition to its sessions on the latest in the green and healthy housing movement, offered a parallel set of sessions on Pay for Success (PFS). This brought together government, foundations, providers, evaluators, and organizations with PFS expertise to discuss how such an innovative contracting model can work in the lens of healthcare.

Third Sector participated in a panel

By Joe Gayeski and Mary Beech Pay for Success (PFS) is one way local and state jurisdictions can address pressing social issues in their communities. By integrating data and building rigorous evaluation into government contracting, PFS can reward social services that demonstrate measurable impact. To make this possible, PFS leverages private capital. The model’s innovative [...]

By Nadia Ahmed and Mary Beech It’s said that marathons are won well before the starting gun goes off. When the runners arrive on race day, the most successful will have put in enough training to know exactly what to expect. When governments pursue a model as innovative as Pay for Success (PFS), pilot programs [...]

Third Sector's Pay for Success projects in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Santa Clara County, California, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were featured in Stateline, a daily report on state policy from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Co-founder and Co-President Caroline Whistler is quoted, The bonds are meant to foster creative solutions to entrenched social problems, with an [...]

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 [...]