In 2006, Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu established the nation's first statewide Office of Social Entrepreneurship (see an overview of the OSE's mission, model, strategies, and vision).  This coming fall, the office will pilot a social innovation fund which will provide support to innovative, effective and sustainable solutions to social problems in Louisiana.

In preparing to launch a competition to determine the best models for investment, we faced an important question:  Do we focus on a particular social issue and solicit the best solutions for one particular problem, such as childhood obesity or high-school dropout rates? Or do we focus on seeking those models with the highest potential for increased social impact, regardless of the social area it addressed? We chose the latter and will launch the competition focused on a proposed solution’s ability to meet the highest standards of established criteria including innovation, social impact, measurability and sustainability.