Over on his Tactical Philanthropy blog, Sean Stannard-Stockton has offered some excellent thoughts on "Why the Social Innovation Fund Matters" and also adddressed some of the risks and criticisms. On his own blog, Andrew Wolk adds three additional points, emphasizing that:

1. We have to be careful not to get too caught up in the dollars – because in reality, $50 million (or even $150 million after the 2-1 match) is not much. Rather, the money should be seen as a way to influence the actions of all sectors and thus achieve greater systemic change.

2. The Social Innovation Fund should be looking for organizations with proven models who are actively engaging with government in an attempt to incorporate the best parts of their model into the broader system where change can really be widespread.

3. Several states – including Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, and Minnesota – have started offices or passed legislation to find and grow what works. The Social Innovation Fund should encourage more of this – even giving funding priority to collaborations that include a state-based entity committed to ensuring the creation and growth of the most effective and sustainable models.

Click here to read Andrew's entire entry.