How NGOs Can Act as Learning Labs for Government

By Jennifer Schechter, Emily Bensen & N’Toumbi Tiguida Sissoko 1

As global aid declines, new learning partnership models between NGOs and government will play a critical role in scaling and sustaining health reform in low- and middle-income countries.

Investigative Journalism Pioneers

By Clair MacDougall

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project conducts cross-border investigations targeting the world’s most corrupt—from oligarchs and misogynist influencers to political elites.

SSIR Online, Summer 2025 Issue

By SSIR Editors

A collection of standout pieces published online about field-building, cross-sector transformation, AI, structural change, and social sector messaging.

Together We Stand

By David V. Johnson

As promoters and defenders of a free civil society, we at SSIR today find ourselves taking sides: We stand with you as allies against the rise of authoritarianism in the United States and abroad.

The Future of Innovation Is Collective

By Cynthia Rayner, Sophia Otoo & François Bonnici

The world is undergoing simultaneous economic, technological, geopolitical, environmental, and social changes that organizations cannot address alone. Only a collective approach to social innovation can solve for challenges that are too large for individual organizations.

Let Communities Lead Research

By Megan Collado, Rishika Desai & Jamae Morris 2

Funders who care about justice should enable communities to lead their own research projects. | Open access to this article made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

How to Manage Underperforming Cross-Sector Partnerships

By Mohamed Hassan Awad, Mabel Sanchez & John Parsons

Many public-private collaborations that address complex social problems flounder. We offer a new model to get such partnerships back on track.

Learning From Setbacks in Collaborations

By Santiago Pulido-Gomez, Jorrit de Jong, Jan Rivkin & Yamile Nesrala

Cross-sector collaboration can help cities tackle complex social and economic problems, but results are mixed. New research suggests that how a collaboration responds to setbacks plays a crucial role in its success. Rather than seeking the “perfect” governance model, collaborators should adopt five key actions enabling progress.

Urban Development Needs Systems Thinking

By Yaera Chung, Ievgen Kylymnyk & Svetla Baeva 1

Lessons from 15 cities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia on addressing interconnected civic challenges.

Big Aid Is Over

By Kevin Starr 5

We need to design for what African governments can do and will pay for.