Big Ideas

Since 1997, the Case Foundation has been investing in people and ideas that can change the world. We believe it is better to focus our efforts on a handful of "big ideas" -- swing-for-the-fences ideas that have transformative potential. Learn more about big ideas we're currently supporting below.

 

Current Programs

The Case Foundation—in partnership with Senator Mark Warner, Points of Light, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Deloitte, HP, and IBM—has supported A Billion + Change since 2008. A Billion + Change is expanding the movement for corporations to provide pro bono services to nonprofits improving communities in the United States and around the world.

Visit A Billion + Change

With its entrepreneurial venture philanthropy model, ABC2 seeks to increase the number of potential therapies discovered and then move them rapidly into the clinic for the benefit of patients.  As a non-profit organization founded by the Case family, ABC2 partners with leading entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers to find a cure for brain cancer.

Visit Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure

In 2012 and beyond, inspired by the challenges we face and the opportunities we are afforded, we’re officially declaring our intention to Be Fearless in all that we do … in our approach to philanthropy, social change, and social good — and we hope you’ll join us in this journey.

The Case Foundation has been a champion of, and partner to, the Buxton Initiative since it first began in the wake of 9/11. Through various programs and outreach efforts, this unique program is building bridges and establishing relationships among people of different faith communities with an emphasis ontrust and friendship. Buxton seeks to model dialogue where controversial and difficult questions are encouraged and to provide a space in which relationships are facilitated and leveraged for other projects and initiatives.

Visit the Buxton Initiative

In early 2008, the Case Foundation released Social Citizens, a blog and nontraditional discussion paper, which brought with it a unique platform for discussions on how the Next Generation — and Millennials in particular — are changing the nature of social change.

Startup America Partnership is a coalition of major corporations, advisors, funders, service providers and mentors working to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of American entrepreneurs. The Partnership’s work aims to help entrepreneurs create and scale companies as a critical component of the nation’s job growth and global competitiveness strategy, while celebrating entrepreneurship as a core American value. Steve Case chairs the partnership and the Ewing Marion Kauffman and Case foundations are founding partners, providing initial funding and strategic guidance.

Visit the Startup America Partnership

The world's water supply is in crisis. Water-related diseases are responsible for 80% of all sickness in the world. Outside of highly developed nations, access to clean water is a daily challenge for tens of millions of people. Water For People is taking an entrepreneurial approach to providing access to clean drinking water to villages in developing countries.

Visit Water for People

Past Programs

America’s Giving Challenge presented by the Case Foundation, Causes on Facebook and PARADE encourages people to leverage online networks to make giving back easier and a part of their daily lives. The innovative initiative brought attention to new online tools and networks, showing how they could be leveraged to deepen civic engagement, democratize philanthropy and engage masses of small donors and advocates.

Efforts by the Case Foundation and its partners over two separate Giving Challenges brought together hundreds of thousands of people, encouraged nearly 200,000 people to donate and raised nearly $4 million for thousands of causes. In addition to the dollars raised from the public, the Case Foundation and its partners awarded more than $1 million to the causes that recruited the most donors and were most successful in using online and offline strategies to mobilize support.

In 2007, the New York Times recognized the Case Foundation as the first grant maker to let the public play a role in deciding how to spend grant dollars. The Make It Your Own Awards™ was inspired by a novel approach to civic engagement, which suggested a need to place citizens at the center of creating change by combining meaningful dialog with collective, hands-on action.

The program challenged people from all walks of life to discuss what mattered the most to them, decide what kind of community they want and take action together. With nearly 5,000 applicants and more than 15,000 voters, the program took a citizen-centered approach to philanthropy as well, involving the public in nearly every aspect of decision-making, and used the latest web 2.0 tools to empower applicants to raise funds and supporters. The Foundation’s research on both the program and the process, which showed nearly 80% of people that applied took action, provides practical tools and tips for institution wishing to test citizen-centered approaches.