Strengthening Community-Based Organizations Through Social Impact Readiness: Lessons from “Periferiacapitale”

In 2021 the Charlmagne foundation has launched “Periferiacapitale”: a social innovation program to support community-based organizations (n = 13, based in Rome municipality) with different social impact objectives in urban areas characterized by social exclusion and marginalization conditions. This set of different organizations (NPOs, networks of associations, training institutions, social cooperatives) were supported by overcoming the traditional paradigm of philanthropic intervention, focusing on social impact-based capacity building: in order to visualize, measure and communicate the social impact evaluation of their projects. With respect with this policy framework, the present contribution intends to describe the work SI2 methodology (Social Enterprise * Social Impact) developed through research-action activities with the organizations involved in the program. The objective of the contribution is to introduce the value of impact readiness methodologies as a strengthening strategy with which these organizations can influence the policy making processes with which to activate new resources and activities.