Venture Philanthropy

This form of grant-making is distinguished by the high level of involvement by the donor and larger, longer-term grant-making associated with performance goals. Venture philanthropy may entail support of social enterprises owned by non-profits and/or other more conventional non-profit activities. Although financial terminology may be used by grant-makers to underscore a business-like approach, venture philanthropy should not be confused with community investment. Funding is provided on a grants basis; there is no expected financial return.

Source: World Economic Forum: 2008 Blended Value Investing: Capital Opportunities for Social and Environmental Impact,

Venture Philanthropy
Philanthropy that adopts some of the best practices of the venture capital industry to invest deeply in social enterprises and charities, in order to scale them effectively. The important facets include long-term relationships, the creation of business plans, and the provision of funding and commercial capabilities. Donors and investors make long-term funding pledges, closely monitoring performance goals through pre-agreed assessment tools, and solve problems jointly with the management team.

Source: http://www.clearlyso.com/glossary.jsf

Venture philanthropy
A combination of long-term investment practices and venture capital models applied to the voluntary sector, where a financial investment is made to a non-profit organization in order to build capacity, produce deliverables, and create social return.

Source: http://www.pfc.ca/cms_en/page1112.cfm