More than a decade ago, the team at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas had an idea that would significantly accelerate our impact in education, income and health: creating a program to identify and support entrepreneurs who are doing bold work in North Texas as they scale their programs and impact.  

Together with our long-time corporate partner, AT&T, we launched the Social Innovation Accelerator, our development program for social entrepreneurs whose work aligns with our mission to improve access to education, income and health. 

As we look back on more than 10 years of success with the Accelerator, a dozen cohorts of unique and innovative fellows, and countless game-changing ideas, let’s explore the impact these incredible entrepreneurs have had on our region and how you can be part of the excitement at on April 9 The Pitch delivered by Amazon. 

The Origins of the Social Innovation Accelerator 

Recognizing the power and potential of social innovation in our community, we established the Social Innovation Accelerator (originally known as GroundFloor) in 2013. GroundFloor was targeted toward social innovators that were just getting started and had potential to drive real progress in education, income and health. 

Since 2013, each year, United Way selects a group of social innovators with creative solutions to systemic challenges in our focus areas of education, income and health to join what is now called the Social Innovation Accelerator. During the program, they receive seed funding and professional mentoring, refine their business plans and complete key business milestones.  

In all, 83 fellows have completed the nine-month-long program, and they’ve gone on to grow their businesses and positively impact more than 500,000 North Texans, raise over $75 million in additional funding and form 2,620 additional partnerships. By accelerating these social entrepreneurs, United Way and our partners and supporters are creating a sea change right here in North Texas by driving progress toward our Aspire United 2030 goals.  

“North Texas is home to so many innovative entrepreneurs who are the boots on the ground in their communities. They understand first-hand the challenges and opportunities their neighbors face, and they’ve developed creative ways to improve things,” said Jennifer Clark, director of innovation at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “Programs like the Social Innovation Accelerator allow us to amplify the efforts of these social innovators and work closely with them to ensure that, together, we’re having the biggest impact possible.” 

Innovation in Action 

Here are just a few examples of how, together, we are creating a positive impact for more individuals and families every year. (View our full list of Accelerator alumni here.) 

Principal Impact Collective: Strengthening Our Public Schools

Principal Impact Collaborative (PIC) was a brand-new organization when it went through the Social Innovation Accelerator in 2016. The nonprofit, which is part of UNT Dallas, seeks to provide adult learning opportunities to leaders in the education and public sector to strengthen public schools.  

Amanda Dudley, former executive director of PIC, said in the years since the Accelerator, the organization has expanded its Principal Fellowship—a two-year fellowship for North Texas school principals—to seven local districts. Meanwhile, PIC has created new programming for district leadership teams in its Leadership Lab. These programs include development and support unique to the needs of specific school districts, enabling principals and their teams to be even more effective.  

Dudley explains that having United Way as a “first-in investor” gave PIC credibility with other funders and partners, just as the organization was getting off the ground. “This allowed PIC to quickly establish itself as a critical partner in leadership development for school principals,” she said.  

Since going through the Accelerator in 2016, PIC has hosted 270 school principals and other district leaders in its programs. As a result, the organization has positively impacted more than 100,000 public school students and significantly advanced our shared mission of improving educational outcomes in North Texas.  

Southern Dallas Link: Eliminating Mobility Barriers

Southern Dallas Link has experienced transformational change since founder Curtis Corbins went through the Accelerator in 2020. “We have literally blown up, because mobility is just a huge thing here in North Texas,” he says. “Even though our main focus is getting people to living-wage jobs, impacting their ability to come out of poverty, we’ve also been able to expand to other areas.”  

Their new initiatives include partnering with AARP to provide transportation for seniors, with Texas Workforce to transport special needs workers and with TR Hoover to pick up low-income kids for summer programs.  

Curtis credits the Accelerator with showing him how to “stay in his lane” by focusing solely on transportation. That focus has enabled his organization to grow from serving around 1,500 clients per year in 2020 to about 6,500 in 2023. Southern Dallas Link has also become a United Way community impact partner, which Curtis says has enabled them to hire more drivers and serve more transportation deserts.  

One of the biggest benefits of his partnership with United Way, Curtis says, is the number of doors it has opened.  

“United Way has given me street cred. My relationship with them has allowed me to have a bigger impact than I could have imagined, simply because I can tell people United Way is one of my biggest partners,” he explains. “Having gone through the Accelerator, it’s like people are more apt to listen to you and work with you.”  

Bonton Farms: Expanding Their Focus and Impact

When Bonton Farms went through the Accelerator in 2017, the organization was “still in its infancy,” according to Helena Banks, who served as director of development and external affairs through 2024. “Being a part of the Accelerator really opened a lot of doors,” she said. “Mostly, it impacted our trajectory—being able to network with the United Way community and the people and organizations involved.”  

Helena offers a few examples: In the early days of Bonton Farms, the area had limited utilities. Through the Accelerator, founder Daron Babcock formed a connection with AT&T, which enabled him to bring Wi-Fi to the community. The United Way network also connected him to Deloitte, which planted the seeds of an initiative that will offer first-of-their-kind banking products in Bonton through nine financial partners.  

These types of deep connections have helped Bonton Farms grow well beyond their roots as an urban farm and support folks in every area of life. They’ve launched initiatives like an apprenticeship with wrap-around services and a housing program that includes everything from tiny homes to lease-to-own houses.  

Meanwhile, Daron and his team are also expanding their impact across Texas. In 2021, they worked to get the Bonton Farms Bill passed. The resulting law gives citizens returning from prison the opportunity to wipe fines from their records, so that when they’re released, they get a blank slate financially.  

As Helena explained, “We’re out to disrupt the system. When you talk about changing people’s trajectory, you really have to dive deep. Ultimately our goal is that the change in Bonton becomes the change in the world. We want to take these same principles and expand them across the nation, because we all know that there are Bonton communities everywhere.”  

The Competition Heats Up at The Pitch  

Each cohort of the Social Innovation Accelerator culminates at The Pitch delivered by Amazon, a one-of-a-kind competition where five finalists pitch their bold ideas live on stage for a chance to win additional funding and the title of “Social Innovator of the Year.” The Pitch is North Texas’ social innovation event of the year, and a thrilling way to highlight and celebrate the game-changing impact of the Accelerator program and of our innovative fellows.  

This year, The Pitch will be held Wednesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. We invite you to join your fellow change-seekers for an unforgettable evening and watch our five finalists pitch their innovative ideas for improving access to education, income and health. Vote for your favorite finalist to win the $30,000 Audience Choice Award, and then stick around to enjoy an open bar, tasty bites, great music and our exclusive networking hour.  

Interested in joining us? Get on the waitlist at unitedwaydallas.org/thepitch and we’ll let you know when early-bird tickets go on sale.