FAQs

  • For the Friends of Pakistan Society and Fund, our target non and for-profit leaders identify unjust problems and develop, refine, and scale a product or service that enables transformations at scale.

    They look to the roots of development problems, and act beyond charity and one-off projects that address symptoms. They have smart operating models from revenue-generating social enterprises to lean nonprofits. They are not government-run programs or profit-maximizing businesses.

    For more on specific characteristics please see here.

  • Your entity should be able to answer the following questions:

    1. Problem (“current state of the world”): What problem is this organization or initiative working to address? Why is now a critical time to take action on this challenge?

    2. Social product or service: What is the work, or what does the organization do? How is the solution additive in the context of the ecosystem (i.e., more effective, efficient, and/or just than existing attempts to solve the problem)? How is the solution contributing to lasting change?

    3. Is this organization and solution scalable? If so, how is it acting directly and how is it working to transform system conditions at the structural, relational, or fundamental levels?

    4. Vision: What is the lasting change that’s enabled through this solution? What is the organization striving to achieve in the long term? How does the impact ultimately move beyond the one leader and the original entity?

    5. Desired outcomes: What desired outcomes (intended changes in behaviors, relationships, policies, or attitudes) is the organization working towards?

    6. Signals of progress: What signals of progress (impact milestones, such as activities or outputs) are they aiming to achieve?

    7. Risks: Describe any significant risks or concerns. Risks could include internal factors like financial instability, weak governance structures, or imminent leadership changes; or external factors like currency fluctuation, technological changes, or shifts in policy or the political environment. Brand or other risks to should also be considered.

  • For simplicity in our work, this is any individual or institution not directly delivering a social product or service or acting as a funder.

    They still must be committed to the peace and prosperity for the Pakistan people and planet.

    They can be in the country or across the globe.

    Typically they fall into one of several profiles: Storytellers, academics, policy makers, and more.

  • The Friends of Pakistan Society and Fund vision is to support all social innovator products and services that address Pakistan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

  • The seed stage is to take an idea and turn it into a viable product or service, validate the operating model, and begin gaining traction. Funding usually comes from personal savings, friends, family, and angel investors. For the Friends of Pakistan Society and Fund, the organization should be able to absorb capital typically at $250K or less.

    The mezzanine stage is when a proven product/service and operating model is ready to scale. For the Friends of Pakistan Society and Fund, the organization should be able to absorb capital typically between $250K to $10M.

  • It takes time and money to operate resources like our database and launch programming like convenings. Your funding goes directly to defraying these costs first and foremost. As we continue to grow we will look to dealing with other overhead expenses.