Step Up Silicon Valley is a social innovation network and anti-poverty laboratory. Our goal is to reduce poverty in Santa Clara County through convening, advocating for policy changes, and incubating innovative solutions. We achieve this by working closely with representatives from various organizations and community members to coordinate breakthrough systems change that allow us to holistically create a thriving community where everyone has access to affordable health care, sufficient nutritious food, decent affordable housing, meaningful educational and career opportunities, and reliable income that meets their basic financial needs. Our network currently consists of more than 100 network organizations, with 20-30 members meeting on a monthly basis to assess community needs and come up with innovative ideas to mitigate issues. Examples include Pay for Success, 1000 Out of Poverty, Public Works, Franklin McKinley Children’s Initiative (FMCI), Franklin McKinley Women’s Initiative (FMWI). Step Up Silicon Valley is a community change initiative established by Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County since 2007. OUR APPROACH: • We connect diverse partners to share knowledge, foster collaboration, & co-create solutions together. • We engage government & community leaders to generate support for positive policy change. • We launch innovative initiatives that disrupt systems to eliminate poverty. Read more on http://stepupsv.org/step-up-approach/. OUR METRIC: We recognize that there are multiple dimensions to poverty and prosperity. Step Up Silicon Valley utilizes the Step Up Self-Sufficiency Measure, a community measure of well-being based on the five pillars of poverty and prosperity: food, income, housing, health care, and education. We define progress towards self-sufficiency on a scale of surviving (1,2), striving (3,4), and thriving (5) based on these five pillars. Read more here: http://stepupsv.org/step-up-approach/outcomes-measure/