Our purpose
Connecting social innovators across the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and beyond to tackle humanitarian challenges collectively.
Why RSI ?
As resources dwindle, needs evolve, and crises multiply in number and complexity, now more than ever, social innovation and open collaboration are essential to enhancing the impact of humanitarian action.
In 2024, global official development assistance fell by 7.1%, dipping to USD 212.1 billion — the first decline in five years.
Source: Convergence, the state of blended finance 2025
In its 2030 strategy, the 191 National societies of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) have collectively identified five global challenges, believed to be the most pressing existing and emerging risks that confront our network. Social innovation is harnessed to address these five challenges.
Climate change and environmental crisis
Risks and impacts arising from climate change and environmental degradation, including extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity.
Evolving crises and disasters
Increasingly frequent, complex, and costly disasters and crises, including natural hazards, conflict, and technological threats, especially in fragile or urban settings.
Growing gaps in health and well-being
Addressing inequities in health, care, and well-being, including access to medical services, water and sanitation, mental health support, and preparedness for epidemics or population shifts.
Migration and identity
Supporting people on the move—voluntarily or forcibly—to live safely and with dignity, while addressing risks linked to displacement, lack of legal identity, exclusion, and social cohesion in both migrant and host communities.
Values, power and inclusion
Responding to rising inequalities, polarisation and value-based tensions by promoting humanitarian principles, equality, participation and people’s agency.
Our Mission
Our mission is to bring together an international community of social innovators — from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and beyond — committed to tackling humanitarian challenges collectively.
Red Social Innovation contributes to this vision by providing open field-tested resources and a trusted community of innovators and practitioners, all asking the same questions and facing the same hurdles.
Our international platform will give you access to more than 200 social innovations, honest feedback – success and failures alike – as well as hands-on tools and resources to support you in your own innovation journey.
Who Are We ?
An initiative built on new partnerships and collaboration models
Ana Penalver Blanco
Red Social Innovation Officer, Spanish Red Cross
The story of Red Social Innovation starts with two National Red Cross Societies—Spain and France—coming together, each bringing their own journey. The French Red Cross had been experimenting through 21, its Innovation Accelerator, giving life to projects that respond to complex social needs with creativity and impact. At the Spanish Red Cross, through the Social Technologies Foundation (TECSOS), we were breaking new ground with technological solutions for vulnerable communities, combining innovation with social action in ways that felt pioneering and urgent.
We wanted to create a space where these experiences could meet, inspire each other, and grow into something bigger—a place where social and technological innovation could truly flourish. Today, the partnership between the Spanish Red Cross and the French Red Cross shows that by combining humanitarian tradition, social innovation, and technology, it is possible to act differently to make a lasting and positive impact on people’s lives.
Pauline Blanc-Patin
Innovation Director, French Red Cross
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has always been a thriving innovation ecosystem. Crisis after crisis, challenge after challenge, RCRC volunteers have consistently been on the front lines, striving to innovate and maximize their impact on vulnerable populations. That’s why the French Red Cross and the Spanish Red Cross decided to launch Red Social Innovation: to create a space where social innovators from the RCRC movement can share, learn from, and inspire one another.
A few weeks after the launch of Red Social Innovation, the world froze due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to share on the platform some inspiring initiatives, such as Cri per le persone from the Italian Red Cross, which was replicated in France under the name “Croix-Rouge chez vous”. In a few weeks only, the purpose of Red Social Innovation became reality for many National Societies.
Meet Our Team
Passionate professionals driving social innovation across the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
Ana Penalver Blanco
Red Social Innovation Officer
Spanish Red Cross
Pauline Blanc Patin
Innovation Director
French Red Cross
Marie-Alice Manderscheid
Head of International Innovation
French Red Cross
Gabriella Perullo
International Cooperation Officer
Spanish Red Cross
Timeline
April 2021
Official Launch
Red Social Innovation is launched by the Spanish and French Red Cross to connect and amplify social innovation initiatives within the humanitarian sector.
October 2021
Shared Vision
Red Social Innovation is launched by the Spanish and French Red Cross to connect and amplify social innovation initiatives within the humanitarian sector.
May 2023
First Social Entrepreneurship Meet-Up
Hosted in Paris with several National Societies, the event fosters peer learning, horizontal networks, and collaboration around social innovation and entrepreneurship.:
September 2023
Partnership with ACROFA
Red Social Innovation partners with the Association of Francophone, Hispanophone and Lusophone National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ACROFA) to exchange African best practices and strengthen local capacities.
November 2023
British Red Cross Joins the Consortium
The British Red Cross becomes an extended partner, bringing expertise in innovation ecosystems and strategic alliances.
November 2024
Website Audit and User Research
Launch of a user-centric redesign process to improve experience, engagement, and alignment with the Movement's global strategy.
June 2026
New Platform Release
The new Red Social Innovation platform goes live, featuring enhanced tools, content, and services to better connect changemakers across the Movement.
Linking Social Innovation Across the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
Social innovation is already at the heart of many initiatives within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. The Red Social Innovation platform serves as a gateway for centralizing these efforts and connecting them to the broader social innovation ecosystem.
Examples of How We Work Together
The Solferino Academy, the Think and Do Tank of the IFRC
The Solferino Academy helps National Societies of the IFRC network transform so they can be more fit for the challenges and opportunities of the future.
- Showcasing on the Red Social Innovation Platform examples of innovative solutions developed by National Societies, for example through programs like the IFRC Limitless Academy, for external visibility and partnership opportunities.
- Co-developing Innovation approaches and tools to help National Societies along their Innovation Journey.
The Emergency Shelf
The International Committee of the Red Cross is packaging and supporting proven, deployable and scalable digital solutions for a range of Movement-wide users, to enable a shared value chain in emergency responses. The Emergency Shelf aims to get tried and tested technology into the hands of field users when they need it.
- Red Social Innovation showcases examples of open source digital solutions that can be implemented within the Movement, for example, Pharmacy Stock Management, Algorithms for the Management of Childhood illness (ALMANACH – a job aid for nurses in primary care) and the Pre-Hospital Record Form application (data capture in ambulances).
- If you have any open source digital applications supporting operations that show promise, ICRC and Red Social Innovation can be notified regarding potential elevation to the Emergency Shelf.
510, the data and digital team of the Netherlands Red Cross
510 supports National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies globally, delivering digital products and data services since 2016.
- Red Social Innovation showcases innovative digital solutions that have been tested and implemented in various National Societies, through the 510 unit, such as the 121 Platform for cash assistance, Impact based forecasting, or the social media listening tool.
The RCRC Communities of Practice
A group of practitioners from the Red Cross and Red Crescent, organised around a common interest and objectives, coming together to share, interact, learn and develop. It offers a central point of resources and capacity, enacting new and open models of collaboration and is supported by a mobile friendly digital platform.
- Sharing Red Social Innovation events and resources on IFRC communities with over 7000 members from the IFRC Network to increase the reach and amplify the results.
The Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives
Red Social Innovation contributes to the documentation and sharing of resources and knowledge related to social entrepreneurship and supports the scaling of programmes such as REDPreneur and the Women’s Social Entrepreneurship Institute (WSEI), developed by National Societies, including the Austrian Red Cross and the Kenya Red Cross.
- Organising events that bring together the community of innovators and social entrepreneurs, such as the Social Entrepreneurship Meet-up held in Paris in 2023.
- Showcasing social entrepreneurship programmes such as REDPreneur and the Women’s Social Entrepreneurship Institute to inspire other National Societies and create new partnership opportunities across the network.
The Center for Cooperation in the Mediterranean, hosted by the Spanish Red Cross
The Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean works to support Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies – members of the Mediterranean Conference – to respond to the common humanitarian challenges in the region.
- Trainings and workshops on social innovation approach & methods during various events, surch as the Atlantis Mediterranean Youth Camp
- Assessments and long-term work plan and promotion of the implementation of innovative solutions to address the key challenges in the Mediterranean basin.
Red Solutions Hub
The IFRC’s flagship platform for helping Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies strengthen their core capabilities and deliver greater impact for the communities they serve. It brings together practical tools, proven approaches, examples, and peer learning in one accessible space, making it easier to turn knowledge into action.
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All RSI solutions are integrated into the Hub to showcase innovative approaches in the context of National Society core capabilities and the services they deliver to communities, helping promising ideas gain visibility, relevance, and potential for adaptation and scale across the Movement.
Who is next ?
Feel like you are missing out ? Contact the RSI team to see how we can collaborate