This study by Spring Impact, in partnership with Instiglio and LGT Venture Philanthropy, shows that nonprofits often struggle to scale through government systems despite strong evidence, due to the complexity of government adoption, financing, and delivery. Drawing on 12 cases and 30 interviews, it highlights how government decision-makers assess risk and decide whether to institutionalise solutions, offering practical insights rather than a single blueprint for scaling.
At LGT Venture Philanthropy, we believe that for impact to be sustainable, lasting, and reach scale, solutions need to be embedded in broader systems, with government being one of the most important pathways.
Our latest co-authored report, Scaling with Government: The Government's Perspective on What Nonprofits and Funders Need to Do Differently, developed in partnership with Spring Impact and Instiglio, explores exactly this challenge.
Based on 12 real-world case studies and more than 30 interviews with government leaders, funders, and nonprofit practitioners, the report highlights why scaling through government systems remains difficult - even for organisations with strong evidence and successful pilot programmes. The findings show that impact alone is rarely enough. Governments must weigh political priorities, operational realities, financial constraints, and institutional risks before adopting and sustaining external solutions.
Rather than presenting a single blueprint for scale, the report offers practical insights into how governments actually make decisions about institutionalising social innovations. It identifies several key lessons for nonprofits and funders: the importance of building long-term trust with government partners, aligning solutions with public sector priorities, demonstrating operational feasibility at scale, and investing in capabilities beyond programme delivery alone.
Funders increasingly need to support organisations not only in proving that their interventions work, but also in navigating the complexity of public systems and creating the conditions for government ownership. Scaling impact requires patience, collaboration, and a deep understanding of how systemic change happens in practice. As governments around the world face growing pressure to deliver effective solutions at scale, stronger partnerships between nonprofits, funders, and the public sector will be essential.