The Future is Collective Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation 2025

04 MapBiomas Producing free, open and interactive land use maps for tropical forests worldwide MapBiomas was founded in 2015 as a collaborative initiative in Brazil to use advanced technology and data to monitor land use and cover changes across the country. Today, MapBiomas supports 20+ geographic and thematic initiatives across the world producing maps with precision and speed that would have been unfeasible and prohibitively expensive in the past. By integrating satellite imagery, machine learning (ML), cloud computing and contributions from universities, civil society and technology start-ups, MapBiomas initiatives provide detailed, annual reports on deforestation, agricultural expansion and other transformations in natural landscapes. Its comprehensive datasets are crucial for understanding the impacts of human activities on ecosystems and provide an essential tool for policy-makers, researchers and environmental advocates. 05 ProjectTogether Creating a new “operating model” for social change ProjectTogether is based on the idea that society needs a new “operating model” to work collaboratively to solve its most pressing challenges. ProjectTogether started in 2015 as a grassroots social incubator and in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ProjectTogether co-organized #WirVsVirus, mobilizing citizens, business and government to develop solutions to challenges arising from the pandemic. This virtual hackathon brought together 28,361 citizens and generated 1,498 solutions in just 48 hours. ProjectTogether has since codified a new “operating model” for mobilizing cross-sector alliances, bringing together hundreds of actors to address significant social challenges. Today, ProjectTogether has applied this approach to 10 themes – including shortage of skilled workers and green jobs, arrival processes for refugees and migrants, circular economy, regenerative agriculture and food systems, and more – while mobilizing more than 100,000 citizens in 3,000 organizations. 06 Shikshagraha Mobilizing a people’s education movement dedicated to improving 1 million public schools in India Shikshagraha is a nationwide movement in India ensuring that every child completes their education in a community-led, locally-empowered public school system that values and enhances their potential. The collective promotes simple but powerful “micro-improvements” – ideas that build on what already exists in schools and classrooms through a process of continuous improvement. The movement began in the state of Punjab where, in four years, micro-improvements led by schools themselves lifted Punjab’s state results from the lower half of all 28 states to ranking first in the entire country. Encouraged by these results, two more statewide collectives were set up in 2022. Building on these efforts, Shikshagraha aims to reach 1 million public schools, impacting over 150 million school-age children in India. 07 StreetNet International Strengthening the rights of street vendors, market vendors, hawkers and cross-border traders as the backbone of local economies StreetNet International is an autonomous and democratic alliance representing street vendors, market vendors, hawkers and cross-border traders around the world. Street vendors play a significant role in the worldwide economy, providing essential goods and services at affordable prices, particularly in the Global South. Yet, as informal workers, these vendors face numerous challenges, such as inadequate infrastructure, harassment from authorities, risk of eviction and unfair taxation. In just over two decades, the organization has grown to incorporate 62 affiliate members in 55 countries on four continents, representing 916,015 informal economy workers worldwide. StreetNet also collaborates with other informal workers’ organizations, including WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing). Today, StreetNet has strengthened the leadership and organizing skills of its member organizations while successfully advocating for policies that recognize and protect street vendors at local and national levels worldwide. The Future is Collective: Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation 6