Submit your session ideas by April 12
SOCAP Open provides a platform for co-creation, the key to aligning capital for impact and driving tangible, real-world systems change. This year, SOCAP Open aims to bring in fresh perspectives and ideas that might otherwise go unheard to lead dynamic, forward-thinking, and solutions-oriented conversations aligned with this year’s tracks.
We are seeking solutions-focused submissions for participatory session formats (such as workshops, roundtable discussions, delegate-led, etc.) that allow for ideation and leave attendees with tools, capabilities, and connections they can put into practice right away. Following the submission period, our community will vote for the sessions they most want to see at SOCAP26.
Submissions for the 2026 SOCAP Open will be accepted from March 16, 2026, through April 12, 2026. Each participating speaker for the selected sessions will receive a complimentary ticket to SOCAP26 (valued at $1,999). Community voting will open on April 15, 2026, and is open to everyone.
Selection for SOCAP Open is competitive. If you want to secure content at SOCAP26, a partnership might be right for you. Contact our COO and Executive Director of Partnerships, Tova Lobatz, to learn more.
The SOCAP Global team hosted a webinar on March 31 to share more about this year’s tracks, the Open process, and what we’re looking for in 2026 proposals. Watch the webinar recording here!
Here’s everything you need to know about participating in the 2026 SOCAP Open.
What Is SOCAP Open?
SOCAP Open is a call to action. We invite you to break silos, challenge assumptions, and collaborate in new and unexpected ways. To address intensifying global challenges and build a more inclusive and sustainable future, we must engage with voices across sectors, geographies, and lived experiences. SOCAP Open provides the global impact community with an opportunity to submit session proposals for SOCAP26 that foster collaboration and move beyond problem awareness to actionable solutions.
Why SOCAP Open?
We believe that transformative impact requires working together across traditional boundaries. While curated content and partnerships are integral to the conference, SOCAP Open ensures that our programming is community-led across the content tracks, bringing in fresh perspectives and ideas that might otherwise go unheard. Selected speakers will not only gain a platform at SOCAP26 but will also receive full registration coverage, valued at $1,999.
Who Should Participate?
SOCAP Open welcomes individuals and organizations who are actively conceptualizing, testing, or implementing solutions to our world’s most pressing challenges and who are ready to share tools, frameworks, and lessons the community can apply immediately to take their impact to the next level. We are especially looking for:
- Changemakers forging unexpected partnerships across industries
- Underrepresented practitioners, especially those who are working at the intersection of impact and mainstream markets
- Voices that have not yet had an opportunity to share on the SOCAP stage
- Leaders looking to facilitate connection and co-create with the SOCAP community
How Can You Participate?
As you prepare your SOCAP Open submission, consider the following:
- Spotlight new and forward-thinking voices driving impact on the ground.
- Prioritize underrepresented, under-resourced, and emerging organizations.
- Lead with solutions: Demonstrate practical models, pilots, or tools that are actively being tested, implemented, or scaled
- Design highly participatory sessions that center co-creation, experimentation, and hands-on learning.
- Equip participants with actionable skills, frameworks, or methods they can immediately apply or replicate.
- Foster deep connection, vulnerability, and authentic collaboration across perspectives.
- Encourage healthy debate and challenge conventional thinking to push the field forward.
- Surface what’s missing: What critical solutions or conversations are not yet happening in the impact space?
- Review SOCAP26’s tracks to ensure alignment
SOCAP Open 2026 Timeline
- March 16: SOCAP Open Launches — submit your session proposals here!
- March 31: Guide to SOCAP Open webinar for anyone interested in participating in SOCAP Open — register free here!
- April 12: SOCAP Open Submissions Close (no late submissions will be processed).
- Week of April 13: First-round submissions review and cut; session organizers not selected will be notified.
- April 15 through April 26: Community voting on SOCAP’s website.
- April 29 through May 6: Second sessions review and cut; session organizers not selected will be notified.
- Week of June 1: Final selection and session cut takes place; all session organizers will be notified.
- June 8 through June 18: Calibration calls with all selected session organizers.
- June 24: Final resubmission of selected sessions with agreed changes and updates due.
- June 30: Selected sessions publicly announced.
Please visit the 2026 SOCAP Open guidelines for additional information on our selection process and timeline in preparation for your session submission.
Looking for inspiration? Check out some of the SOCAP Open sessions at SOCAP25!
Funding the Future: Investing in Africa’s Economic Transformation
This SOCAP25 session, featuring Kim Kamarebe (Inua Capital), Shiluba Mawela (Tshiamo Impact Partners), Anne Njuki (Sayuni Capital), David Johnson (Stanford Social Innovation Review) spotlights real-world examples of how catalytic funding is driving inclusive growth and advancing the future of investing in Africa’s rapidly evolving landscape.
From Silos to Success: Keys to Equitably Unlocking Small Business Potential
Featuring Alisha L. Murphy (Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development), Frank Scott, Jr. (City of Little Rock), Tonitrice Wicks (Winrock International), and Amy Cortese (ImpactAlpha), this SOCAP25 session explores proven and emerging models that expand access to capital and business development resources for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals—particularly in the American South and Indigenous communities.
