The social impact bond market has evolved quickly from concept to reality thanks in part to foundation support, a report from Social Finance finds. According to the report, Foundations for Social Impact Bonds (56 pages, PDF), a number of large foundations are actively supporting the SIB ecosystem by awarding grants and program-related investments in support of social innovations; fostering partnerships between investors and social service providers; and educating policy makers, the public, and others about SIBs. Opinions among foundation staff interviewed for the report were divided, however, about the role foundations should play over the long term, with some arguing that foundations should help seed the market but then make way for mainstream impact investors and others arguing that because foundations bring not only capital but also knowledge, integrity, and credibility to the market, they should remain engaged.