A social franchise is a network of private-sector health care providers that are linked through agreements to provide socially beneficial health services under a common franchise brand. Organizing private providers into branded, quality-assured networks to increase access to provider-dependent contraceptive methods and related services is a promising high impact practice in family planning.

A new HIP brief, Social Franchising: Improving quality and expanding contraceptive choice in the private sector, describes the potential impact of social franchising on key family planning outcomes. It also provides useful guidance on how social franchising can be used to increase access to high-quality family planning products and services.