Business Benefiting Children competition: Brazil, India, Peru, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda
May 18, 2011
A competition for businesses that improve the environments in which young children grow up
Organisation
Deadline
Region / Country
Summary of RFP
Submit a business plan that will improve the environment in which young children grow up and you could…
* Receive feedback on your plan and get access to useful business tools.
* Get support from a coach to write your business plan. Win a business trip for trainings, b2b, and investor meetings.
* Get access to over 100 investors interested in financing SMEs in developing countries.
* Get access to a network of more than 36,000 like-minded entrepreneurs, coaches, and investors.
Participation criteria:
1. Check the general participation criteria.
2. Your business should have a positive impact on young children by improving the physical environment in which they grow up. For example: cleaner energy, water and sanitation solutions, better housing, safer transport, safe places to play, etc.
3. Your country of business should be: Brazil, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, India, or Turkey.
Submission Instructions
How to submit your business plan?
1. Become a member of the BiD Network. Register at the link below.
2. Create a profile in the BiD Network.
3. Fill in and submit an online application and answer the 15 questions about your business idea.
Submit your application for coaching services before:
Peru and Brazil: the 15th of March 2011
India, Tanzania, Turkey and Uganda: the 31st of March 2011
Please pay special attention to the timeline of the competition.
4. Submit a complete business plan. If you already have a complete business plan you can attach it to your application directly. You can also submit it once your application is accepted.
Make sure to submit your complete business plan before the competition deadlines:
Peru and Brazil: the 30th of April 2011
India, Tanzania, Turkey and Uganda: 31st of May 2011
What happens after you submit your plan?
1. Your plan will enter the assessment process. You will receive extensive feedback in each stage.
2. In the beginning of May they will select the finalists from Latin America. In June they will select the finalists from Africa, Turkey and India. The entrepreneurs will be invited for a business trip for trainings, b2b, and investor meetings in their respective regions.
3. Whether or not you become a finalist, all high quality business plans are eligible for the BiD Network Investor Matchmaking Services.
This business plan competition is a collaboration between Bernard van Leer and BiD Network.
For more information, please click here.
New support for global social entrepreneurs, StartSomeGood
March 13, 2011
StartSomeGood is a team comprised of four UCLA Bruins and an Aussie. The Bruins met while camping out for UCLA basketball games, and the co-founders met while working at Ashoka. All are connected by their passion for social entrepreneurship, and their dream of empowering people, anywhere and everywhere, to “do good” in the world. Thus, they created www.StartSomeGood.com which connects social entrepreneurs with the financial and intellectual capital they need to transform an idea for improving the world into a reality, turning ideas into action and impact.
There are no shortages of problems in the world, and no shortage of people with ideas to address them, yet often people with brilliant ideas lack the resources that they need to get started. Therefore, StartSomeGood provides social entrepreneurs with a platform to raise start-up funds and build a community of supporters — all in a fun, engaging and community-driven way.
Their site taps into the power of the crowd (aka, the “crowdfunding” model), allowing social entrepreneurs to ask for small amounts of money from supporters from around the world, in addition to providing social entrepreneurs with the tools to update their supporters, provide unique rewards in exchange for support, and run multiple campaigns over time. Since there are several other valuable crowdfunding sites, they even encourage you to compare with other crowdfunding sites and see if StartSomeGood is the best option for you and your business: http://startsomegood.com/Help/Difference
www.StartSomeGood.com was created specifically to make it easier for people to conceive, share and raise funds for innovative approaches to community problems and opportunities. I recommend you visit their site today and check out some of the current campaigns: from SpeechForGood (a mobile app that connects people with their speech therapy while giving 20% back to clinics in the developing world) to urban agriculture projects in LA to community fitness programs which are addressing child obesity.
You can contact them directly at hello@startsomegood.com.
Attention US NGOs: Microsoft Elevate America Announces New Employment Services Grant Initiative
September 11, 2010
Microsoft Corporation has announced the launch of the Elevate America community initiative, a new grant program to support nonprofit organizations offering employment services, including technology skills training and job placement, in local communities across the United States. The initiative is the latest extension of Elevate America, which was launched in 2009 to provide people across the country with no-and low-cost access to the technology skills they need to find employment.
To support the initiative, Microsoft is committing a total of $4 million in cash and $6 million in software and technology skills training curriculum over the next two years.
Grants will be allocated through a Request for Proposal process which invites nonprofits to share their plans for partnering with Microsoft on creating successful, scalable programs that respond to the twenty-first century skills training and employment needs of people across the U.S. For this initiative, the company has a particular but not exclusive interest in working with partners focused on the needs of women and young workers (ages 18-25).
Successful grant recipients will be funded to provide individuals with the support they need to find employment. The services provided by grant recipients to ensure a fully supportive experience for participants must include technology skills training, job placement, and strong employer connections and may also include career counseling and other support services such as childcare, transportation, and housing.
Grant applicants must be U.S.-based tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and their partner organizations, which may include workforce agencies, community colleges, labor organizations, and other nonprofit organizations.
Complete grant program guidelines and an eligibility survey for nonprofit organizations are available at the Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/community-tools/job-skills/Community-Initiative/
From World YWCA
Short Film Commission Where is the Money for Women’s Rights and HIV? – We Are Watching
We are writing to you to let you know about a new resource that the World AIDS Campaign, the World YWCA and Women Wont Wait are developing.
“Where is the Money for HIV?” is a joint campaign building on ARASA’s work, which is planned to be undertaken in partnership by ARASA, APCASO, Art Global Health Center at UCLA, LACCASO, Mosaic (South Africa), World AIDS Campaign (WAC), World YWCA and Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV.
As part of this campaign, WAC, the World YWCA and Women Wont Wait are sending out a Call for anyone interested who has the necessary experience to produce a 2 – 3 minute video campaign focusing on “Where is the Money for Women’s Rights and HIV?”.
The video will seek to highlight three main issues:
1. The realities of women and girls around the globe, particularly in regards to HIV related human rights violations
2. The money that is needed to work towards overcoming these violations
3. How money is misspent by governments instead of investing in women’s rights, going for example towards military expenditure instead of financing for women.
Interested persons should send a brief treatment and shot list/paper edit to womenshivfilm@gmail.com no later than September 1st 2010.
Late submissions will not be accepted. For more info: http://www.worldywca.org/YWCA-News/World-YWCA-and-Member-Associations-News/Short-Film-Commission-Where-is-the-Money-for-Women-s-Rights-and-HIV-We-Are-Watching
Wildlife Conservation Society Accepting Applications for Research Fellowship Program from Developing Countries
July 27, 2010
Wildlife Conservation Society Accepting Applications for Research Fellowship Program
The Wildlife Conservation Society Research Fellowship Program is a small grants program administered by the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute that aims to build capacity for the next generation of conservationists by supporting individual field research projects with a clear application to the conservation of threatened wildlife and wild places.
The program helps train applied conservation scientists from developing countries. Since the RFP’s establishment in 1993, over 2,000 proposals totaling over $23 million have been submitted to WCS for funding, of which 300 proposals totaling more than $3 million have been funded. Over 60 percent of the total funded proposals have come from national conservationists (citizens of the country in which they are conducting their research). All grantees are graduate-level students pursuing masters, doctoral, or veterinary degrees (or equivalents). Collectively, these professionals will help to apply field-tested conservation science to the challenges facing conservation today.
In 2010, the WCS Institute re-established the RFP with a focus on supporting projects that directly address WCS conservation priorities. WCS seeks projects that are based on sound and innovative conservation science and that encourage conservation practices that can contribute to sustainable development. Applicants must be citizens of developing countries. An exception is made for applicants who are Native American (United States) or First Nations, Métis, or Inuit (Canada).
The maximum award amount is $20,000.
Visit the WCS Web site for complete program guidelines and eligibility requirements: http://programs.wcs.org/Default.aspx?alias=programs.wcs.org/grants
Ashoka’s Changemakers Strong Communities Competition
June 16, 2010
Ashoka’s Changemakers Strong Communities Competition
Early Entry Deadline: July 14, 2010.
Nomination Deadline, Entry Close: August 11, 2010.
Strong Communities Competition
Community Matters and Ashoka’s Changemakers are partnering to offer the Strong Communities: Engaging Citizens, Strengthening Place, Inspiring Change competition!
Citizens, practitioners and elected officials can enter innovative, replicable, sustainable projects and ideas to steer change and take charge of the future of their communities. We want to hear from an array of voices, and most importantly, we want to create a community of people who come together to celebrate, collaborate and share experiences.
We’re asking people to share their big, crazy, “knock-your-socks-off” ideas, and to inspire us with the transformational projects that are happening in towns and neighborhoods across the country. In particular, we’re looking for interdisciplinary approaches where different people, organizations and fields come together to learn from each other and collectively solve problems by creating a shared vision of a strong community.
We’ll highlight 20 semi-finalists in September, and then invite eight finalists to CommunityMatters’10 to showcase their work. Entries will be judged on innovation, social impact and sustainability. Online voting will begin a week before the conference and live voting will continue during the conference; we’ll announce three winners at the conference closing.
After June 16, you can find us at www.changemakers.com/strongcommunities.
Prizes
Early Entry Prize: The best entry submitted by 5PM EDT, July 14, 2010 will be eligible to win USD $500.
ReTweet Prizes: From June 16, 2010 through August 11, 2010, there will be a drawing every Monday for a ReTweet prize. Any person with a Twitter account that re-tweets a specific message from @CommunityMttrs during the previous week will be automatically entered to win a prize valued at or below USD $20.
Grand Prizes: Three winners will be chosen via online public voting. Each winner will receive a USD $5,000 grand prize.
Timeline
Launch: June 16, 2010
Early Entry Deadline: July 14, 2010
Nomination Deadline, Entry Close: August 11, 2010
Semi-finalists Announced: September 8, 2010
Finalists Announced/Voting Begins: September 22, 2010
Voting Ends: October 7, 2010
Winners Announced: October 8, 2010
About Changemakers
Ashoka’s Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka, an organization with more than three decades of finding, funding and expanding the work of social entrepreneurs across the globe. It is a global online community of action that connects people to share ideas, inspire and mentor each other, and find and support the best ideas in social innovation. The Changemakers online community builds on this history and expands the Ashoka vision by creating an “Everyone a Changemaker” world through networking, relationship-building, and the sourcing of funding opportunities.
Through its collaborative competitions and open-source process, Changemakers.com has created one of the world’s most robust spaces for launching, refining and scaling ideas for solving the world’s most pressing social problems.
Tom’s of Maine, “50 States for Good” Initiative Offers Program Funding for US Nonprofits
June 14, 2010
With a total community action fund of $100,000, Tom’s of Maine’s “50 States for Good” initiative is celebrating and rewarding nonprofits from across the country whose efforts are focused on lasting, positive change in the community.
Tom’s of Maine is hoping to inspire participation from nonprofits of all sizes and is excited to hear about the community projects that matter most to them. 501(c)(3) organizations from across the country are encouraged to apply for funding and invite their members/constituents to participate in the process. This year, applicant organizations are encouraged to be bold in sharing how they can best use new volunteers to benefit the community. In addition, the public is also welcome to invite their favorite nonprofit to join the program.
Finalists will be selected by a judging panel based on immediate achievability, positive impact in the community, and engagement and mobilization among members of the community. After finalists are selected, online voting by the public will determine which five organizations will receive $20,000 each.
For more info: http://www.tomsofmaine.com/community-involvement/living-well/project-sponsorships
Freedom to Create Grants: money for global arts development
April 25, 2010
Freedom to Create Grants
Region
Global
Rolling deadline
Through grant making, Freedom to Create offers funding to projects that use the arts to create transformational change in the developing world. The organisation invites applications for funding to support projects that use art forms to educate, build, heal, and inspire people – from educating communities on a particular issue, to inspiring people to change the status quo, to building arts capacity.
The following requirements must be met to be considered for a Freedom to Create grant:
* Projects must be run by a registered non-profit organisation
* Projects must fall into one of six sectors: Education, Health, Social Harmony, Urban Regeneration, Freedom to Create, or Designs for Life
* Projects must indicate how their results will be measured – both quantitatively and qualitatively
* The project itself must be located in a developing country, and is ideally a country most in need. To further assess whether a country may be eligible for funding, please see the list of Emerging and Developing Countries in the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook Report or the United Nation’s Human Development Index.
Preferred Projects – One or more of the following qualifications will be of particular interest:
* Are based in the world’s harshest places and least developed countries
* Offer a new approach to issues and challenges
* Are designed to deliver sustainable change
* Offer ambitious ideas
* Include strong ways of measuring the project’s impact on society
Excluded Projects – Grants are unable to support:
* Individual artists
* Educational scholarships
* Organisations that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation in policy or in practice
* Programmes that promote sectarian religious activities
* Programmes that promote impermissible lobbying
* Programmes which contravene the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
* Projects located in the developed world, such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. However, please note that organisations based in these countries are welcome to apply for funding if their programmes are located in the developing world.
* Costs not directly associated with the project’s implementation.
Freedom to Create
Level 46
UOB Plaza 1
80 Raffles Place
048624
Singapore
Tel: 65 62105560
http://www.freedomtocreate.com/
info@freedomtocreate.com
Global FUNDING and FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, media, communications
January 22, 2010
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
http://www.comminit.com/en/funding.html
Justice Initiative Fellows Program at Central European University
Announcing a 2-year programme of study and practical work experience intending to support and further develop a network of 10 lawyers and activists working on human rights-related issues internationally.
Deadline: January 25 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/13895/348
Nieman Fellowships in Global Health Reporting
Awarding 2 Nieman Fellowships in Global Health Reporting for the academic year, one to a US citizen and one to a non-US citizen. The fellows will spend one academic year at Harvard University in the US, followed by 3-4 months of field work in a developing country.
Deadline: January 31 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/266302/2754
Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications
Accepting applications from doctoral-level students from developing countries who are in their 3rd, 4th, or 5th year of studies in family planning and/or reproductive health at academic institutions in the US or Canada.
Deadline: February 4 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/267230
Stop TB Partnership’s Challenge Facility for Civil Society
Inviting applications from grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) that seek to help shape policy at local levels by giving a voice to people living with tuberculosis (TB) and those involved in its prevention, treatment, and care.
Deadline: February 10 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307920/347
Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
Providing stipends to journalists to study topics related to mental health or mental illnesses.
Deadline: April 19 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/265474/2754
Atlas Service Corps Fellowship
Seeking mid-career non-profit (non-governmental [NGO] or citizen sector) leaders in developing countries and the US to apply for a 12- to 18-month overseas fellowship.
Deadline: May 1 2010
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/267935
All Roads Seed Grant Program
Providing a platform for indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture storytellers around the world to showcase their works in order to promote knowledge, dialogue, and understanding with a broader, global audience.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/284500
Humphrey Fellowship Program: Journalism Fellowships
Offering a 10-month stay at a journalism college in the US to study journalism and undertake professional affiliations at US news organisations. Applicants should have a minimum of 5 years of substantial professional experience, limited or no experience in the US, and demonstrated leadership qualities and commitment to their communities.
Deadline: Varies by country
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/147205/2754
The IJP Journalists’ Bursaries
Inviting applications for participation in an exchange of German journalists with international colleagues. For every German journalist taking part in a programme abroad, a foreign colleague will have the opportunity to work in a German media organisation. Where requested by media organisations or bursary sponsors, participants can also initiate a direct exchange.
Deadline: Varies by programme
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/306525/2754
International Service for Human Rights Internships
Seeking interns to observe and learn about both the United Nations (UN) human rights system and the international human rights non-governmental community through full- and part-time internships from 3-6 months at the Geneva, Switzerland, Office of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).
Deadline: Varies by internship
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/297464/348
Ford Foundation International Fellowships Programme
Providing opportunities for advanced study to individuals from any one of 22 countries who will use this education to become leaders in their respective fields, furthering development in their own countries and greater economic and social justice worldwide. The fellowship provides support for up to 3 years of formal graduate-level study leading to a masters or doctoral degree.
Deadline: Varies by country
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/147050/348
African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) Small Grants Programme (SGP)
Supporting small, community/rural-based grassroots women’s groups in Ghana, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. The SGP also supports emerging or emergency issues.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/267128/38
We Media PitchIt! Challenge (looking for the most innovative ideas inspiring a better world through media)
December 29, 2009
We Media PitchIt! Challenge
Filed Under:
* media
* journalism
* competition
Deadline: January 20, 2010. US$25,000 prize
Are you a storyteller? An influencer? A connector? An idea person?
We Media and Ashoka’s Changemakers are looking for the most innovative ideas inspiring a better world through media. Be part of the 2010 We Media PitchIt! Challenge.
ENTER your solutions from now until January 20, 2010. The top finalists will pitch their ideas at We Media Miami, March 9-11, 2010. The best entry in each category–non-profit and business–will receive a $25,000 prize to help launch their new venture.
What happens when people have the power to tell their story?
We Media and Ashoka’s Changemakers have teamed up once again to find and launch the best new ideas for inspiring a better world through media. In the We Media PitchIt! Challenge, we’re looking for groundbreaking solutions from all fields that incite action, encourage collaboration, and lead society to knowledge.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, we will provide $50,000 in seed funding to help launch the best solutions. One business and one non-profit venture will each receive $25,000 in seed capital.
Entrants will have the freedom to collaborate with potential partners and investors, while the global online community will discuss, debate and improve upon the most creative solutions.
All finalists will participate in the sixth annual We Media Event in Miami, March 9-11, 2010, and present their ideas to a panel of judges as well as potential funders and partners.
The competition will be open to individuals from all countries. We consider the following criteria:
* Media Focus: Ideas should reflect the theme of the competition. We are searching for innovative ideas that use media to create social change.
* Idea Stage: We’re looking for early-stage ventures or brand new ideas that have not yet been launched or built. These may be entirely new ventures, new companies or new projects from existing organizations.
* Business or Non-Profit: There will be two categories: business and non-profit. In the business category, the funding must be used to support the start-up of a new business that will have a sustainable revenue model. In the non-profit category, the funding should be used to support the launch of a non-profit venture or the development of a new project for an existing non-profit organization.
* Completed Form: Entries must be fully completed and submitted before the deadline of January 20, 2010.
* Language: Entries should be submitted in English.
B. Assessment Criteria
There will be several stages to this process:
1) The community’s comments will be included in the evaluation process.
2) The finalists will be selected by a combination of We Media and expert judges. Finalists will be announced on February 3, 2010.
3) Each finalist will attend We Media Miami March 9-11, 2010 and make a formal presentation to attendees and a panel of expert judges. There will be separate expert panels for business and non-profit ideas.
4) We Media PitchIt! Challenge finalists will each receive the following travel assistance for attending We Media Miami 2010:
* Up to $300 toward a coach airline ticket
* 2 nights lodging in Miami
* Registration for the entire We Media Event
* A display location in the gallery
5) Winners each receive $25,000 in seed funding: The judges will select one business and one non-profit entry. Each winner will receive $25,000 in seed funding.
Judges will consider the following criteria:
* Innovation: Is the idea innovative? This is the knock-out test. The idea should represent a disruptive innovation that changes the way media works. The innovation should demonstrate a substantial difference from other initiatives in the field and have the potential for large-scale expansion. We look for innovative business practices, entrepreneurial quality and a plausible sustainable model.
* Story Telling: Does this idea tell a story in a new or innovative way – or enable others to tell their stories? Does it create and apply a unique storytelling experience through journalism, discovery, narrative, exposition, or new methods and metaphors? We are looking for ideas that change the way we experience or understand storytelling. In this context, we define storytelling broadly.
* Social Impact: Does the idea affect social conditions, stimulate citizenship, raise awareness, influence public policy, or marshal support for an idea of broad social significance? Does this idea present a solution for increasing access, knowledge or connection for all? The idea may address a specific underserved community or the society at large, but ultimately it is important that the innovation has a potential for application or replication globally. It is also important that the idea does not have a negative environmental impact.
* Sustainability: Will the innovator be able to launch and sustain this idea? For an innovation to be truly effective, it should have a plan for securing financial backing and community support. We are looking for social entrepreneurs with ideas that are financially sustainable and scalable. We will also consider the experience and capacity of the innovator (or team), who will be expected to launch the idea.
* Design: Does the idea creatively engage multiple levels of intelligence and understanding of complex information with clarity, style, and meaning?
* Pattern Change: Does the idea pioneer original approaches and paradigms?
* Purpose: Does the idea express a purposeful vision through values reflecting ethics, credibility, responsibility and authenticity?
* Community: Does the idea seek to organize a community, virtual or geographic, in a new way?
Introducing the Nonprofit Guru: Kelly N Patterson 