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You do not need to be affiliated with an organization to enter the challenge; you can enter as an individual. The Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Challenge is open only to entrants who are (a) persons age 18 or older at the time of entry, or (b) public or private organizations (e.g. not-for profit organizations, governmental, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations, private businesses, academic institutions, associations, guilds, membership organizations or municipalities).
Winners (those eligible to apply for funding) will receive technical assistance in the form of marketing and positioning support from the Challenge Administrator and/or other advisor(s). This includes support in identifying a Host Institution of your choosing. To receive grant funds you must be affiliated with a Host Institution. Last year, several Winners were individuals who are now further developing their idea while operating as, or working with a Host Institution.
Strong entries demonstrate the totality of the idea in 2 to 3 succinct and powerful sentences. The entirety of the entry form should be written in support of those sentences. You need simply demonstrate the problem and the powerful seed of an idea that, if given the opportunity to apply for a grant, you will further develop.
Informal markets are the business enterprises and jobs that exist partially or completely outside of government regulation. This may look different across the globe. Your idea should solve for a challenge in the informal market in the context of the community or region(s) or worldwide application for which you’ve designed your idea.
With grant support from The Rockefeller Foundation YOU would further develop YOUR idea be it through research, pilot, or scaling to a new context, etc.
It is often out of necessity that 1.8 billion people find their livelihoods in the informal economy - the business enterprises and jobs that exist partially or outside of government regulation. People may benefit from working in the informal economy, in both urban and rural settings. However, many poor or vulnerable individuals working in the informal economy face multiple challenges that can stunt their economic mobility and the overall well-being of their families. The challenges can range from limited opportunity to increase one’s income to job insecurity to poor market information. At the same time, the poor or vulnerable are often excluded from the resources and information that could improve the quality of their jobs, and, therefore, their lives.
The Rockefeller Foundation is seeking innovations that address these challenges within the informal economy to improve livelihoods and reduce stresses on individuals, communities and regions. Examples of innovations include, but are not limited to:
The Centennial Innovation Challenge is the second Innovation Challenge that the Rockefeller Foundation has hosted. The goal of the challenge is to unearth innovative ideas that can potentially solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. Through the Rockefeller Foundation’s Innovation Challenges, we identify specific issue areas that need fresh thinking to face 21st century realities. The Rockefeller Foundation seeks to invest in knowledge and innovative ideas that will solve problems for the next 100 years.
We want to get everyone involved. Any individual or organization can submit their idea for tackling the issues around Transforming Livelihoods in the Informal Economy. You can submit your own idea on the Centennial Innovation Challenge website or by completing and emailing a word document based entry form to submission@rfinnovationchallenges.org. You will receive an email that will confirm the receipt of your submission.
The Centennial Innovation Challenge is all about ideas. If you have an innovative idea please submit an entry. The potential grant funding available for the Centennial Innovation Challenge finalists will be to support the future development of this idea.
By submitting an entry, you will showcase your idea to The Rockefeller Foundation and vie for:
For all inquiries in English and other languages not listed below, please write info@rfinnovationchallenges.org
For all inquiries in French, please write marie@rfinnovationchallenges.org
For all inquiries in Portuguese, please write tamiris@rfinnovationchallenges.org
For all inquiries in Spanish, please write maria@rfinnovationchallenges.org
For all inquiries in Thai, please write panya@rfinnovationchallenges.org
Click on the word “enter" on the homepage. You will need to complete all required fields in the form and press “Submit”. The website will display a thank you message and send a confirmation email upon review to notify you of your completed entry. You can also submit your idea via email using this Word document entry form. If you submit a Word document to submission@rfinnovationchallenges.org, you will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours of submission.
You can also submit your idea in French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai. The translated entry forms are located below:
Español
Français
Português
ภาษาไทย
No. Please know that your responses are final. You can work on your entry responses in a Word document before entering your final submission online. You can find the Word document here.
Send us a note at info@rfinnovationchallenges.org and we will help you. If you share your phone number, we will give you a call be sure to include your country code.
There is no limit to the number of entries that an individual or organization can submit. Multiple representatives from one organization can submit multiple entries as long as the innovation is different.
The competition is open to all individuals and organizations (charitable organizations, private companies, or public entities, as well as formal or informal entities, e.g. an association, guild, student group, or village) from all countries. We consider all entries that meet the eligibility requirements, which can be found here.
The criteria are featured on the Awards page of the challenge. In general, the finalists in each category will be scored based on the following: Catalytic Innovation, Impact, Context, and Spark.
The Rockefeller Foundation promotes participation from innovators around the world. The judges will evaluate each entry based on its ability to demonstrate Catalytic Innovation, Impact, Context, and Spark. These criteria will be used to evaluate each entry idea based on the potential for impact and how the innovation responds to key contextual factors.
The deadline for submission is April 1, 2013, 23:59:59 GMT.
An esteemed panel of judges will determine the best ideas. The judges will select up to 15 finalists who will receive recognition on the centennial website. Finalists will be invited to join The Rockefeller Foundation Global Engagement Network, a network of problem solvers focused on our issue areas. As many as 10 out of up to 15 finalists will be invited by The Rockefeller Foundation to apply for a grant of up to US $100,000 each to further develop or implement their ideas and will receive expert marketing and technical support to further refine ideas and develop grant proposals.
The site is a secure repository for all entries. The site will also help The Rockefeller Foundation create a database of contact information for the development of the Global Engagement Network. If you do not wish to receive updates about the Global Engagement Network, you simply need not check the “Contact me to receive updates about the community of innovators that The Rockefeller Foundation is building!” Finalists will be invited to join the Global Engagement Network, upon its establishment.
The Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Challenge team and expert judges will assess your entry. You will retain all intellectual property rights.
If you need assistance completing the entry form, please contact us at info@rfinnovationchallenges.org.
Your use of this site is subject to the The Rockefeller Foundation Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
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