With this program, GHR Foundation in collaboration with OpenIDEO is seeking out and investing in the building and repairing of unique bridges between people, organizations, issues, and beliefs to promote meaningful engagement, greater social cohesion, and sustainable, community-led change.
Submissions are welcome from registered nonprofit, civil society, community-based, and for-profit organizations working anywhere in the United States or around the world. Ideas must touch on two or more of the topic areas (peace, prosperity, planet) to create new and unique encounters between people, issues, and beliefs, promoting meaningful engagement, greater social cohesion, and sustainable, community-led change.
Ideas should center on action and tangible results in their communities of focus rather than research, convenings, policy development, or advocacy. We are seeking ideas with timelines up to 36 months and budget requests of less than US$500,000.
Last year, the first BridgeBuilder Challenge collected more than 650 ideas from participants in 185 countries, all building bridges in unique and innovative ways. These were narrowed down to five Top Ideas, which each received a share of $1 million in funding, in addition to support from our experts.
Unlike most contests or open calls for funding, the BridgeBuilder Challenge offers applicants the opportunity to ‘sound ideas out,’ shaping and perfecting their ideas with support from experts and OpenIDEO’s community of innovators. Opportunities to connect with people working on similar issues around the world strengthen the ideas applicants present.
Proposals can be submitted here until June 4th at 5pm Pacific Time.
Key Dates for the next steps of the challenge:
Ideas phase: May 1st – June 4th
Proposals due: June 4th
Shortlist announced: June 21st
Beneficiary feedback phase: June 22nd – July 13th
Expert feedback phase: July 14th – July 27th
Improve phase: July 28th – August 15th
Evaluation and due diligence: August 16th – September 30th
Top Ideas announced: October 2018
