Although the Ben & Jerry's Foundation doesn't prioritize any particular issue area for funding, we do focus on the types of activities and strategies an organization uses for creating social change in any number of areas. The Foundation will only consider proposals from grassroots, constituent-led organizations that are organizing for systemic social change. We support programs and projects that are examples of creative problem-solving.

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The Fisherman Foundation, the SEVEN Fund, and the University of Asia and the Pacific-Center for Social Responsibility are pleased to announce the “Breakthrough Innovation Grant” (BIG) competition – the search for the most innovative business idea that can create prosperity in Metro Manila, Philippines.  We are looking for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as social entrepreneurs whose ideas can serve as drivers for poverty alleviation.  Proposals must be innovative, resourceful, scalable, and fit the particular needs of the Philippines to drive wealth creation.

Grant Award
Up to $20,000 USD seed money for implementation of the winning business proposal(s).

For more information on grant eligibility and how to participate please see: http://www.breakthroughinnovationgrant.com/submit-your-idea/

Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have at breakthroughinnovationgrant@gmail.com.

The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards, an entrepreneurship competition for start-ups led by women organized by Cartier in partnership with McKinsey and INSEAD business school.

This social entrepreneurship competition aims at creative, financially sustainable and responsible women-led start-ups, in all countries and industries.

 We are currently in the call for applications phase of our contest and are looking for women leading for-profit responsible enterprises between 1-3 years old.

The Award will be given to six laureates who will receive a year of coaching, $20,000 in funding, valuable networking opportunities as well as media exposure.

The final stage of the competition, consisting in a presentation in front of an international jury, will take place in France during the Global Meeting of the Women’s Forum.

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The 2010 CGI U Outstanding Commitment Awards, made possible by Walmart, are grants given to exceptional student Commitments to Action aimed at improving communities and lives around the world. All currently-enrolled students (both undergraduate and graduate) may apply for these awards.

Winners will receive funding to implement their CGI U commitments, which are new, specific, and measurable plans which make a difference in one or more of CGI U’s five global challenge areas: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health. Awards range from $1000-10,000.

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The University of Texas at Austin and Dell are searching for student  
social entrepreneurs to dream up ingenious ideas to change the world.  
College students worldwide are invited to enter the 2010 Dell Social  
Innovation Competition for a chance to win $50,000 to turn their ideas  
into a new business or nonprofit with a mission to change lives for  
the better.

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The Do Something Awards (formerly the BR!CK Awards) identifies exceptional young social entrepreneurs, activists, and community leaders who have a significant social impact. The Do Something Award nominees and winners are the pivotal "do-ers" in their fields and causes. For this year's awards five nominees will be selected and rewarded with a $10,000 community grant, participation in the second Do Something Awards TV show on VH1, media coverage, and continued support from DoSomething.org. Of those five nominees, one will be selected to win the Grand Prize, a $100,000 grant, which will be announced during the live broadcast.

Did you recently create a sustainable community action project, program or organization or have a great idea for helping your community? Do you need $500 to further the growth and success of your program or turn your idea into reality? If you answered, "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Grant.

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Teams of graduate students from across the country are invited to participate in this unique competition format, which is neither a case competition nor a business plan competition. Instead, teams will devise an entirely new public-private alliance--one that will allow a private enterprise to contribute to international development initiatives in a specified region. The challenge requires equal parts creativity, research skills, business acumen and passion for seeking solutions that advance growth and reduce poverty.

Prizes include cash ($5,000 for the winning team, plus $2,500 and $1,000 for second and third places, respectively) and the opportunities to connect with leading experts in the international development and business communities, receive guidance and build invaluable relationships with other students.

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Competition accepts submissions of business plans with a focus in social entrepreneurship in either concept or pilot phases of development. The team must consist of a majority of Harvard students.

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Haymarket makes Urgent Response grants of up to $1,000/year to help grassroots, social change organizations respond quickly to unforeseen crises or opportunities that critically affect their organization and constituency.

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Are you or do you know the next Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneur? Did you establish a financially viable business with the intention of offering low-wealth individuals in America a leg up? Have you been in business for 1-5 years? Were you between the ages of 18 and 29 when you launched your business? If so, you may be eligible for the Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs Program.

The Yoshiyama Program will identify up to six entrepreneurs ages 18-29 who formed financially viable businesses that create jobs, supply goods or services, or use internal management practices enabling low-wealth individuals the opportunity to achieve greater economic security. The Foundation will provide these entrepreneurs with a cash prize up to $50,000 over two years, access to technical resources, and a peer learning community. In exchange, the Foundation intends to capture the stories of these inspiring young business leaders who serve as examples of how to run a financially sustainable business that also gives a boost to people who are outside the economic mainstream. Supporting the development of these leaders and entrepreneurs, learning from them, and sharing their stories will animate and inform an emerging national and global conversation about the role of business in improving lives and strengthening communities.

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The Hult Global Case Challenge is open to college and university students from around the world. Teams of 4-5 students will compete to develop solutions around their chosen social challenge track.  A US$1M prize will be provided to move the winning solutions from theory to pilot.The 2012 Hult Global Case Challenge will be themed around Global Poverty. Under this umbrella, educaiton, energy and housing will be tackled through respective individual tracks of competition in 5 cities: Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai and Shanghai. The winning team from each track, per city, and the virtual competition will advance to an all-expense paid global final in New York City, where each team will be given the opportunity to present their solution to a world-class panel of executive judges.

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The Jenzabar Foundation finds and rewards student leadership that is committed to humanitarian efforts. The Foundation gives student groups the opportunity for financial support as they take on humanitarian projects.

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A prize of $2000 will be awarded to one or more college or university students involved in public service. The award is meant to enable the student to gain practical experience in public service by taking a no-pay or low-pay job or internship during a summer or other term. Preference will be given to applicants who have already found such a position, but who require additional funds.

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New in 2008, the Linda Pei Undergraduate Research Grant supports an undergraduate research project related to issues of women’s financial empowerment such as: gender equality in the workplace; micro-lending to women in developing nations; and, the relationship between educational attainment and financial independence for women. The $1000 grant is to be used to further research.

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Are you aware of an exceptional student organization at Brown University that has  existed for at least two years?

The MacJannet Prize recognizes exceptional student community engagement initiatives at Talloires Network member universities and contributes financially to their ongoing public service efforts. In 2012, three programs will receive awards: 1st Prize ($7,500), 2nd Prize ($5,000), and 3rd Prize ($2,500). Profiles of the winners will be posted on the MacJannet Prize website.

Anyone can nominate an organization, but nominations must be accompanied by a letter or email of support from the head of the university. Only two programs may be nominated from any university in a single year.

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The Merck Family Fund was established in 1954 by George W. Merck, President of Merck & Co. He created the fund for two principal reasons: to do good with the resources acquired through the company's success, and to create an opportunity to regularly bring family members together. The two goals of the Merck Family Fund are: to restore and protect the natural environment and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come; and to strengthen the social fabric and the physical landscape of the urban community.

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The award provides a $10,000 stipend for a graduating college senior to pursue a project in public service in the United States or abroad. Available to individual projects or programs associated with an established public service organization.

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The Pepsi Refresh Project offers grants of $5,000-$250,000 for individuals, businesses, and organizations that submit ideas to make a positive impact on their communities. The competition allows for 1,000 ideas to be submitted in the first two weeks of each month and then the money is awarded by the end of the month. Grant categories include: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, the Planet, Neighborhoods, and Education.

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Davis Projects for Peace is an initiative for all students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program schools to design their own grassroots projects for peace that they themselves will implement anywhere in the world during the summer of 2009. Through a competition on over 90 campuses, 100 projects will be selected for funding at $10,000 each

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The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition is the leading community-supported business plan competition in the Northeast, supported by private businesses, colleges and universities, public entities, and nonprofit organizations. Established in 2000, the Competition aims to further develop the entrepreneurial spirit in Rhode Island and help create growth companies that will increase local employment. The Competition encourages plans for new businesses, as well as from early stage companies. An early stage, or seed stage, company typically is at the inventor stage where there is an idea, a concept, or even a product, but little or no income has been generated yet.

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The $1K Rhode Island Elevator Pitch Contest will be a high-energy, lively evening where you will have 90 seconds to present your idea to a diverse audience and panel of judges. This 90-second period represents the time you'd have to share a long elevator ride with that potential investor. This is a great opportunity to get your idea in front of investors, gather valuable feedback, potentially meet new teammates or advisors, and possibly win some cash! The event will take place December 8, 2009 from 5-7pm and is free and open to the public.

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The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 stipend for a graduating college senior to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.

To apply, please develop a proposal for public service in this country or abroad. The proposal may encompass any activity that furthers the public good. It can be undertaken by yourself alone or by working through established charitable, religious, educational, governmental, or other public service organizations.

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In celebration of International Women's Day, ABC News' Be the Change: Save a Life and the Duke Global Health Institute are pleased to announce an opportunity for university students-undergraduate, graduate and professional students-to share their big ideas and emerging innovations in maternal health care. The Reinventing Maternal Health Challenge is looking for university students from around the world to submit a five-minute video explaining their big idea for improving maternal health.

The prize? $10,000 and the opportunity to deploy those ideas, or early prototypes, into the world. The winner will be connected with mentors from The Lemelson Foundation and invited to present their ideas before global health experts at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.
 

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Are you a college student interested in social entrepreneurship? Are you ready to start your own social venture? Apply for a chance to win mentoring, seed money, pro-bono consulting, and a network of support to get your venture off the ground and start making a difference. Up to ten winners will be selected. The sooner you apply, the better your chances of becoming a finalist. 

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We believe in the power of young people to change the world for the better. Starbucks has a culture of innovation and entrepreneurialism. With the Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action Grants, we use this spirit of innovation to inspire young people to take action to create positive solutions to real local needs they see in their neighborhoods. We believe that by supporting young people, we make real change in local communities and inspire additional individuals to take part in community service. Not problems to be solved, rather these young people use their passion to solve problems.

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The CJP/PresenTense Boston Social Entrepreneur Fellowship aims to engage, leverage, and inspire the Boston Jewish Community. The fellowship intends to encourage fellows to utilize the vast resources of the Jewish community to solve existing social problems.

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Online Application

Tides Foundation is seeking general operating proposals from indigenous organizations with a focus on preserving and enhancing the rights, health, safety and education of women and girls in native communities. Grant awards will range from $15,000 - $40,000.

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The Second Annual Unreasonable Institute will unite 25 of the world's most promising entrepreneurs who are relentlessly working to tackle the world's greatest social and entironmental problems. Over the course of the 8-week Institute in the summer of 2011, these entrepreneurs (deemed Unreasonable Fellows) will work and live with 60 world-class mentors, pitch their ventures to investors and foundations in five major entrepreneurial hubs across the United States (San Francisco, Boulder, Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C.), learn from top consulting organizations, and gain unprecedented exposure, training, mentorship, and access to the seed capital needed to give their ventures wings.

 Ultimately, the Institute is relentlessly focused on one objective: accelerating ventures that will measurable improve the lives of 1,000,000 people and that future generations will remember as having defined progress in our time. Read about everything that an Unreasonable Fellow gets, and see the requirements to apply.

The Yoshiyama Program will identify up to six entrepreneurs ages 18-29 who formed financially viable businesses that create jobs, supply goods or services, or use internal management practices enabling low-wealth individuals the opportunity to achieve greater economic security. The Foundation will provide these entrepreneurs with a cash prize up to $50,000 over two years, access to technical resources, and a peer learning community. In exchange, the Foundation intends to capture the stories of these inspiring young business leaders who serve as examples of how to run a financially sustainable business that also gives a boost to people who are outside the economic mainstream.

Learn More