Deadline: Rolling
Amount: An unspecified amount of funding is available to support awards through this program. Applicants that have not previously received awards through this program may request up to $75,000.
Eligibility: Nonprofits; Applicants must serve an audience that is greater than 65 percent economically underserved relative to the average standards of the target geography. In general, organizations with overhead exceeding 25 percent are ineligible; however, exemptions to this requirement will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
The purpose of this program is to help nonprofit organizations identify, incubate, and develop innovative solutions that solve challenging socioeconomic conditions by leveraging technology solutions to improve the reach, efficiency, and impact of services. Applicants should address a problem that severely affects a large number of lives within a target area that has a significant unmet need due to a gap in funding or a need for innovative approaches. Applicants must serve an audience that is greater than 65 percent economically underserved relative to the average standards of the target geography.
Applicants must focus on at least one of the following social investment areas:
Access to education: creating and deploying technology-based solutions and education delivery models that improve student performance and engagement; the funding agency is particularly interested in supporting: Innovative solutions to increase the capacity of nonprofit organizations to deliver, administer, and track education development more effectively and efficiently
  • Tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products or services for curriculum development, student-centricity, teacher development, and parental participation
  • Programs for underserved populations and students at greatest risk of dropping out
Economic empowerment: encouraging employment success, entrepreneurship, and long-term self-sufficiency by providing access to skills, knowledge, and financial products and services via technology-based solutions; the funding agency is particularly interested in supporting: Programs for underserved populations transitioning from education to the workforce or reentry to the workforce
  • Solutions that facilitate widespread and equitable access to resources needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency and participate in local socioeconomic development
  • Tools that increase the reach, efficiency, sustainability, transparency, and social impact of microfinance institutions to provide more access to financial products and services
  • Initiatives that support knowledge access and technical and leadership skills development to equip people for the workforce and to make informed decisions for their families
Critical human needs: overcoming the cycle of poverty and dependence through strategic investments in organizations that successfully address basic needs of underserved communities; the funding agency is particularly interested in supporting: Innovative solutions to increase the capacity of nonprofit organizations to deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently
  • Design and implementation of web-based tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products and services that are necessary for people to survive and thrive
  • Programs that provide clean water, food, shelter, disaster response, and other essential prerequisites to self-sufficiency
Highest priority will be given to applicants that clearly articulate the planned impact of their efforts, as well as the metrics by which the impact is measured.