Eligibility Requirements

The Scaling Social Impact Competition is open to all U.S.-based nonprofit organizations with a focus in education, youth development, health, poverty alleviation or community economic development. (Additional categories to be added in future years.)

To enter the Competition, nonprofits must meet the following requirements:

• 501 c 3 status and headquartered in the U.S.
• A member of the Social Impact Exchange (membership is free. Click here to join).
• The intent to scale an evidence-based solution(s) to reach greater numbers of people and thereby increase the quantity of impact, by implementing one or more of the following strategies:
  • expanding geographically (i.e. offering current program, service, product, platform, practice or initiative in new locations – local, regional or national), or
  • increasing the quantity of impact (i.e. providing current or new service, product, platform, practice or initiative more frequently or in greater quantity to current or new people), or
  • promoting a model (i.e. encouraging the replication of an organization’s social intervention by promoting it to others), or
  • influencing public policy (i.e. changing public policy to increase the number served or needs addressed, or to reduce the need), or
  • establishing a social movement (i.e. creating cultural, political, or social change through a large-scale social movement that influences public opinion or collective action in support of an issue), or
  • changing or creating markets (i.e. establishing new markets or influencing existing ones to increase social impact provided by organizations in the market).
• Meet the eligibility requirements in one of two categories:
  • Early-Stage Growth - organizations that have a strategy for scaling their social impact but are in the early stage of growth.
  • Mezzanine-Stage Growth – organizations that have (a) a significant level of successful product/service adoption and demand from the target population, (b) demonstrated positive outcomes, and (c) defined strategies for scaling their social impact.
• There is no minimum or maximum annual budget requirement for the organization.
• Individuals and for-profit social purpose organizations are not eligible to enter.
• Each organization may enter the Scaling Social Impact Business Plan Competition in one category only.