Entry Process

 

Each annual Business Plan Competition will take place from October through June, and include three Rounds of evaluation (see Competition Calendar). There is no fee to enter the Competition.

Step 1: Select Category    

     
Find the category that best reflects your organization or initiative’s stage of growth:

• 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.

Step 2: Check Eligibility         

• The 2009-2010 Social Impact Business Plan Competition is open to all U.S.-based nonprofit organizations with a focus in education, youth development, health, poverty alleviation or community economic development.
• see Eligibility Requirements

Step 3: Submit Entry 

 

Early-Stage Entrants

• Round I:

Submit a Letter of Intent (included on application), Application Form, and Strategy Paper describing your plan for growth (required format for Table of Contents, maximum 8 pages, single spaced, 12 pt. font, 1" margins - click here for Table of Contents format for Strategy Paper).
Due Date: As soon as possible but no later than December 18, 2009.

Click here to submit Application and Letter of Intent for Round I

Click here to submit materials for Round I

• Round II:

Entrants invited to proceed to Round II receive business plan training and at the end of Round II submit an “early draft” of their growth business plan (required format for Table of Contents, maximum 30 pages excluding appendixes single spaced, 12 pt. font, 1” margins - click here for Table of Contents format for Draft Business Plan).

• Round III:

Finalists invited to proceed to Round III give an 8-minute presentation of their plan before a panel of judges and respond to 10-minutes of Q&A at the Exchange’s Annual Conference in June 2010. After hearing all the presentations, the judges deliberate and select the winner.

Award: The winner of the Early-Stage Competition will receive up to $50,000 in cash and the services of a consulting firm to further develop its growth plan.

Mezzanine-Stage Entrants

• Round I:

Submit a Letter of Intent (included on application), Application Form, and Draft Growth Business Plan (required format for Table of Contents, maximum 30 pages excluding appendixes, single spaced, 12 pt. font, 1” margins - click here for Table of Contents format for Draft Business Plan).
Due Date: As soon as possible but no later than December 18, 2009.

Click here to submit Application and Letter of Intent for Round I

Click here to submit materials for Round I

• Round II:

Entrants invited to proceed to Round II work one-on-one with a consultant to hone their growth plan and at the end of Round II submit an updated business plan (required format for Table of Contents, maximum 30 pages excluding appendixes, single spaced, 12 pt. font, 1” margins - click here for Table of Contents format for Business Plan).

• Round III:

Finalists invited to proceed to Round III give an 8-minute presentation of their plan before a panel of judges and respond to 10-minutes of Q&A at the Exchange’s Annual Conference in June 2010. After hearing all the presentations, the judges deliberate and select the winner.

Award: The winner of the Mezzanine-Stage Competition will receive up to $100,000 in cash, a guaranteed place to present at the next Exchange Annual Conference’s Investment Fair, and a place in Growth Philanthropy Network’s portfolio. Growth Philanthropy Network will help the organization further fine tune its plan and raise the capital required to execute its plan.