We put people at the center of change.

VENTURES IN RESIDENCE | ELIGIBILITY

Applications for the Points of Light Venture in Residence program will be available soon.

The requirements

You must be a social entrepreneur with a promising "civic venture" that puts people at the center of change. In addition, you should be able to answer “yes” to the following questions before you apply:

  • Is your venture addressing a social or community problem in the U.S.? Our current focus is on supporting U.S.-based startups. We hope to expand our scope in future years to support global entrepreneurs. Learn more about our global work here.
  • Are you launching a “civic venture?” Does your startup leverage people as a core part of the solution?
  • At minimum, do you have a prototype or have you run a pilot? We do not select ventures at an idea stage. You must have a prototype or have completed a pilot program to be accepted.
  • Has your venture generated revenue?
  • Have you recruited a minimum of two to three people to join your team? We believe that most successful startups are not the product of a single entrepreneur, but rather the collective work of small teams. We will consider teams of two to 10 people and are very reluctant to accept one-person startups.
  • If accepted, do you envision the partnership lasting between one to three years? Ventures in Residence can become a part of Points of Light for a period of one to three years, after which they can graduate out to be stand-alone organizations or, if appropriate, graduate to become an enterprise within Points of Light.
  • Are you growth-oriented and entrepreneurial? We work in an entrepreneur-friendly environment, but our goal is to help you become a sustainable nonprofit, not to coddle you and create a nurturing, risk-free environment.
  • Do you have a committed, full-time executive director or CEO in place?

YOU SHOULD NOT APPLY FOR THE VENTURES IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM IF

  • You don’t have plans to scale the organization. We are looking for promising solutions that are ready to scale nationally or globally. Static organizations should not apply.
  • Your venture does not leverage people as a core part of the solution. Points of Light is the largest service and civic engagement organization in the world, and thus, our focus is on supporting early-stage startups who believe in putting people at the center of change.
  • Your proposal is for a faith-based initiative. We do not support ventures that are aligned with a specific religious institution or have been established to promote a specific faith.
  • You have no track record of raising or generating revenue.
  • Your venture is grounded in or focused on a specific political agenda or party. Points of Light has a 20-year history and bipartisan presidential support.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.