Big advances in society have always been powered by people. Two of the most powerful service movements in our country - Habitat for Humanity and Teach for America - both used people to do things that others had not thought possible, have ordinary people build houses and get the very best into our classrooms. Today, organizations like DonorsChoose and Kiva are helping people address society's challenges in new and innovative ways.
Points of Light wants to help more of these efforts - led by social entrepreneurs with big ideas and small pocketbooks - succeed. We are launching the Civic Accelerator in partnership with Village Capital and supported by PwC Charitable Foundation Inc. and Starbucks Coffee Company. The first national program of its kind, the Civic Accelerator will invest in nonprofit and for-profit startups that inspire, equip and mobilize people as part of their solution to create positive chang e.
If you or someone you know has a promising civic venture, let them know that now is the time to apply to join the first cohort - the deadline is Sept. 10, 2012. There are just two week left to apply, so please share this opportunity with your own network.
Along with training, mentorship and investments designed to accelerate the impact of the civic venture, each team will receive a seed investment of $10,000. The program employs "peer review" where the entrepreneurs learn from one another and help one another tackle each venture's challenges. At the conclusion of the program, all of the entrepreneurs vote and the two most promising ventures each receive $50,000 in investment.
Forward-thinking innovators will lead the way in solving our complex problems. The Civic Accelerator will support the breakthrough ideas that are scalable, leverage technology and engage people in new and different ways.