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YouthBridge SEIC and Skandalaris Seminar Series
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Funding your nonprofit organization - or
your idea to start one - is an on-going challenge. YouthBridge exists to help
nonprofits get capitalized and be sustainable so they can successfully serve
their worthy causes. To do that, we believe nonprofit leaders must think like
entrepreneurs and manage their organizations much like a for-profit
business.
Each year YouthBridge, in partnership with Washington
University’s Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, sponsors the
YouthBridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition ( SEIC) and the free,
four-session Skandalaris Seminar Series: Developing Entrepreneurial Skills,
Perspectives and Relationships. The YouthBridge SEIC and the Skandalaris Seminars
comprise our Education module.
Sixth Annual YouthBridge
Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition (SEIC)
Nonprofits: Win your share of more
than $115,000 in Seed Money
The
purpose is to energize the St. Louis region's entrepreneurial spirit with
entrepreneurial education and an exciting business plan competition, in which
winning nonprofits may receive seed money to put their plans into action.
Nonprofits that do not win the competition often find other funding through this
experience, or at least walk away more knowledgeable, more connected and better
equipped to grow their organization.
This is the
largest social enterprise business plan contest in the United States.
In its
first five years, 23 competitors were awarded more than $650,000. New and
established nonprofits may enter to compete for cash awards, in-kind services
and mentoring by InnovateVMS, the Venture Mentoring Service of Innovate St.
Louis*. Those who present the best social enterprise business plan are selected
as winners by judges from academic, business and nonprofit organizations in the
St. Louis
Community. Awards for 2010-2011 competition will be granted from the following
community partners.
- YouthBridge: $35,000 to fund a venture
serving children and youth
- Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis:
$30,000 to fund an organization promoting a healthier
community
- Daughters of Charity Foundation of St.
Louis: $25,000 to fund an organization serving the poor and
vulnerable
- Skandalaris Center: $25,000 to fund a
venture with an innovative solution to effect social
change
*Innovate VMS
offers mentoring for social and commercial entrepreneurs. Find more information
at innovatestl.org/IVMS.
To
register for the YouthBridge SEIC go to
www.ideabounce.com and click on Register for Events.
Skandalaris Seminar Series: Developing Entrepreneurial Skills,
Perspectives and Relationships
A free 4-session series
for both aspiring and practicing social and commercial
entrepreneurs
The
Skandalaris Seminar Series consists of four lectures and four panel discussions
held over a seven-week period, is free and open to the public. All
are welcome to attend part or all of the series selecting the topics that are of
interest to you. The seminars provide practical skills, and the
panel discussions offer an opportunity to hear accomplished social and
commercial entrepreneurs discuss how they applied those skills in their own
venture and personal development. Each day concludes with a
networking reception where you can continue the conversation and connect with
others.
To register for the Skandalaris Seminar Series, go to www.ideabounce.com and click on Register for Events.
History
In June, 2005, YouthBridge and Washington University's Skandalaris Center each pledged $500,000 to fund a five-year initiative to develop a program to stimulate social entrepreneurship. The program, then called the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, is an opportunity for nonprofits to learn business skills, collaborate, receive feedback and compete annually for more than $100,00 in awards. We invite other universities, institutions, community groups and foundations to join us in the SEIC as we search for innovative approaches to social problems.
The YouthBridge definition of social entrepreneurship is "using entrepreneurial skills to craft innovative processes, approaches, and solutions to help resolve social issues." [see more] Such new approaches are designed to enhance sustainability and increase capacity of mission-based social organizations beyond their traditional dependence on philanthropy and government subsidy by building capital and developing an earned income stream.
Renewed Program
Commitment
In
August, 2009, YouthBridge renewed its partnership with Washington
University's
Skandalaris
Center
for Entrepreneurial Studies to fund the annual SEIC with an additional $450,000
pledge. YouthBridge has been a major sponsor of the competition for
nonprofit, community-based ventures since its inception in 2005. The
newly named YouthBridge SEIC is unique in St. Louis, and in terms of monetary awards, is the largest competition in the United States.
The
YouthBridge commitment is helping to build the innovation environment around
social issues in St.
Louis,” says Ken Harrington, Director of the Skandalaris
Center.
“The free workshops and the speakers we offer, thanks to YouthBridge, get
people thinking about new business models to help them meet their
mission. They offer unique opportunities for people to connect and help
each other.”
For Additional Information
Please contact Rex Reed, Executive Director, Agency Services, at 314-985-6777 or rexr@youthbridge.org if you would like more information on this program.
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