Fwd: Request for Proposals: Seed Award for Economic Opportunity

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From: The Sprout Fund

Sprout and BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania are requesting collaborative proposals for working groups to increase economic opportunity in Pittsburgh. View this email in your browser Request for Proposals Through the generous support of the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, The Sprout Fund is seeking proposals to mobilize collaborative, community-led projects that enhance opportunities for residents of all backgrounds to contribute to the economic vitality of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Three working groups will receive $5,000 grants to develop collaborative solutions to expanding economic opportunity in the region. Following a community-advised process, one working group will be supported with up to $40,000 in catalytic resources to implement their project. Working group applications are due January 26, 2018. Supported working group activities will take place from February to April 2018, and a second community-advised decisionmaking process will take place in May 2018 to select the most promising project. Prospective participants are encouraged to submit an inquiry form and host a pre-application planning meeting prior to submitting a proposal. Seed Award for Economic Opportunity Despite recent gains, economic opportunity isn't distributed equitably across Pittsburgh. While the region earns national acclaim for innovation and livability, the inclusiveness of our region's job growth lags far behind that of other American cities. In November 2017, The Sprout Fund hosted an ideation session to better understand community priorities for expanding economic opportunity in Pittsburgh. As participants considered their own definitions of economic opportunity, two key themes emerged: equal access and local context. Participants emphasized the importance of making resources accessible to all and expressed the critical need to meet community members where they are, starting with a process that asks people to define their own needs and articulate their own vision of success. The Sprout Fund's Seed Award for Economic Opportunity seeks to expand on these themes and the efforts of people already working in this space by mobilizing collaborative approaches that expand economic opportunity for all. Sprout is requesting collaborative proposals from local organizations with a demonstrated aptitude for convening diverse organizations. Three applications will be selected to become working groups that will develop complete project proposals through a series of ideation and community feedback meetings in winter and spring 2018. Review the complete Request for Proposals and get started Support for this project is generously provided by the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Copyright © 2017 The Sprout Fund, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have either applied for funding, registered for an event, made a donation, or subscribed to the mailing list of The Sprout Fund. Our mailing address is: The Sprout Fund 6101 Penn Avenue Suite 102 Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Add us to your address book Share Tweet +1 Forward