The Carol and Larry Levy Social Entrepreneurship Lab

Social Entrepreneurship Proof of Concept Funding

The Carol and Larry Levy Social Entrepreneurship Lab is offering up to $3K in proof of concept funding to first-year Kellogg students who aim to launch their own social ventures. This funding is to help students assess the feasibility and scalability of their venture ideas, and can be used for activities such as gathering substantive consumer feedback on their plan, developing and testing a prototype, and conducting a small scale pilot of a service. This funding is not intended for established ventures pursuing growth. Students awarded this funding will have up to four months to spend the award to pilot their venture idea. Applications will be considered on a case by case basis and awards will vary in monetary amount.

Successful applicants will be selected based on their enthusiasm, commitment to their vision, and the effort they have already invested in their social venture idea. Prior experience in social enterprise is neither a prerequisite nor an advantage in the selection process. Successful applicants must be able to clearly articulate how they will spend their award. We suggest that students who receive this funding stay in touch with the SEEK program over the course of their pilot to access resources and support.

This funding will be extremely valuable for any student interested in applying for the 2012 Kellogg Social Entrepreneurship Fellow Award.

Application Process
To apply, students should submit a 250-500 word essay outlining their social venture idea and how they will use this funding to Lee Ann Searight, l-searight@kellogg.northwestern.edu.

Applications should:

-outline a line-item budget for the award,

-detail their previous committment/investment into the concept,

-discuss their interest in pursuing this idea long term.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from April 15th – April 29th. Applicants will be notified of the selection decision via e-mail by mid-May.