Echoing Green’s 2012 Fellowship Program to start accepting applications from excellent Social Entrepreneurs

Echoing Green with the purpose of accelerating social change invests in and supports excellent emerging social entrepreneurs in launching new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions. Through a two-year fellowship program, they help the network of visionaries develop new solutions to society’s most difficult problems. These social entrepreneurs and their organizations work to solve deeply-rooted social, environmental, economic, and political inequities to ensure equal access and to help all individuals reach their potential. To date, Echoing Green has invested nearly $30 million in seed funding to almost 500 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations.

Call for Applications

Beginning December 5, 2011, Echoing Green will start accepting applications for the 2012 fellowship program from eligible emerging social entrepreneurs.

Stipend Value and Other Benefits

Fellowship offers a stipend of $60,000 to individual candidates. In case of 2-person partnership, the stipend increases to $90,000. The stipend is given over a period of two years in four equal instalments. Candidates are also offered stipends for health insurance, professional development, technical support, etc., under this program.

Eligibility

• Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for an Echoing Green Fellowship:
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Applicants must have sufficient English fluency to participate in interviews and Echoing Green events.
• Organization must be the original idea of the applicant.
• Organization must be in a start-up phase. To be considered a start-up, the organization may have been in operation for up to two years, and Echoing Green’s financial support should qualify it as significant early funder. Applicants who have only worked on their organization on a part-time basis or have yet to start the organization are generally considered eligible.
• Organization must be independent and autonomous. Organizations cannot be considered independent or autonomous if they are started under the direction of an existing organization. The applicant must be the primary decision maker for the organization’s development and management. Generally, organizations with fiscal sponsors are still considered autonomous.
• Partnerships (organizations co-founded and led by two individuals) may apply. Both partners must meet all eligibility requirements and make a full-time commitment of no fewer than 35 hours per week to the development of the organization.
• Applicants can be citizens of any nationality and their organizations can be based in any country. However applicants based in the US must have legal status to work in the US. If you are authorized to work in the US, but this status is granted to you through your current employer and you are only authorized to work for that employer, you are not eligible to apply for a US-based proposal.
• The following proposals are not eligible for consideration for an Echoing Green Fellowship:
• Expansion of an existing organization that is past its start-up phase
• Research projects
• Lobbying activities
• Recipients of prior Echoing Green funding

Other Criteria

• Applicants will be evaluated on different criteria during the course of the selection process. Main components of these criteria:
• Applicant is an emerging social entrepreneur
• Applicant’s plan will result in a sustainable organization
• Applicant can clearly articulate their vision for social change

Last date for submission of application is January 9, 2012.

For more information, visit this link.