Objectives: The Nestlè Prize in Creating Social Value aims to provide financial aid towards the implementation of business ideas creating social value. In other words, the proposed projects must demonstrate how their implementation will create added value for society. Accordingly, proposals should present consistent business models that take into consideration the values and social potentials of the community in which they are meant to be implemented. The Prize is given to business ideas conceived in line with Nestlè’s business activities. In particular, projects must be developed in the areas of nutrition, water, and rural development. Projects must show the potential to improve nutrition to populations, to improve the access and management of water resources, or to improve the lives of farmers or rural communities. Nestlè believes that by supporting the implementation of these projects, not only new business ideas could be developed, but also recipient communities could concretely benefit from such enterprises and lives of people could be improved.
Areas of Funding: Proposed projects must develop in the areas of Water, Nutrition, and Rural Development. They should be proposed after the completion of a pilot-phase. Thus, proposals must draw on the results of the pilot-phase to prove their potential and also to prove the consistency of the proposed business plan. Successful projects must possess the following qualities:
1) Be innovative. Projects must clarify how the proposed business activities are innovative, new, and creative also in relation to other existing competitive business ventures.
2) Be environmentally sustainable. Applicants must clarify how the implementation of the proposed activities relates to issues of environment sustainability.
3) Be replicable. Proposals must clarify the potentials for replication in the country or in other communities affected by same problems/with similar characteristics.
4) Be financially sustainable. Proposals must clarify how the project will generate income to continue the implementation of proposed activities independently.
5) Applicants must prove their abilities to manage and implement business plans by providing information about other previous successful ventures.
Geographic Focus: No restriction given. Applicants could be individual, NGOs, governmental bodies, academic bodies, and also social enterprises based anywhere in the world. Yet, proposed projects must be implemented in countries with low or middle income. For a complete list of eligible countries, consult the Prize “Official Rules”, which is available online here.
Programs or Prizes: The selected candidate is given CHF 500,000 ($ 540,000) to develop the proposed project. The investment could be a one-time grant or it may be awarded on a multi-year basis.
How to Apply Information: The Prize is awarded every 2 years. The first Prize was given in 2010 and the last call closed in 2013. The next call will open in 2015. 739 applications were submitted in 2013 and the winner will be awarded in 2014.
For more information on previous recipients of the Prize and to discover how to participate in the next call for proposals, please go here.
The Call for Proposals is advertised in the Nestlè corporate website. Applications can be submitted only electronically and in English Applicants must provide names of referees or testimonials as a way to further support the application.
