March 14, 2007
Ten Innovative Social Entrepreneurs Receive Million-Dollar Awards From the Skoll Foundation
The Skoll Foundation, a leading international foundation that promotes social entrepreneurship, announced its winners for the 2007 Skoll Awards. The 10 winners will receive a total of $10,150,000 over three years to help them continue their projects.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 11:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 25, 2007
These MBA degrees have a green tint
The Presidio School of Management in San Francisco is one of three MBA programs in the United States that focus on infusing social and enviornmental values into its classes. This is part of an increasing trend among business schools to incorporate sustainability into their programs.
Continue reading "These MBA degrees have a green tint"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 08:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 17, 2007
New NGO With a Revolutionary Concept - Alchemy World to Trigger a Step Change in Ethiopian Economy
Alchemy World, a new non-governmental organization, has been launched on February 15, 2007. Its goal is to develop informational technology in Ethiopia to increase the country’s self-sufficiency. In five years, Alchemy World hopes to create 400 new software development and tech companies, employing 6000 Ethiopians in the process.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 10:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 12, 2007
Duke Launches Initiative to Make Civic Engagement Integral Part of Undergraduate Education
A new program, DukeEngage, will give funding to all undergraduate students who want to participate in a social project both home and abroad. Endowments for this progam were made by The Duke Endowment of Charlotte and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of Seattle.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 06, 2007
Girls For A Change Kicks Off the New Year With Nearly $1 Million in Grant Funding
Girs for a Change (GFC), a non-profit organization for urban females, has received a $200,000 grant by becoing one of Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence 2006 recipients. The grant will be used to help young girls in urban areas to promote social change.
Continue reading "Girls For A Change Kicks Off the New Year With Nearly $1 Million in Grant Funding"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 10:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
CMU institute seeks to match societal needs, entrepreneurship
Last year, Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management created the Institute for Social Innovation. Its goal is to foster both the understanding of and the practice of social entrepreneurship.
Continue reading "CMU institute seeks to match societal needs, entrepreneurship"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 08:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 10, 2007
Gates Foundation Awards $13.4 Million to IDE
According to a press release, “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has just awarded International Development Enterprises (IDE) a $13.4 million grant to develop and promote low-cost irrigation methods for rural poor in Africa and Asia and to help create markets for the agricultural products they produce.”
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Posted by In Ho Lee at 08:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 29, 2006
Charity Trends in 2006: "Giving While Living" and Social Entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship has increased in popularity in 2006. Both individuals and companies are now striving to combine philantrophy with potentially profitable actions.
Continue reading "Charity Trends in 2006: "Giving While Living" and Social Entrepreneurship"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 04:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 12, 2006
Skoll Foundation Launches $1.5 Million Partnership with Venture Philanthrophy Acumen Fund
The Skoll Foundation, an organization dedicated to social entrepreneurship, announced a $1.5 million three-year partnership with Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture fund that addresses global poverty. The grant hopes to complement the two organizations’ strengths in order to further advance social entrepreneurship.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 04:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 20, 2006
2006 Ashoka Fellows Induction Ceremony
ASHOKA: Innovators for the Public is the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs - men and women with innovative and practical ideas for addressing the world's most urgent social problems. This reception held at Google's headquarters in Mountain View celebrated the Induction of the 2006 Class of North American Fellows at the Google campus, including remarks by Sergey Brin, Anousheh Ansari, and Bill Drayton. Watch the full video here.
Posted by Tony Wang at 04:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2006
Stanford Team Launches Interactive Teaching AIDS
Piya C. Sorcar, a Learning Sciences and Technology Design Ph.D. Student at Stanford University, has launched Interactive Teaching AIDS, an animation-based curriculum developed to teach HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention strategies.
The project was developed through the Stanford University School of Education with an interdisciplinary team of medical experts, education specialists and passionate students. Based on original IRB-approved research, this application targets the vulnerable young adults to promote HIV/AIDS awareness despite cultural and social barriers abundant in many developing countries. To minimize stigma associated with discussing sexual practices, it emphasizes the biological aspects of HIV/AIDS, utilizing animated agents and avatars to maximize comfort and efficacy. The curriculum will be disseminated through information and communications technology (ICT), including mobile devices to promote learning in informal private spaces as well as the Internet.
Continue reading "Stanford Team Launches Interactive Teaching AIDS"
Posted by Min Li Chan at 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 06, 2006
Social Entrepreneurship Program Designed to Reduce Global Poverty Helps Impoverished Artisans Sell $37.4 Million of Their Handcrafted Products to U.S. Consumers
In a recent press release, Overstock.com announces its five-year anniversary. In his letter, chairman and CEO Patrick Bryne thanks his customers and talks about his company’s global impact.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 30, 2006
National Foundation Awards Springboard Forward a Two Year, $300,000 Grant
Springboard Forward, a non-profit organization in Mountain View, CA, received a $300,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. This two-year grant will help the organization’s recent Retail Demonstration Project.
Continue reading "National Foundation Awards Springboard Forward a Two Year, $300,000 Grant"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 26, 2006
Plaza to feature student-run carts
Duke University’s West Campus Plaza will now feature student-run dining carts during lunch hours. The Halcyon Group, a four-student business group, will give half the proceeds to local charities in neighboring Durham, NC.
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Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 22, 2006
Social Entrepreneurship certificate offered through IU SPEA and Kelley School
Indiana University has recently announced a new graduate program in social entrepreneurship. This will combine courses in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs with those of the Kelley School of Affairs.
Continue reading "Social Entrepreneurship certificate offered through IU SPEA and Kelley School"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Company grows out of schools Linux project
A new company, Inkululeku, will continue its founders’ mission of creating and maintaining tuXlabs schools program.
Continue reading "Company grows out of schools Linux project"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 21, 2006
'Streetwise MBA' program helps small-business owners advance
Inner City Entrepreneurs, a program founded by faculty at Boston University and MIT, is a nine-month program that helps people create successful businesses in inner-city neighborhoods.
Continue reading "'Streetwise MBA' program helps small-business owners advance"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 19, 2006
Craigslist Foundation Nonprofit Boot Camp
The third annual San Francisco Bay Area Nonprofit Boot Camp will kick off at 9 a.m. on August 19. This event is sponsored by Craigslist Foundation.
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Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 12, 2006
Apply to the 2006-2007 Starting Bloc Fellowship Program
Applications to the 2006-2007 StartingBloc Fellowship program are now available. StartingBloc will work with graduate school admissions officers to accept ~400 Fellows during the 2006-2007 Program Year.
Fellows will have the option of attending the regional Institute for Social Innovation in the Greater Boston area and the Greater New York City area. Fall and Spring programs will be offered in Greater New York City. The early application for the fall program is July 1st, 2006 and the regular deadline is August 31st, 2006. A Spring program will be offered in Boston. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis to Spring programs and the final deadline will be announced in late fall.
For more information about applying to the StartingBloc Fellowship program, please click here.
To watch a short promotional video about Starting Bloc, please click here.
Posted by Tony Wang at 06:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 21, 2006
New Kids on the Bloc
Jennifer Vilaga, copy editor for Fast Company Magazine, wrote this profile on Starting Bloc, a relatively new organization that hosts workshops and other events for college students and young professionals across the United States interested in careers relating to social entrepreneurship.
Continue reading "New Kids on the Bloc"
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 24, 2006
Young Are Most Socially Minded Among UK Entrepreneurs
In a June 23 press release, Babson College announces that 18– to 24–year-olds in the UK are more likely to be social entrepreneurs than any other age group. This information comes from the biggest survey of social entrepreneurial activity in that country.
Continue reading "Young Are Most Socially Minded Among UK Entrepreneurs"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 03:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 26, 2006
'Caring' entrepreneurship at KSG
A new class offered at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (KSG) is called the Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory or “SE Lab.” Students from various degree programs around the world collaborate to create projects in social entrepreneurship to serve people internationally. This class, which was developed at Stanford University but was piloted at the KSG, has proven itself a huge success.
Continue reading "'Caring' entrepreneurship at KSG"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 03:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 19, 2006
Official Opening of Laurier's New CMA Center for Responsible Organizations
The Certified Management Accountants of Ontario (CMA Ontario) and the School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University are set to open the CME Center for Responsible Organizations. This will help “mould a new generation of business leaders.”
Continue reading "Official Opening of Laurier's New CMA Center for Responsible Organizations"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 09:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 22, 2006
Free green e-mail service launched
A new e-mail service, CommunityMail.net, was recently launched by ThinkHost, Inc. and CommunityMail.net. As Operations Manager Michael Bloch notes, CommunityMail.net “provides a great alternative for eco-savvy people” because it is environmentally friendly. It is completely powered by renewable solar/wind energy and is available, free of charge, to the general public.
To subscribe to this service, visit its Web site at http://www.communitymail.net.
For more information regarding CommunityMail.net, read the company’s press release provided in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Free green e-mail service launched"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 03:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 26, 2006
YSEI Event in Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) International Forum
YSEI is inviting persons/organizations keen on supporting young social entrepreneurs to attend as speakers and active role players for the YSEI event at the GKP International Forum from the 8th to 9th of May 2006. Interested persons should send in proposals to ysei@globalknowledge.org. The grand theme of the GKP International Forum is “Creating prosperity through innovation – ICT at work in development”. The Forum aims to engage invited leaders from business, civil society and government to both share innovations with ICT for development (ICT4D) and build new innovative partnership-based initiatives using ICT to create prosperity (www.globalknowledge.org). The forum would consist of several main speaking panels and follow-up discussion sessions based on various ICT4D and development themes.
YSEI will be hosting a main panel session and follow-up discussion session on supporting young social entrepreneurs. The theme for the panel discussion is "Cultivating Young Social Entrepreneurs - Impact & Challenges". The follow-up discussion session would be centered on – “Developing Support Systems for Young Social Entrepreneurs”. The discussions with key role players should involve developing a road-map/ action plan on building the necessary infrastructure consisting of knowledge, networks, mentorship & financing to support young social entrepreneurs. The YSEI event aims to spur interactions and the creation of concrete partnerships between existing and potential supporters of young social entrepreneurs. In addition it can serve as a platform that brings together leaders in technology and social entrepreneurship interested in injecting innovation into youth social enterprises.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 02:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2006
A university created over cyberspace
Stanford University and the charitable organization Sevalaya joined forces to create an Internet–based university
Continue reading "A university created over cyberspace"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 12:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2006
Skoll Foundation Awards $16 Million to Nonprofits Around the World in Support of Social Entrepreneurship
The Skoll Foundation is set to award $13 million to social entrepreneurs around the world through its Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship. In addition, it will give $3 million to Ashoka to help further social entrepreneurship internationally.
Posted by In Ho Lee at 11:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 04, 2006
Ashoka's Social Entrepreneurship Series Premiers on Google's Video Marketplace
As SocialFunds.com reported, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public published a press release concerning its video interview project. Social Entrepreneurship Series, a collection of interviews with social entrepreneurs from around the world, will be released on Google Video Store.
To find more information about Ashoka, visit www.ashoka.org.
To preview and purchase these videos, visit www.video.google.com.
Continue reading "Ashoka's Social Entrepreneurship Series Premiers on Google's Video Marketplace"
Posted by In Ho Lee at 01:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 03, 2006
Sustainability Conference Held at Tuck School of Business
Executives met at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business for the fourth annual Business Sustainability Initiative conference. They focused on labor practices, social entrepreneurship, and environmental implications of businesses.
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Posted by In Ho Lee at 12:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 05, 2005
Making cardiac surgery more affordable for the poor
According to India's The Financial Express, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty has recently been named "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" in India by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Dr. Shetty has been striving to make healthcare available to all. As a cardiologist, he has also made efforts in providing free or subsidizing treatments for children in his organization, the Asia Heart Foundation.
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Posted by maggiec at 01:05 AM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2005
eBay founder Pierre Omidyar donates $100 million for microfinancing
According to USA Today, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar will be donating $100 million to a Tufts University program that will generate small loans to finance entrepreneurs in India, Bangladesh, and other poor countries. The goal is to ease poverty in these poor countries.
Continue reading "eBay founder Pierre Omidyar donates $100 million for microfinancing"
Posted by maggiec at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2005
Two Harvard Professors Recognized as Leaders
According to The Harvard Crimson, two Harvard professors who founded Partners in Health, a social enterprise organization working to improve health care in poor nations, joined the list of “America’s Best Leaders.” The list, containing the profiles of 25 men and women, is compiled by the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is published by U.S. News & World Report.
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Duke Biomedical Professor Challenges Students
According to The News & Observer, Robert Malkin, biomedical engineering professor at Duke University, is challenging Duke students to devise a business plan centered around an innovative and inexpensive piece of medical equipment or medical technology. Business plans would be submitted for a competition that will grant $50,000 in seed money to turn the business plan into a reality for the winner.
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October 29, 2005
How Rick Aubry Changed the World
Rediff.com’s Amit Rangan Raion speaks to Rick Aubry, faculty member and lecturer at the Stanford Graduate Business School and leading social entrepeneur, on Aubry’s Rubicon Programs, a California-based nonprofit organization. Rubicon provides jobs and living assistance to over 3,000 people a year in the San Francisco Bay Area, all of whom are either homeless, have very low incomes, or are disabled. It has been ranked this year among the top 20 social capitalist organizations in the world by Fast Company and has grown from $980,000 in 1986 to an annual revenue of over $15 million.
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October 11, 2005
Kiva.org Enables Personal Microfinancing
Kiva, the first nonprofit organization to enable socially-minded individuals to make personal loans to microenterprises in developing countries, launched its Web site (www.kiva.org) today. For the first time, Kiva.org opens the Internet to people looking for a personal, high-engagement means of taking steps to eradicate poverty in developing countries by lending money directly to small businesses.
It was co-founded by Stanford graduate Matthew Flannery (MA, BS '01) and Stanford MBA candidate Jessica Jackley Flannery, who spent time working in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The concept behind Kiva is simple: Bring together lenders and worthy enterprises the Kiva Web site, which lists businesses in need of funding and provides background on the entrepreneur starting the enterprise.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 11:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The 2006 Development Marketplace Global Competition
The World Bank's Development Marketplace Program, in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation Program and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, is calling for proposals for the 2006 Global Development Marketplace. With a theme of "Innovations in Water, Sanitation and Energy Services for Poor People," the 2006 Marketplace expects to award $4 million for ideas that provide a clean water supply, sanitation or energy services to poor communities in developing countries.
Proposals are welcome from a range of development innovators: civil society groups, social entrepreneurs, private foundations, government agencies, academia and the private sector. The maximum award size is $200,000.
Call for proposals: October 3, 2005 to November 30, 2005 Announcement of finalists: February 15, 2006 Marketplace Competition & Knowledge Forum: May 8 and 9, 2006
For more information, see: http://www.developmentmarketplace.org
Posted by Tony Wang at 12:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 05, 2005
Commercial Biodiesel Refinery to be Deployed in South Africa
According to Engineering News, D1 Oils Africa is aiming to deploy Africa's first commercial biodiesel refinery in South Africa during the first half of 2006. D1 Oils Africa is a subsidiary of D1 Oils, a UK-based global producer of biodiesel from renewable energy crops and has been in South Africa for two years doing exploratory work and establishing its base for future operations throughout Africa.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 08:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 04, 2005
The Hope Concept Wins Award
According to Mayo News, twenty-seven-year-old Paul O’Hara was last week named among the winners in the inaugural Social Entrepreneurs Ireland ceremony, held at Dublin City University. Educated at St Gerald's College Castlebar, University College Galway (BComm) and University College Dublin, where he completed an MSc in Marketing Practices at the Smurfit Graduate School of Business, Paul went on to work in various marketing roles at Unilever Bestfoods and Cadbury Ireland. While visiting Zimbabwe in early 2004, he had the opportunity to observe the injustices of extreme poverty at first hand which inspired him to found The Hope Concept later that year.
The Hope Concept is a sustainable social enterprise which aims to sell a premium range of foods and beverages to Irish consumers with all profits going to sustainable water and agricultural development projects in the developing world through reputable international aid agencies.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 07:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 18, 2005
Duke University & Hurricane Katrina
According to Ascribe.org, Duke University faculty from a variety of disciplines offer their perspectives on many of the issues and challenges that now exist in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Each news tip contains contact information to reach faculty members for additional comment. This list is also online at www.dukenews.duke.edu.
PUMPING OUT NEW ORLEANS' FLOODWATERS
RAISING THE LEVEL OF NEW ORLEANS IMPERILED WETLANDS
FUTURE LOOK OF NEW ORLEANS
HURRICANE VICTIMS AS IMMIGRANTS
RACISM AND THE RESPONSE TO KATRINA
EFFECT ON BEACHFRONT COMMUNITIES
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN DISASTERS
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO HEALTH EPIDEMICS
LEADERSHIP
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ANALYZING MEDIA COVERAGE
HELPING CHILDREN COPE
ROLE OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
PREPARING A HOSPITAL FOR A DISASTER
MEDICINE RELIEF TEAM BLOG
Continue reading "Duke University & Hurricane Katrina"
Posted by Tony Wang at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2005
13th Annual Philanthropy Midwest Conference
According to the Kansas City Business Journal, the Council on Philanthropy will have its 13th annual Philanthropy Midwest Conference Friday at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center hotel on Friday, September 9th, 2005. About 400 attendees are expected at the event, the organization said in a written release. The event is aimed at nonprofit professionals, volunteers and leaders of business, civic and charitable foundations.
The conference will include 20 workshops and a keynote speech by Paul Carttar, executive vice chancellor for external affairs for the University of Kansas, on "Social Entrepreneurship: Panacea or Quagmire?"
Posted by Tony Wang at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2005
Fundraising for Special Olympics Singapore
According to TodayOnline.com, ten young Singaporeans have set out to raise funds for Special Olympics Singapore (SpOS) to encourage more people with intellectual disabilities to take part in sports. The 10 youths – nine women and one man, all aged either 18 or 19 — call themselves "Team Zest" and are selling tickets for a walkathon that will be held on Sunday. They hope to raise $10,000 by selling 1,000 tickets costing $10 each.
Team Zest is lead by undergraduate Chen Qinghan, who chanced upon "Youth for Causes", a social entrepreneurship programme run by Citibank and the Young Men's Christian Association. The scheme provides seed funding for youths who adopt a cause to promote and raise funds for it. For more details, contact Team Zest at zest_team@yahoo.com.sg.
Posted by Tony Wang at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
WiniKhaya Uses SMS to Fundraise for South African Charities
According to BizCommunity.com, WiniKhaya, a cell phone based lottery that uses SMS technology, in which one person wins R500 000 every month to buy or build the home of their choice, has generated substantial funds for charities month after month for the past 22 months, including more than R7 million for the SA Children's Charity Trust (SACCT). WiniKhaya was conceived by the SACCT, a grouping of five children's charities, in response to the funding challenges they face on a daily basis.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)
BIM's ProGreen Wins International Awards
According to the Business Standard – India, a team of students from Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) has won the first place in the Microsoft IT Business Plan category as part of the Imagine Cup 2005 competition held at Yokohama, Japan. The team won the event (which includes a cash prize of $ 8,000) amidst competition from participants over 170 countries. Earlier, the team had won the Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) conducted by the university of Washington in February 2005 securing a prize amount of $ 5,000.
The team, called “ProGreen”, comprising the final year MBA students Santhosh Ramadoss, Deepak Kumar, Anand Venkatraman, Saravanan and Anita Parthasarathy aimed at bringing marginalised communities in rural areas to the mainstream of economic revolution. ProGreen's business plan involved producing bio-degradable tableware such as cups and plates using areca sheath and ensure employment opportunities in rural areas through this plan.
Posted by Tony Wang at 07:04 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2005
Student Social Entrepreneurship Contest to Benefit Tsunami Victims
According to Chennai Online, Tata Consultancy Services, IIT-M and US-based Stanford University will jointly be organising a contest on August 20 and 21 in Chennai, for engineering and management students in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry to come out with business proposals on tackling issues like health, sanitation and water in Tsunami affected villages. A cash prize of rupees one lakh will be given to the first placed student. The second and third places will receive cash prizes of Rs.75,000 and Rs.50,000 respectively.
Continue reading "Student Social Entrepreneurship Contest to Benefit Tsunami Victims"
Posted by Tony Wang at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
National University of Singapore Hosts Social Entrepreneurship Forum
According to Channel NewsAsia, more than 1,000 budding entrepreneurs turned up at the National University of Singapore’s University Cultural Centre on Saturday to attend the Social Entrepreneurship Forum, which was launched by Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the second of a series organized by the university.
Among the highlights was an insight into how some global business startups were able to achieve profits and help humanity at the same time. Social entrepreneurs say the best way to go is to first find a business model that is sustainable, even before thinking of making profits.
Posted by Tony Wang at 05:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Changemakers Innovation Awards
The Changemakers Innovation Awards for Market-Based Strategies that Benefit Low-Income Communities aim to leverage the power of the community to solve a wide variety of social issues. The competition awards a $5000 prize to the program selected by the community.
Entries must reflect market-based strategies that benefit low-income communities. There is no restriction on the industry or the products/services provided, but the project, enterprise or initiative must demonstrate positive social impact. The primary clients/beneficiaries of the initiative must be low-income citizens. Applications should be for work that is beyond the concept stage and, at a minimum, is being piloted. The deadline for applications is September 27.
Posted by Tony Wang at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
Global Solutions Summer Games 2005
Citizens for Global Solutions' "Summer Games" challenge triggered more than 500 young people to create online games using Flash that raise awareness about global social and economic problems. The Flash-based games address issues including world hunger, global and peacekeeping. The top nine winners are available on the Global Solutions’ website.
Posted by Tony Wang at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2005
The Gary Rosenthal Collection Launches Art As A Catalyst Retailer Network
According to CSRwire, World-renowned craft artist Gary Rosenthal launched the Art as a Catalyst Retailer Network, a nationwide network of craft gallery retailers dedicated to supporting community-based programs, today in Philadelphia. The Retailer Network brings together retailers from across the country to help raise funds for nonprofit organizations. Retailers will carry the unique Art as a Catalyst product line, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to nonprofit organizations that collaborate with the Art as a Catalyst program to develop the products.
Continue reading "The Gary Rosenthal Collection Launches Art As A Catalyst Retailer Network"
Posted by Tony Wang at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2005
UK: Big Lottery Boost to Young Social Entrepreneurs
According to noticias.info, Big Lottery Fund is announcing the start of a new partnership with UnLtd that will help thousands of young people in England to make their community improvement ideas a reality with £10 million of lottery cash. Following a tendering process, the Fund has appointed UnLtd as an award partner to deliver The Big Boost under the Grants to Individuals strand of its new Young People's Fund programme in England.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
Social Fusion: Hybrid Capital and Sustainability
Social Fusion, a business incubator dedicated to making social innovation sustainable, presented the second of two panels on business and capital markets based social change last Friday July 29th at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco. This engaged dialogue focused on “Hybrid” models and how these types of organizations are offering a new breed of innovation that unites profits and conscience. San Francisco is quickly assuming a global leadership role in social investing, where investors and philanthropists are achieving simultaneous financial as well as social benefit returns on investment. Listen to the podcast here.
Continue reading "Social Fusion: Hybrid Capital and Sustainability"
Posted by Tony Wang at 06:53 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2005
SCU Global Social Benefit Incubator
According to Business Wire, 15 grass roots innovators from around the globe will come to Santa Clara University and Silicon Valley this summer to immerse themselves in a two-week "business boot camp." Mission: To emerge with a cohesive business plan that will bring their ventures to resource-strapped regions of the world.
Continue reading "SCU Global Social Benefit Incubator"
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2005
Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award Finalists Announced
The Center for Social Innovation and Amazon.com today announced the ten nonprofit organizations that are finalists for the Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award. By leveraging the power of Amazon.com's retail platform, the award offers the ten finalists the ability to gain visibility in front of millions of online consumers. Amazon.com received almost 1,000 award submissions, and the ten finalists cover a broad spectrum of groups - both large and small -- including those that focus on literacy, health care, and developing places for children to play.
Continue reading "Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award Finalists Announced"
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2005
Pace University Launching Helene and Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship
According to i-newswire.com, Pace University is launching a new center devoted to honing the risk-taking spirit and managerial skills of nonprofit institutions. It will be known as the Helene and Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Pace President David A. Caputo said in an announcement today.
For nonprofit organizations, the Wilson Center will provide scholarly research, short training courses, advisory services and roundtable discussions. For Pace undergraduate and graduate students, the Center will add additional nonprofit subject matter and courses to the University's current entrepreneurship offerings.
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:15 PM | Comments (1)
July 05, 2005
St. Louis Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition Launched
According to Washington University in St. Louis, the YouthBridge Association has pledged $500,000 in funding over five years so Washington University can create the YouthBridge Award and the St. Louis Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition. Washington University, with help from community partners, plans to support the initiative with more than $500,000 in additional resources. Washington University and YouthBridge are inviting other area universities, institutions, community groups and foundations to collaborate on this effort. The purpose of the competition is to stimulate collaborative activity that leads to multiple innovative approaches to the area's social problems.
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2005
Investors and Entrepreneurs Discuss Breakthroughs in Social Capital
Social Fusion, a business incubator dedicated to making social innovation sustainable, presented the first of two panels on business and capital markets based social change last Friday June 24th at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco. This engaged dialogue showcased the mainstreaming of social investing and the bridging of private sector and traditionally philanthropic and nonprofit sectors through so-called ‘double bottom line’ investing. San Francisco is quickly assuming a global leadership role in social investing, where investors and philanthropists are achieving simultaneous financial as well as social benefit returns on investment. Listen to the podcast here.
Continue reading "Investors and Entrepreneurs Discuss Breakthroughs in Social Capital"
Posted by Tony Wang at 04:41 PM | Comments (1)
June 23, 2005
2005 Echoing Green Fellows Announced
From healthcare to human rights and education to economic development, Echoing Green’s 2005 fellowship recipients represent a cross-section of new leaders committed to using smart business principles to right seemingly intractable social wrongs. These twelve fellows were selected from a pool of 700 applicants from 28 countries, representing an acceptance rate of less than 1.5 percent. The rigorous six-month selection process included the submission of detailed start-up plans and a series of in-person interviews before panels of veteran business and nonprofit leaders in New York City. Judges evaluated applicants’ leadership and entrepreneurial skills, creativity and the potential of their ideas to deliver long-term social change.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
Participant Productions Set to Release "Murderball"
Participant Productions will partner with THINKFilm and MTV Films for the upcoming July release of the acclaimed film MURDERBALL. Featuring fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, and larger-than- life personalities, Murderball, Winner of the Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, is a film about tough, highly competitive rugby players. Quadriplegic rugby players. Whether by car wreck, fist fight, gun shot, or rogue bacteria, these men were forced to live life sitting down. In their own version of the full-contact sport, they smash the hell out of each other in custom-made gladiator-like wheelchairs. And no, they don't wear helmets.
MURDERBALL, winner of two major prizes at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, is based on an article by Dana Adam Shapiro, who directed the film with Henry Alex Rubin. The film was produced by Jeffrey Mandel and Dana Adam Shapiro. Watch the trailer here.
Posted by Tony Wang at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2005
"The New Heroes" Airs on PBS
According to the San Jose Mercury News, “The New Heroes” documentary created by Jeff Skoll, the billionaire former president of eBay, and actor Robert Redford, will air on PBS on June 28th and July 5th (check local listings). The series focuses on a globe-spanning group of “social entrepreneurs'' who want to use business strategies to finance non-profit goals. Click here to watch the trailer.
Posted by Tony Wang at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Catherine Reynolds Gives $10 Million for NYU Program in Social Entrepreneurship
According to Yahoo News, New York University today announced that it has received $10 million from the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation to create a program in social entrepreneurship that will ultimately provide fellowships for 23 graduate students and scholarships for 20 juniors and seniors each year. The program will begin in fall 2006.
Through competitive graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships -- available to students across all of NYU's 14 schools -- the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Program in Social Entrepreneurship is intended to encourage and train a new cadre of public service leaders. This program will complement NYU's existing efforts in social entrepreneurship, specifically the Stewart Satter Program in Social Entrepreneurship at the Stern School of Business.
Posted by Tony Wang at 05:52 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2005
IDB Competition for Microenterprise Development
According to Harold Dean and Associates, the Inter-American Development Bank will hold a competition for its annual awards for microenterprise development to recognize the outstanding achievements, innovations and leadership of institutions and individuals who help low-income businesspeople in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The contest for the Inter-American Awards for Microenterprise Development will be open to formal financial institutions and non-governmental organizations involved in microfinance, as well as to institutions that provide business development services to microentrepreneurs.
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Posted by Tony Wang at 05:41 PM | Comments (0)
Stanford Graduate School of Business to Host Net Impact 2005 Conference
The Net Impact 2005 Conference, the largest annual gathering in the world for MBA students and young professionals focused on corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, international development, and environmental management, will be hosted by the Stanford Graduate School of Business November 10-13, the organizers announced today.
The choice of Stanford Business School, selected from among Net Impact's 100-plus chapters, is yet another recognition of the School's commitment to a business curriculum organized around social innovation. The School's Public Management Program, founded 34 years ago, was the first of its kind at a leading business school. In recent years the Business School created the Center for Social Innovation to promote research, teaching, and programs in the social sector.
Posted by Tony Wang at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2005
Student Teams Receive EPA's First P3 Awards
According to the EPA, seven student teams from Oberlin College, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Colorado at Denver, University of California-Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Michigan were honored Monday evening at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., for their innovative designs for a sustainable tomorrow. Out of a group of 65 teams composed of more than 400 university students and advisors, these seven teams were chosen for the creativity and utility of their sustainability designs.
The P3 Award Competition was held on May 16 and continues today on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. To win, a team had to successfully describe how their project related to P3 – people, prosperity and the planet – the cornerstones of sustainability. The teams also needed to prove the relevance, significance, and impact of its designs on furthering the goal of sustainability in the developed or developing world. A panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences, advisors to the nation on science, engineering and medicine, judged the competition.
Posted by Tony Wang at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2005
$10M Gift to Harvard University Targets Social Entrepreneurship
According to the Boston Business Journal, Harvard University has received $10 million to create a fellowship program in social entrepreneurship. The gift to the Cambridge university came from the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation. The fellowship program at Harvard will aid students in the fields of education, public health and government. The fellowship pays students' full tuition and a stipend. It also finances the development of universitywide curricular programs to enhance the study of social entrepreneurship. The fellowship will bring students to the Harvard School of Public Health, the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Posted by Tony Wang at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2005
1 Million Euro Research Fund Launched
The European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) – an alliance of leading companies and business schools working together on corporate responsibility - today launched a 1 million euro, 3 year partnership programme on research, education and training. Topics covered by the 7 initial projects include a broad range of issues such as stakeholder management, measuring the business case, social entrepreneurship, the role of government, the bottom of the pyramid, management skills, MBA curriculum development and executive training.
EABIS' founding corporate partners, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Shell and Unilever will each contribute 70k EUR per year for the next 3 years in support of the initiative.
To ensure strong business relevance and high academic quality, company representatives and faculty members assessed 15 initial proposals. The 10 successful institutions represent some of Europe's leading business schools and span 7 countries:
- Ashridge (GB)
- Copenhagen Business School (DK)
- Cranfield School of Management (GB)
- ESADE Business School (ES)
- IESE Business School (ES)
- London Business School (GB)
- Norwegian School of Management (NO)
- SDA Bocconi (IT)
- Vlerick Leuven Gent School of Management (BE)
- University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich (CH)
Posted by Tony Wang at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2005
Artemis Project for Afghani Women
According to the Financial Times, 15 Afghani women at Thunderbird's Garvin School of International Management recently completed their fellowship in the Artemis project, an entrepreneurship training programme where Afghani women receive two weeks of "entrepreneurial training, coaching and mentoring and access to intellectual and capital resources." Working with the United States Agency for International Development, the US Afghan Women's Council and the Afghan Ministry of Commerce, Thunderbird professors trained fellows in skills from writing business plans and marketing to generating venture capital. Fellows attended classes on entrepreneurship, communications and presentation. To graduate, fellows had to present a formal business plan on marketing and building their venture in Afghanistan.
Posted by Tony Wang at 03:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 01, 2005
2005 Global Social Venture Competition Finalists
According to AScribe, nine teams of MBA students planning social enterprises that range from applying nanotechnology to solar power systems in developing countries to training low-income urban youth to conduct market research on their peer groups will compete for recognition and $45,000 in prizes in the final round of the 2005 Global Social Venture Competition at the University of California, Berkeley, April 14-15.
- Amhartan Accessible Travel Services (London Business School) is working to improve the experience of travelers with special needs, such as medical disabilities, by providing consumer services and training travel industry workers to accommodate special needs travelers.
- Connect US LLC (Columbia Business School, Columbia University) uses wireless messaging to remind patients to take medication as prescribed to help minimize the social and financial burden placed on the U.S. health care system when patients fail to follow doctors' orders.
- Fuelture (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and London School of Business) will support converting high-mileage urban vehicles, especially taxis and small delivery vans, to automotive propane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead of gasoline, which would reduce running costs and improve urban air quality. Fuelture would simplify the conversion process and create a chain of filling stations.
- Fuerza Research (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University) provides market research on teenage trends by hiring and training low-income, urban teens to conduct focus groups and peer interviews.
- Green Scene (Stern School of Business, New York University) will train and employ individuals with criminal records in New York City to provide a range of outdoor maintenance services, giving these individuals new skills and employment.
- INYUCA (ESADE Business School, Spain), working in Colombia, South America, would replace corn, imported as animal feed, with a locally grown product - yucca. Growing yucca and processing it into flour would create jobs in rural communities for farmers and processors while providing an alternative to coca leaf cultivation.
- MicroCredit Enterprises (Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and Graduate School of Management, UC Davis) is a socially-responsible investment fund targeting the microfinance sector through MicroCredit Enterprises Investment Accounts (MEIA).
- SolarAMP, LLC (Kenan-Flagler School, University of North Carolina) is a nanotechnology company in the solar energy industry currently pursuing off-grid solutions for developing countries.
- World of Good (Haas School of Business) distributes a line of globally-sourced fair trade gifts and accessories under fair trade guidelines that generate employment for women and disadvantaged communities, promise a living wage, and promote social and economic development.
Posted by Tony Wang at 02:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 28, 2005
2nd Annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
The Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurs aims to provide a dynamic annual gathering which amplifies and sheds new light on the work of social entrepreneurs around the globe. Social entrepreneurs from around the world will link up with leading figures from Hollywood, big business, philanthropy and academia this week to discuss the importance of leveraging networks for social change at the second annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship.
More than 600 participants from 40 countries and six continents are scheduled to attend the conference from March 30 to April 1 at Said Business School, which is part of Oxford University in England. The conference will focus on "Making Networks Work," exploring the crucial roles that networks play for social entrepreneurs and their supporters from many angles, including media networks, academic networks and funding networks, all of which contribute to the success of a social enterprise.
Posted by Tony Wang at 02:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Social Enterprise Week
According to the Guardian, this week is Social Enterprise Week, and also when the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship - the Davos of social entrepreneurship - convenes for three days at Oxford's Said Business School. The declared aim is to bind the gamut of individuals and organisations who engage in social activism into a coherent philosophic whole; whether they are individuals improving water supply in African villages or British-based not-for-profit organisations promoting energy efficiency, what they are all about is finding ways of creating new social networks that create civic, social and public value which would otherwise not take place or elude the state. They are non-state change agencies that promote the social good.
Posted by Tony Wang at 01:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 23, 2005
Harvard Hosts Panel on Social Entrepreneurship
According to Echoing Green, Cheryl Dorsey (President of Echoing Green), Alan Khazei (Co-Founder and CEO of City Year), and Jeff Swartz (President and CEO of Timberland) gathered at the John F. Kennedy School of Government to explore the concepts and practices within the growing field of social entrepreneurship. Moderated by longstanding White House advisor and Public Service Professor, David Gergen, the panel addressed the following topics: How social entrepreneurs create social value; the relationship between social entrepreneurship, government and the private sector; the social capital marketplace; and scaling ideas that work.
Posted by Tony Wang at 07:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 22, 2005
NYU Stern Launches First Student-Run Social Venture Fund in Nation
According to BusinessWire, the Student Social Venture Fund at New York University Stern School of Business, the first student-managed fund to launch at a U.S. business school, announced its inaugural Request for Proposals (RFP) this March. The Fund will distribute up to $100,000 in grants during this initial spring cycle, ranging in size from $5,000 to $50,000. Specifically, the Fund is seeking proposals designed to enhance the "organizational capacity" -- operational functions that will foster an organization's growth -- of New York City-based agencies that address the educational transitions of underserved youth.
Housed within Stern's Stewart Satter Program in Social Entrepreneurship, the Fund represents an innovative model whereby students enrolled in a for-credit course, "Social Venture Practicum," manage the venture selection process, award actual cash grants and actively engage with funded programs. The Fund aims to be a catalyst for change, providing a new opportunity for agencies that require organizational development support to further their social missions. Matthew Klein, executive director of the Blue Ridge Foundation, which supports start-up nonprofit organizations in New York, and the professor teaching this course at Stern, brings years of practical experience to the classroom. With the addition of this new Fund, Stern now provides $500,000 in seed money annually through the Satter Program to support social ventures.
Posted by Tony Wang at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2005
Six High School Juniors Develop B-Plans for Nonprofits
According to the Chester Daily Local Online, six juniors from Great Valley High School teamed up with Penn State Great Valley master of business administration students to develop business plans for nonprofit companies. The project was an elective course for the MBA students, and the Great Valley juniors took the class at the Penn State campus as an elective. The target business for the project was a nonprofit business that needed a start-up business plan, but could not write one or pay someone to do it for the business. About 90 percent of the nonprofit businesses that participated have implemented the proposed business plans.
Posted by Tony Wang at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2005
Singapore Minister Mentions Social Entrepreneurship
According to xinhuanet.com, Singapore's Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan, at an event to promote the spirit of enterprise among students, hailed the concept of social entrepreneurship, which urges students to use a business to serve a community cause and benefit the society as a whole apart from creating wealth for personal gains.
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2005
Skoll Foundation Awards $9.5 Million
The Skoll Foundation announced today that it has awarded nearly $9.5 million to 22 organizations that support social entrepreneurs using innovative approaches to address social issues in communities around the world or help build the social sector’s infrastructure and effectiveness.
Thirteen of the organizations are receiving $7.3 million in Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship (SASE) through an open competitive process that identifies social entrepreneurs who have piloted innovative programs and are ready to take the next steps toward systemic social change. In addition, the foundation is renewing its support of the Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology in the amount of $400,000.
The organizations receiving Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship through the open competition are receiving funding for a three-year period. They are Appropriate Technologies for Enterprise Creation (ApproTEC), San Francisco, $615,000; Barefoot College (Social Work and Research Centre), Rajasthan, India, $615,000; CAMFED, Cambridge, England, $505,000; Citizen Schools, Boston, $615,000; Committee for Democracy in Information Technology, Rio de Janeiro, $615,000; EcoLogic Finance, Boston, $465,000; Fundación Paraguaya, Asunción, Paraguay, $515,000; Institute for OneWorld Health, San Francisco, $615,000; International Development Enterprises (India), Delhi, $615,000; Rugmark Foundation USA, Washington, D.C., $440,000; Sonidos de La Tierra, Asunción, Paraguay, $465,000; TransFair USA, Oakland, Calif., $615,000; and Witness, Brooklyn, N.Y., $615,000.
The organizations receiving grants through the Skoll Social Sector Program are Action Without Borders, New York, N.Y., $100,000; Aspen Institute, Washington, D.C., $150,000; Civic Ventures, San Francisco, $75,000; Community Foundations of America, Louisville, Ky., $425,000; Give2Asia, San Francisco, $75,000; Independent Sector, Washington, D.C., $75,000; Philanthropic Research, Inc., Williamsburg, Va., $500,000; and Share Our Strength, Washington, D.C., $375,000.
Posted by Tony Wang at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2005
Two Indian NGOs Win Templeton Prize
According to newkarala.com, two Indian NGOs have won the prestigious 2005 Atlas Templeton Freedom Prizes for promoting free market solutions to poverty and social entrepreneurship.
India's Centre for Civil Society won first place in the Free Market Solutions to Poverty award for their Law, Liberty and Livelihood Campaign, which is inspired by Hernando de Soto's book, 'The Other Path'. Their L3 campaign focused on reducing and simplifying the permitting process for small shop owners, street vendors and cycle rickshaw pullers to give them a fighting chance at prosperity.
International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) was awarded the Templeton Freedom Prize for Social Entrepreneurship for their successful programme to increase the income-generating potential of poor, rural Indian families by providing them with low-cost and effective irrigation systems. IDEI develops irrigation technology and then in partnership with private sector manufacturers and retailers sells the equipment to small-holder farmers.
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
TerraPass Challenges Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
According to Blogcritics.org, TerraPass, a company that offers a simple and convenient way for consumers to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by investing money raised from TerraPasses into developing clean energy sources, has challenged Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to buy TerraPasses for his fleet of Hummers. Other politicians they have challenged are Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson, Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom, Former EPA chief Christie Todd Whitman.
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2005
Third National Business Plan Competition for Nonprofit Organizations
"The Yale School of Management - The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures" announced its selection of 20 nonprofit organizations to proceed to the final round of the Third National Business Plan Competition for Nonprofit Organizations.
The 20 finalists are in the planning stage, or early stages of operating income-generating business ventures. They will spend the next three months working with business planning consultants and Yale School of Management students to strengthen and finalize their business plans. For a full report on the finalists' business ventures and Competition entrants, visit: http://www.ventures.yale.edu/statusreport_third_competition.asp.
Posted by Tony Wang at 01:14 AM | Comments (0)
US-Mexico Ambasaddor Mentions Social Entrepreneurship
According to the Houston Chronicle, US-Mexico Ambassador Tony Garza sent an open letter letter to Mexican officials criticizing local law enforcement's progress against border crime, and also mentions "social entrepreneurship."
Garza also stressed the importance of generating economic growth in Mexico's poor and neglected regions. He said it was important to establish social entrepreneurship that can develop strong, local market networks to serve low-income communities.
Immigration reform is more likely to occur when "Mexico is doing everything it can to create economic opportunities" for Mexicans, Garza said. "Reliance on remittances from the U.S. is not a viable economic policy. This only increases dependence on the United States and delays Mexico's full participation in the global economy."
Posted by Tony Wang at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2005
President Bush Mentions Social Entrepreneurship
In his keynote speech at a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., President Bush mentions the phrase "social entrepreneurship."
I also asked a question, are we encouraging social entrepreneurship in America? That's one of my favorite words, think about it: social entrepreneurship. Oftentimes, you think about entrepreneurship, you think about starting a business or balance sheets or income statements. There's a different kind of income statement in life, and that's the income statement of the heart, the balance sheet of the heart. And so I like to talk about social entrepreneurship, those courageous souls who are willing to take a stand in some of the toughest neighborhoods in America to save lives.
Posted by Tony Wang at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2005
TED World-Changing Wishes
According to Yahoo!News, musician Bono, photo-artist Edward Burtynsky, and inventor Robert Fischell -- were each granted THREE WISHES as winners of the inaugural TED Prize. They were given time to formulate their wishes and strongly encouraged to THINK BIG in order to impact life on this planet. They were allowed to wish for anything at all, with TED agreeing to spend $100,000 on each winner to help make their dreams come true. Now, live on stage at the TED 2005 conference, they divulged their wishes to the world.
BONO announced the launch of ONE, a major new social movement in the US, aimed at fighting poverty worldwide, and wished that it would sign up one million members by year end. He then called for one billion impressions about ONE prior to the African G8 Conference. And he challenged the TED community to connect every hospital, health clinic and school in one country in Africa.
EDWARD BURTYNSKY wished for the launch of a major campaign based around his landscape photographs that would raise people's awareness of man's impact on the environment. He also called for a major competition in primary schools to promote sustainable ideas. And he wished to learn how to translate his work to film format in order to make an IMAX movie.
ROBERT FISCHELL sought new uses for his extraordinary invention of a neurostimulator implanted in the cranium, to follow on from its potential in curing epilepsy. He asked for help turning an electrical device for curing migraine headaches into a marketable design. And he called for the setting up of a brain trust to rethink our approach to medical liability.
Posted by Tony Wang at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2005
SET Inventors Challenge
The Social and Environmental Technology (SET) Inventors Challenge is a new, unique opportunity to connect with high caliber strategic partners and other resources to commercialize technologies, especially targeting developing world markets.
SET identifies and helps find resources for underused technologies with major commercial and social or environmental benefits. SET primarily targets experienced inventors and entrepreneurs, many of whom are working professionals in corporations or laboratories. Graduate students are welcome and should focus on building an experienced team.
If you know of a technology or solution that you want to develop and bring to market, submit your business plan to the SET competition. Teams that meet SET's criteria who have entered other competitions are encouraged to apply.
Posted by Tony Wang at 03:02 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award
According to Business Wire, Amazon.com announced today a nationwide search to discover and reward nonprofit organizations whose innovative approaches and breakthrough solutions most effectively improve their communities or the world at large.
Beginning today, Amazon.com is accepting applications for the Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award from nonprofit organizations across the U.S. at www.amazon.com/nonprofitinnovation.
The Center for Social Innovation at Stanford's Graduate School of Business will partner with Amazon.com to manage this award. The recipient of the Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award will receive a significant grant from Amazon.com, with the grant amount being determined by Amazon.com customers.
Posted by Tony Wang at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
November 18, 2004
The $100 PC
According to LinuxPR, SolarPC today announced the availability of a $100 PC called the SolarLite. It is a solid-state computer targeted at organizations that require the efficiency of a maintenance free Internet PC. The SolarLite was also created to offer an ecologically and economically viable method to provide information to billions of disadvantaged people around the world. In addition, it serves as a response to last month's challenge by Microsoft's Steve Ballmer for the computer industry to build a $100 PC.
Posted by Tony Wang at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2004
WTN X-Prizes
According to Slashdot, the organizers of the Ansari X-Prize have launched the equivalent of the X-Prize in a variety of technology areas, called the WTN X-Prizes. The idea is to have a series of prizes for important technology challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, which will be judged by the World Technology Network. The website mentions that, 'The concept of the WTN X PRIZES is to utilize the concepts, procedures, technologies and publicity developed X PRIZE Foundation's Ansari X PRIZE competition for space and the global science and technology innovators identification process and community developed by the World Technology Network (WTN) to launch a series of technology prizes seeking to meet the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century.
Posted by Tony Wang at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2004
Video Game to Fight Hunger?
According to BBC News, the United Nations's World Food Program has created a video game called Food Force to help educate kids about hunger and the aid agency's work. Billed as a cross between Tomb Raider and a lecture from the World Food Program, the game is targeted to children between 8 and 13 years old.
Posted by Tony Wang at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)