NEW ORLEANS – The Greater New Orleans Foundation, in partnership with the Kresge Foundation and Chevron, announced that Pitch It! The Innovation Challenge is returning for a third year. The initiative will fund a nonprofit to develop an innovative product, new organizational process, inventive service or novel approach to doing business to meet a community need.
“Innovation is crucial to success in all organizations, including nonprofits,” said Joann Ricci, vice president of Organizational Effectiveness at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “Pitch It! encourages nonprofits to ask themselves, is there a better way for us to be doing business?”
The top prize for Pitch It! The Innovation Challenge is $25,000 with second and third place winners receiving $7,500 and $5,000. Ideas can be submitted that solve a particular challenge whether it pertains to management, finance, governance, technology, or program. All 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations headquartered within the region the foundation serves are eligible to apply.
“The Challenge rewards nonprofit organizations that are willing to take a risk and think outside the box,” said Ricci. “Innovation is also about sharing. Ideas that surface as a part of this challenge may flourish and grow in other ways.”
The deadline to submit your Big Idea is August 7, 2015.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation will host a Q&A session via Twitter on July 15 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to answer questions about Pitch It! The Innovation Challenge, the application and the pitching process.
Three finalists will be selected to further develop their concept.
They will present their ideas in a public pitch to a panel of judges on Friday, October 2, at 9:00 a.m. at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
