Welcome to our fourth Pitch to Ditch Poverty Challenge. This year we want the contest to lift up and highlight those big ideas that help mitigate the racial and social inequities that continue to be evident today. The challenge also seeks to recognize and lift up those neighborhood and community actions that build resiliency in our communities.
Pitch to Ditch Poverty originated from the realization that our communities are full of groups and individuals with big ideas to address the challenges in their communities. This contest recognizes that groups and individuals impacted by our communities’ challenges also have the knowledge and lived experiences that best equip them to visualize and implement community-based solutions to those challenges.
The Pitch to Ditch Poverty Challenge provides funding, support, and recognition to community-led groups that have big ideas and projects that address racial and social injustices that disproportionately impact individuals in poverty.
Your big ideas must be designed in collaboration with the people who will use and be impacted by the initiative. There’s no better way to understand the hopes and aspirations of those you are designing for than by involving them directly in bringing that initiative to life! In addition, your ideas must consider diversity, equity, and inclusion in the decision-making process to help remove disparities among groups for the best possible solutions. Challenge goals are three-fold:
1. Support innovative projects with promising potential for social impact.
2. Foster a diverse pipeline of innovators through targeted outreach, support, and education.
3. Promote/support social and racial justice at the grassroots level.
A. This proposal application must be completed and submitted by 5 pm on August 19, 2022. Proposal applications will only be accepted through this online form.
B. You will be notified by September 15 - 16, 2022 if you are selected to do a 7-minute virtual presentation to our panel of judges.
C. Presentations to our panel of judges will take place the week of September 26 – 30, 2022
D. Finalists will be notified by October 5, 2022.
E. Finalists must submit a 4 minute video presentation by October 28, 2022.
F. Final presentations will be shown during our From Poverty to Possibilities event on November 15, 2022, and the winner(s) announced.
Note: If you have questions about your submission, contact Pitch2Ditch@uwpc.org
Eligibility Criteria
Your big idea must address poverty, stagnant wages, financial instability, and foster racial and social justice in our communities. Concepts must be designed in consultation with people who may be impacted. You must consider the following components:
⦁ Address the racial and social inequities in our communities.
⦁ Focus on the people who will use your product/innovation.
⦁ Help solve the fundamental problem, rather than the symptoms.
⦁ Be willing to test your design decisions with real people to create the best user-experience.
⦁ Only teams with at least three Pierce County residents as members are eligible to apply.
Eligible Groups
The following groups are encouraged to apply:
⦁ Student groups and classes (all ages)
⦁ Groups of individuals with lived experience (e.g. people who have been affected by the justice system or homelessness, youth and young adults, etc.)
⦁ Any informal group of neighbors and community-led groups
⦁ Grassroots leadership groups and cross-sector content expert groups
⦁ Advocacy and special interest groups
⦁ Faith-based communities
⦁ Small Non-profit organizations (Annual Budget under $100,000)
Key Dates
⦁ Aug 19: Final date to submit application
⦁ Sept 14 -16: Those moving to Phase 2 notified
⦁ Sep 26-30: Phase 2 – Seven-minute virtual presentations to panel of judges
⦁ Oct 5: Finalist notified
⦁ Oct 28: Final date for finalist to submit 4-5 minute video
⦁ Nov 15: Poverty to Possibilities Event
⦁ Winner(s) announced