$10,000 Grant for Innovation To Be Given By ASAE Foundation

What would you do with a $10,000 innovation grant?

Innovation: the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs

Changing business models is a pressing priority for most associations. There is a strong emphasis on innovative solutions to address unique and complex challenges of the 21st century.  But how do you find the resources and support to begin such a project?

ASAE (Advancing Association and Non-Profit Leadership) wants to help you pursue innovation in your organization. The Innovation Grants Program provides awards to support innovation exploration and development in order to raise awareness and engagement in innovation efforts for the association community. Grant recipients receive $10,000 to dive deeper into innovation and get support to implement their project ideas, creating models of innovation for the entire association community. Learn about past recipients and their projects in the “Past Winners” tab below.

Who is eligible for the 2015 grants? It’s likely that you are! The intended audience for the Innovation Grants Program is the creative individual interfacing with the association community from all angles of the organizational spectrum. Therefore, individuals from professional or trade associations, nonprofits, association industry partners, and consulting companies that serve the association community are eligible  to apply. All applicants or applicant teams must include at least one ASAE member.

In serving as a champion and role model for innovation, this exciting program represents one element in ASAE’s commitment to increase the credibility, approachability and culture of innovation in the association community.

Important Dates and Events

7/15/2014 2015 IGP application period opens
8/10/2014 “How-to” session at ASAE Annual Meeting (see FAQs)
8/15/2014 Letter of Intent deadline (see FAQs)
9/4/2014 “Live Chat” on application process, questions, etc. (see FAQs)
9/25/2014 Application period closes
12/31/2014 Grant recipients announced

IGP Criteria

The intent of this grant program is to help successfully implement new ideas. However, we understand that not every innovative idea becomes an innovation. Many fail. That’s the nature of experimentation.

Therefore, while our goal is innovation, what we’re really looking for is innovative ideas — along with a plan to apply those ideas. We’re supporting organizations and individuals to try new things.

If you are wondering whether your new program, product, service, or process qualifies as an “innovative idea,” consider these questions:

  1. Does it seem innovative to you?
  2. Do you hope it will create new opportunities or significantly improved ways of doing business?
  3. Does it represent a speculative venture that could succeed or fail?
  4. Is it new for you or your organization — and also not standard practice in the industry? (If others have tried something similar, with any degree of success, that’s okay with us, as long as it’s new and not commonplace. In fact, you might build on the concepts of innovative project you’re observing elsewhere.)

If your answer to all four questions is yes, your idea will probably sound innovative to our review committee as well. As you can see, we’re not defining this narrowly because we don’t want to limit your creativity. We encourage you to imagine what might be possible, share one of your best ideas with us, and explain to us how our funds can help you apply that idea. Whether it succeeds or fails, all of us will learn from your efforts, and these lessons learned will continue to support and encourage innovation.

When reviewing applications, we also consider:

Significance

In looking at a proposal’s potential significance, we examine how well the project plan addresses the IGP objectives — raising awareness of and engagement in innovation efforts in the association community, fostering new networks for nonprofit innovation, and creating a comprehensive body of knowledge around innovation initiatives, programs, and models. We also consider the relative importance of the organizational issues the project addresses in relation to the larger association community. We look for projects that will be significant within and across organizations and address issues that are common to similar organizations and industries.

Project Design and Practicality

The project design should state specifically the actions and process by which the project will address the underlying need and achieve the objectives. In order to evaluate the design, we must have a good sense of what you intend to do and how you intend to accomplish your tasks. We look for a vision, a plan for integration, and projected next steps that are carefully considered and clearly articulated. The methods for achieving project objectives, the desired outcomes, and the process for evaluating plan objectives should all be well-defined and understood.

Applicability and Transferability

An essential element for this program is finding projects that can serve as inspiration for other organizations and industries facing similar challenges, problems, or opportunities. IGP intends to grow innovation in the association community but also seeks to share models for innovative efforts. Therefore, we examine each proposal with regard to broader application, adaptation, and transferability.

Impact

We are looking for projects that will have long-term effects for recipient organizations and their constituents. We look for projects that can potentially shake up organizations by implementing new ideas, creating new models of engagement, and transforming organizational culture. We take into account the project’s potential for far-reaching impact and/or appeal to multiple stakeholders within and across organizations, and we consider the measurability of market benefits, need, and future demand.

In addition to the above major criteria, reviewers also look at the project’s objectives, the applicant’s potential and commitment to innovation, the clarity of the application, the project management plan and budget, and the organizational commitment and resources.

Does your idea meet these criteria? Learn more about the application here!

Would you like to explore other opportunities to receive grants? Check out one of our other blog posts under Competitions/Grants! Otherwise, just click here to access the articles.

 

Article From: http://www.asaecenter.org/foundation2/innovationgrants.html