While 50 percent of the world’s population may or may not live in cities, there’s undeniable value in working to solve the unique challenges of urban life.
Today, the Rockefeller Foundation and Unreasonable Institute, a Boulder-based accelerator for social good, are announcing a new $1 million competition designed to jumpstart new solutions to the most pressing problems facing cities today. Creative thinkers are being called to submit proposals for addressing the greatest issues of faced by poor and vulnerable urban populations—everything from crime to inequality, to pollution, and aging infrastructure. The key criteria is having a solution that will impact at least 1 million people and provide lasting change.
The new competition will be announced today at first-ever Comcast Millennial Tech & Change Summit. Ten winning proposals will be selected for the new Future Cities Accelerator, a 9-month program providing access to mentors, investors, and technological support. The ten winners will also each receive a $100,000 grant to help turn their ideas into reality.
While the Rockefeller Foundation has the fairly broad mission of "promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world," the organization’s $4 billion endowment has consistently been put to use in support of urban initiatives. The non-profit famously funded Jane Jacobs’ writing of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and more recently, founded the 100 Resilient Cities project aiming to help the world’s urban centers withstand and adapt to 21st century challenges.
The application deadline is September 25th.
Source: Future Cities Accelerator