Pitch to Ditch Poverty Application
Pitch to Ditch Flyer
Welcome to our fifth Pitch to Ditch Poverty Challenge (P2D). This year we are adding building community connections to the list of focus areas for the contest. We are looking for those great community/neighborhood-based programs and initiatives that address any of the following areas:
- Building community connections
- Building community resiliency
- Mitigating racial and social inequities
- Addressing poverty, stagnant wages, or the financial instability of families
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 and honors the idea that groups and individuals closest to a problem have the knowledge and experiences that best equip them to understand that problem and implement community-based solutions.
The Pitch to Ditch Poverty Challenge provides funding, support, and recognition to community-led groups with big ideas and projects that address problems and challenges that disproportionately impact individuals in poverty.
Your big ideas must be designed in collaboration with 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:
- Support innovative projects with promising potential for social impact.
- Foster a diverse pipeline of innovators through targeted outreach, support, and education.
- Promote/support social and racial justice at the grassroots level.
A. This proposal application must be completed and submitted by 5 pm on July 31, 2023. Proposal applications will only be accepted through this online form.
B. You will be notified by August 28, 2023, 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 September 19-21, 2023.
D. Finalists will be selected by September 25, 2023.
E. Finalists must submit a 4-5 minute video presentation by October 23, 2023.
F. Final presentations will be shown during our From Poverty to Possibilities event on November 14, 2023 and the winner(s) announced.
Note: If you have questions about your submission, contact PITCHTODITCH@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 with people who are living in poverty that you want to impact. 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)
* All questions require a response.
Name of Project: *
Name of person submitting this proposal: *
Names of Other Team Members*
Contact Phone #: *
Contact Email: *
- What is the problem your big idea addresses? *
- Describe your big idea to address this problem. *
- How does your big idea help build resilience in your community or help heightened awareness and address social justice and inequities in our communities? *
- What types of resources do you need to implement your big idea? *