What are some practical, fundamental policy shifts that can help low-income people build the futures they want for themselves and their families?
If you have an idea, MCF member Northwest Area Foundation, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs want to hear from you.
They’ve launched the Ideas for Action Award to develop and promote new thinking and policies to reduce poverty long term. With more than 46 million people currently living in poverty, and many efforts to address poverty both proving insufficient and facing cutbacks, this initiative seeks to find new, imaginative, integrated and concentrated efforts that capitalize on the best in the public, nonprofit and private sectors.
The ideas generated through this competition can help chart a different course by bringing high energy, creative ideas for new directions, and a fresh look at existing initiatives that may not have been brought to scale. Lifting up imaginative approaches will improve the practice of fighting poverty in America and in the Northwest Area.
If you have an idea, start writing now: 600-word letters of inquiry are due Friday, June 29. Select applicants will then be invited to submit full proposals in July, with ten award winners announced by Northwest Area Foundation in October. Winners will receive support for travel for presentations at specific conferences and partnership opportunities. Each winner will also receive a monetary award of at least $5,000.
Find out more about this new anti-poverty challenge at the Evans School of Public Affairs website.
