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What is Sparkseed?

Sparkseed is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that exists to develop the next generation of social entrepreneurs and increase their impact on society.

How does Sparkseed develop social entrepreneurs and increase their impact?

Each year Sparkseed selects up to ten student-led social ventures. The social innovators who lead these for profit and nonprofit ventures receive six months of high-impact support from Sparkseed. Our suite of support includes:

  • Mentoring from entrepreneurs and executives
  • Pro-bono consulting from business and nonprofit professionals
  • $1,000 in seed money towards start-up costs
  • Webinars that teach skills such as creating a business plan, managing a team, pitching to investors, leveraging social media, and measuring financial and social impact.
  • $10,000 in web tools, including web site design, web hosting, & SEO consulting.
  • A four-day summit in Silicon Valley that includes networking, skill-building, and strategic planning.

Our regional chapters of volunteers and partnerships with firms like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP allow us to compliment virtual support – like our webinars – with in-person workshops, mentoring, and training.

The first six months are designed to provide an educational experience that develops college students as social entrepreneurs and results in functional social ventures. After six months, the top three ventures are selected to receive on-going support. This allows us to provide everyone with a valuable experience while prudently focusing our resources on a portfolio of ventures that will have significant social and financial outcomes.

Why is it important to invest in college-age social entrepreneurs?

Think of the long list of world-changing companies that have been started by college students: Microsoft, Facebook, FedEx, Dell, Apple, and Kinko’s, to name a few. How many other world-changing organizations have been imagined by college students but not fully implemented because they lacked the necessary resources?

What is an example of a current Sparkseed venture?

INeedAPencil.com - Committed to educational advancement for all, Jason Shah, a 20-year-old student at Harvard, created a web site that provides free SAT tutoring for low-income students. INeedAPencil.com has already helped over 25,000 students increase their SAT scores by an average of 200 points. He was recently honored as the only American invited to the Global Social Benefit Incubator.

Learn more about all of our 2009 social innovators.

Who is involved with Sparkseed?

Sparkseed is led by a core team of dedicated professionals with experience in business development, social innovation, and non-profit administration. Our Board of Directors includes Diane Harrington, former CEO of Catholic Charities Santa Clara County; Christian Shelton, founder and CEO of Young Politicians of America; and Mike Del Ponte, the founder of Sparkseed and former Executive Director of Students Against Violence, another national nonprofit organization.

What has Sparkseed accomplished so far and what’s next?

Since Sparkseed’s inception, over 50 student innovators have directly benefited from our programs. These bold, creative, and tech-savvy college students are found in universities across the country including Harvard, Brown, Northwestern, Georgetown, Stanford, and Columbia. Our goal is to annually give 250-500 applicants a valuable learning experience through business plan feedback, 25 students a high-impact six-month program, and on-going, in-depth support for select ventures invited into our portfolio.

Become a social innovator

Who can apply to become a Sparkseed social innovator?

  • Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a nationally accredited college or university in the United States. Proof of enrollment will be requested of all finalists.
  • The primary goal of each venture should be to address and/or solve a significant social issue.
  • The proposed venture may not be a wholly owned subsidiary of an existing for-profit or nonprofit entity.
  • If the venture is already in existence, it cannot be in existence for more than two years. The start of the venture is marked by first income received.
  • Ventures can be for profit or non-profit.
  • All plans must be written in English.

What are the key dates for the application process?

  • December 1st – application online
  • March 1st – application due
  • April 1st – new Sparkseed innovators announced

What criteria do you use to judge applicants?

  1. Concept
    1. Level of innovation
    2. Social impact
    3. Scalability
  2. Motivation
    1. Reason to pursue this particular social issue
  3. Feasibility
    1. Level of success for execution
    2. Well thought out implementation plan and timetable
    3. Financial viability
  4. Management Team
    1. Strength of team
    2. Experience
    3. Desire for social change
  5. Presentation
    1. Level of presentation skills

Support a social innovator

What are the ways that I can get involved?

At Sparkseed, we are committed to helping you leverage your talents and resources to make a meaningful contribution to Sparkseed and our ventures. For example, you can…

  • Mentor a social innovator
  • Donate to Sparkseed
  • Intern for Sparkseed
  • Join a chapter
  • Provide professional services to a Sparkseed venture
  • Stay informed by following us on Twitter and facebook, or signing up for our newsletter.

What do Sparkseed chapters do?

Sparkseed chapters are regional networks of people who support the mission of Sparkseed. Members have opportunities to mentor or consult a Sparkseed innovator, grow the capacity of Sparkseed with gifts of time and money, and attend social entrepreneurship events.

What are the benefits of joining a chapter?

Joining a chapter provides opportunities to grow professionally, exhibit dynamic leadership, source new ventures, and invest in some the nation’s brightest student entrepreneurs.

For more information, contact victor@sparkseed.org.

Are donations tax-deductible?

Yes.

How can I donate?

You can donate online or mail a check to Sparkseed at 2730 Corey Place, San Ramon, CA 94583. If you would like to earmark your contribution for a specific venture or program, just let us know and we will honor your request.