Social Innovation Challenge

On Saturday, October 24, 2020, Grace Congregational Church is hosting a Social Innovation Challenge to benefit the Two Rivers and wider Manitowoc community. Do you have an idea for a project that can make life better in our community? Come share your vision, develop it with the help of local experts, and at the end you have the opportunity to win grant money to get your project growing!

We are searching for Innovators – individuals or teams, people of all ages and walks of life – who have ideas to make a positive impact in our Two Rivers/Manitowoc community. (Check back here in the months ahead with instructions on how to apply to pitch your idea)

What will the event be like?
Innovators (individuals or teams) have multiple opportunities throughout the day to share their ideas and receive feedback from mentors and also from their peers. Every person/team who would like to pitch their idea and join the competition will have one minute early in the day to share their idea with the whole group.
Top pitches will be chosen through a democratic voting process. The top ideas from the morning pitch time will be matched with a mentor to work through their project/business plan and further refine their pitch. At the end of the day, the final pitches are given along with a time of Q&A from a panel of judges. After a vote by all present, the prize money of $5000 will be distributed to the winning ideas!

What do Social Innovation projects look like?
We are looking for any project that has a positive impact on our community and benefits other people. Projects presented at the Social Innovation Challenge can be ideas that are just getting started, or it can be projects that are already launched and running. Projects can involve youth, the environment, local business, or social needs in our community, but are not limited to those areas.
In October of 2019, the First Congregational Church in Janesville, WI hosted a Social Innovation Challenge, the first of its kind for a faith-based organization in the United States. Winning ideas included projects such as:
-a specially designed indoor garden box to help food-insecure people grow potatoes at home
-a restaurant/grocery store/community gathering space that offers fresh food in the city’s “food deserts”
-a program that provides support for families experiencing medical crises or episodic homelessness
-a lawn care company that serves a high-poverty neighborhood in Janesville and trains young people to grow working skills and business skills

Check back here often for updates and more details!

If you have questions or are interested in learning more or getting involved, please fill out the form below