Our Mission
Service Year Alliance is relentlessly pursuing a bold vision — making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans as a way to tackle important challenges while transforming their own lives. We focus on this “double bottom line” — impact on the young person serving and on the communities in which they serve.
About the Innovation Award
We are looking for America’s best problem-solvers to help our nation advance problem solvers and reach a bold vision. Submit a short description of an innovative service year model that has the potential to solve a problem at scale and create powerful social change. Up to three finalists will have an opportunity to attend the Service Year Alliance + NationSwell San Francisco Symposium on June 28-29 to pitch their idea to a room of service year stakeholders, tech innovators, and Bay Area leaders. The finalists and honorees will also have the opportunity to network, receive coaching, and compete for additional seed funding as part of a Service Year Alliance Social Innovation Cohort that will launch later in 2017. The Service Year Innovation Award winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize.
Want to see our other open awards? Click here.
The Pitch Question
Imagine what a large number of young people performing a full-time, full-year of service could do to have a real impact on critical challenges. What is your innovative idea for a service year program model that has the potential to solve a problem at scale and create powerful social change? Think about:
- The “double bottom line” - impact on both a young person and on the community in which they serve;
- The potential for scale in numbers or to new communities; and
- Filling a critical, unmet need.
Before submitting your idea, browse through ServiceYear.org, read the Service Year’s qualification of a service year position, and review our guide on how to create a new service year program.
More Award Details & Expectations:
- Finalists will receive:
- A travel stipend to cover airfare & lodging to attend the Service Year + NationSwell San Francisco Symposium on June 28th-29th to pitch their service year concept and be part of working session with Service Year Alliance. Up to 3 finalists may be selected.
- One finalist will be chosen to receive the award and a $1000 cash prize
- Service Year + NationSwell Pitch
- Finalists will be given further coaching on creating their pitch for this event. General expectations will be that finalists make a 5 minute pitch to the audience of the Service Year + NationSwell event.
Service Year + NationSwell
Service Year Alliance is teaming up with the NationSwell to create media and host convenings that highlight service years as a solution to solve America’s most critical issues. NationSwell is a digital media company focused on American innovation and renewal — identifying and profiling social innovators who are developing impactful ways to solve these issues.
