Prize & Challenge Sample Application

Prizes and Challenges

Application Guideline

Open innovation inspires new solutions to the critical challenges affecting millions around the world. In the spirit of open innovation, Open Innovation Competitions supports groundbreaking ideas to transform lives by providing flexible, tiered grant funding to test new ideas and models, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions.

Proposed basic application form.

Please provide accurate information to the full extent of your organization’s knowledge.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Organization Name*: (max. 80 characters):

Organization Type*: [Picklist selection: Academic, Nonprofit/NGO, For-profit, Federal Agency, Foreign Government, Multilateral, Other]

Website:

ORGANIZATION ADDRESS

Country*: [Country List]

Street Address*:

City*:

State/Region*:

Zip Code/Postal Code*:

In which country is your organization legally incorporated?* [Country List]

How many employees are in your organization?*

Picklist selection: Micro (<10), Small (<50), Medium (<300), Large (300+)

How many employees are women in your organization?*

Fill in blank

CONTACT INFORMATION

Primary Point of Contact* (Founder/CEO/Principal Investigator)	Secondary Point of Contact (optional)
First Name:	First Name:
Last Name:	Last Name:
Title:	Title:
Work e-mail:	Work e-mail:
Work Phone:	Work Phone:
Gender: [Male/Female/Other]	Gender: [Male/Female/Other]
Under 30-years-old? [Yes/No]	Under 30-years-old? [Yes/No]

SECTION 2: PROJECT OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Project Title (max. 80 characters)*: [Summarize what your project is about.]

Please specify to which Stage you are applying*: [Stage 1/2/3]

Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3
Proof of Concept/ Initial Testing	Testing/Positioning for Scale	Scaling
up to $200,000	$200,000 to $1,500,000	$1,500,000 to $5,000,000
Funds may be used to test proof of concept of any innovative service, product, or business model.	Funds may be used to test the business or delivery model of a product or service.	Funds may be used to scale the innovation to a new context or demonstrate replicability.
Innovations at this stage should be post-prototype or ideation. Pre-revenue innovations will be considered.	Innovations at this stage should have usage and proxies for social impact data. Commercially scaling innovations should be post-revenue with increasing growth in recurring revenue. Innovations using public or philanthropic resources must cite or generate evidence of impact through a randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluation.	Innovations at this stage should leverage additional external funding or partnerships. Commercially scaling innovations should have demonstrated commercial viability through a market test. Innovations using public/philanthropic funds should have partnerships for scaling.

Total Funding Requested (in USD)*: [Please round up to the nearest dollar.]

With what type(s) of organization(s) do you plan to partner (if any)*?
Picklist selection(s): Academic, Nonprofit/NGO, For-profit, Federal Agency, Foreign Government, Multilateral, Other, None

Which of the following best describes the sector(s) your innovation addresses?

Primary Sector (select one)*:

Secondary Sector(s), if any:

Picklist selection: Agriculture/Food Security, Democracy/Governance, Disaster Relief/Humanitarian Assistance, Economic Growth, Education and Training, Energy, Environment, Health, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Other: please specify
         

Where will this project take place?

Primary Country (select one)*: [Country List]

Secondary Country/Countries, if any: [Country List]

Does your organization have a long-term or permanent office in the country or countries where the project will take place?* [Yes/No]

Expected duration of project activities in months (in months)*:

Expected source of financial support at scale to ensure the long-term sustainability of the innovation*: [Public, Private, Hybrid]
Public: Local, State, or Federal Government; Multilateral Donor; Higher Education Institution; NGO

Private: Businesses, Financial Institutions, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Philanthropies, and Foundations

Hybrid: A combination of public and private sources of financial support

Has the applicant received funding for this or a similar project from any of the following?*

USAID [Yes/No]: If ‘Yes’, please specify USAID Program/contact

U.S. Government*: [Yes/No] If ‘Yes’, please specify

Has the applicant submitted this or a similar project for funding consideration to any of the following?*

USAID: [Yes/No] If ‘Yes’, please specify USAID Program

U.S. Government*: [Yes/No] If ‘Yes’, please specify 

Has the applicant ever received any USAID funding in the past for other projects?* [Yes/No]

How did you hear about [NAME OF COMPETITION]?* [Please specify]

Picklist selection: USAID Staff, USAID Website/Newsletter, Website/Newsletter, USAID Implementing Partner, Global Innovation Exchange, Conference, Press, Social Media, Other

SECTION 3: DETAILED PROJECT INFORMATION - STAGE 1/2/3 APPLICATIONS

DETAILED PROJECT INFORMATION: Stages 1, 2, or 3

1. What is the problem that your innovation addresses?*

What is the problem that your innovation addresses? How would solving this problem improve people's lives? How many people does this issue impact in the country/countries you are working in, and globally?

Max. Characters: 1,000

2. What is your innovation?*

Describe your innovation. For applicants scaling through public and philanthropic means, please explain how your innovation will generate or build on impact.

Max. Characters: 1,000

3. Who does your innovation impact?*

Explain who specifically is impacted by the problem and who will benefit from your innovation (i.e., different genders, age groups, income levels, minorities).

Max. Characters: 1,000

4. What have you achieved to date and how many people does your innovation currently serve? What social outcomes do you expect your innovation to achieve over the next 5 years?*

What results have you demonstrated thus far? How many people currently benefit from your innovation? Describe the projected future impact of your innovation in terms of the number of beneficiaries and magnitude of impacts/outcomes (e.g., XX% improved learning, XX% improvement in health outcomes, $XX increase in household income, etc.). We understand precise estimates may be difficult to calculate; we are interested in the logic used to approximate these numbers. Please include explanations and supporting calculations to demonstrate how you reached your estimates and be as concrete as possible. Lastly, please address whether your innovation has been piloted and what you have learned from piloting.

Max. Characters: 1,000

5. Clearly state what makes your innovation better or more appealing than alternatives. How is it more effective, less expensive, and/or more efficient than alternatives?*

What alternative solutions exist in the geographic area where your innovation is implemented? What are the advantages of your innovation compared to these existing solutions? What is the total cost of your innovation compared to existing solutions? Specify why your solution has the potential to have a greater impact per dollar than alternative ways of addressing the same development challenge.

Max. Characters: 1,000

6. How will your innovation scale and be funded sustainably? Please explain the revenue model (public, private, or hybrid) and how your innovation will reach millions of people? Specifically, how will [NAME OF CHALLENG] funding play a catalytic role?*

Please describe your model for scaling and whether you will rely on donor/government funding, a commercial model, or other types of capital including a mix of donor/government/private/philanthropic funds. Based on your pathway to scale, how will this funding play an enabling or catalyzing role? For innovations intended to scale commercially, please explain your revenue model, break-even projections, customer/beneficiary segmentation, cost assumptions, and the role of any critical stakeholders.

Max. Characters: 1,000

      

7. How will you use to measure the progress of your innovation?

Please identity how you will measure the progress and impact of your innovation?

Max. Characters: 1,000

8. First, list and describe all major activities you will execute for the proposed project and the approximate amounts to be spent on each activity. Second, of the total budget, specify the total amounts to be spent on major budget categories (e.g., salaries, travel, data collection/analysis, implementation, R&D, other).*

List all major activities and the approximate budget required for each activity and each major budget category. Amounts should be in US Dollars and estimates based on intentional and critical thought.

Max. Characters: 1,000

9. What are the biggest challenges and risks you expect to encounter and the measures you will take to mitigate them?*

All innovations face challenges in achieving scale. Please identify the most important challenges (e.g., generating revenue, supply chain issues, policy requirements, legal regulations, etc.) you may encounter and how you will address them.

Max. Characters: 1,000

10. Please provide an overview of the lead implementing organization, including relevant past experience. Describe why this organization is well positioned and has the capacity needed to solve this problem.*

What is the lead implementing organization’s area of expertise, primary activity, and mission? Please provide detailed information on relevant past experience. Make sure to highlight the lead organization’s core competencies as they relate to addressing the problem statement.

Max. Characters: 1,000

11. Who are the key team members for implementation of grant activities and what is their level of effort (LOE)?*

Please provide a list of each key team member contributing to grant activities. For each team member, specify their percentage level of effort (LOE) for project activities, include a one or two sentence summary of relevant skills and experience, and describe how she/he will contribute to grant activities (i.e., CEO Jane Doe (50 % LOE) Doe has worked on a and b since 2004. She will be responsible for x, y, and z). Please DO NOT include entire CVs. [Note: LOE is the percentage of 100% of an individual’s working schedule.]

Max. Characters: 1,000

12. Describe key partner organizations, co-funders and/or major clients, and explain how they demonstrated their commitment to participating in the project activities. What skills/experience/resources do they contribute to implementing or scaling the innovation? What are their roles and responsibilities?*

Do you plan to work with any non-governmental organizations, government ministries, service providers (i.e., health centers, schools), universities/research institutions, private sector companies, etc. For each partner, co-funder, and major client, please specify whether they have already agreed to participate and have entered into a formal agreement or indicated verbal interest. Please specify which organizations are providing financial support for this project. Lastly, if an innovation depends on the support of another organization/institution to scale-up, please mention the extent to which the lead organization is working with them.

Max. Characters: 1,000

13. Please provide up to three (3) references who can speak to the past performance and ability of the applicant.*

Please include contact information, including name, organization, email, and phone number. References should be able to attest to and validate the applicant’s ability to work effectively, achieve results, and successfully implement similar activities within the past three (3) years. Personal references are acceptable in cases in which a professional reference is not available.

Max. Characters: 1,000

14. Please use the space below to list additional citations in support of this project. Only content written in the application will be reviewed; these citations will be used to verify factual accuracy if necessary.*

Please list citation URLs or publication information.

Max. Characters: 1,000

• I understand that USAID may share this application, internally or externally, as part of the due diligence process or if USAID identifies opportunities to strengthen or fund an application by connecting with other USAID mechanisms, other potential funders, and/or external partners for appropriate consideration.    

• By submitting this application, I certify that the answers to the questions are accurate to the full extent of my knowledge.
       

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