GHR Foundation and OpenIDEO Launch $1M 'BridgeBuilder' Challenge to Identify Emerging Social Innovators in the U.S. and Globally

MINNEAPOLIS, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Working with open innovation platform OpenIDEO, U.S.-based GHR Foundation is seeking social innovators working to address urgent global challenges at the intersections of peace, prosperity and planet in radically new ways. The partnership's first BridgeBuilder Challenge opened Monday, March 6, kicking off a five-month collaborative process inviting the global community to contribute, test and improve upon ideas. Challenge participants will benefit from the OpenIDEO human-centered design process and connections to potential partners, with top ideas sharing a US$1 million prize as part of an ongoing cohort within the highly collaborative design-build philanthropy framework GHR is pioneering. 

"Our partnership with OpenIDEO on the BridgeBuilder Challenge series will help us discover social innovators doing critical work often beneath the purview of traditional public or private funders," said Amy R. Goldman, chief executive officer and chair of GHR Foundation. "We believe new ideas profoundly impacting global development concerns here in the United States and around the world will emerge from the BridgeBuilder initiative, as GHR practices design-build philanthropy and shares learnings from this innovative approach to grant-making."

GHR Foundation is anchored by a belief in responsibility, action and the knowledge we are all deeply connected regardless of race, religion, nationality or economic status. GHR sees faith as a powerful resource for good—a unifier and lever for positive social change, and a driver for building more authentic connections between people, networks, issues and resources. Stemming from its own Catholic roots, GHR aims to leverage this Challenge as a means to answer the universal call of Pope Francis to "build bridges" and contribute to making the world a better place for all humankind.

"The global community's ability to address open challenges, like GHR's BridgeBuilder Challenge, reflects the power of creativity, collaboration and common purpose," said Jason Rissman, managing director of OpenIDEO. "Radical solutions, unlikely partnerships and hope emerge through OpenIDEO challenges. We can't wait to see the ideas presented for BridgeBuilder and how they get refined through open source collaboration. More importantly, we can't wait to see the profound changes those ideas bring to our global society."

OpenIDEO Challenge Process: The BridgeBuilder Challenge includes four phases before the Top Ideas are chosen:

1. Ideas Phase: A global call to action to share ideas that bridge solutions in two of the three issue areas: peace, prosperity and planet.
2. Beneficiary Feedback Phase: Contributors test ideas in their communities and apply feedback to their proposals.
3. Expert Feedback Phase: Shortlisted ideas receive feedback from issue experts and leaders in international development.
4. Improve Phase: All ideas have 2 weeks to apply expert feedback to their proposals.

Eligibility: The Challenge is open to any nonprofit/nongovernmental or for-profit organization that has been operating within its sector for at least one year and is proposing a new approach to a problem or using an existing approach in a new way. For additional perspective on what comprises a winning idea, see the ideas phase criteria.

The BridgeBuilder Challenge: BridgeBuilder is a series of three innovation Challenges bringing increased collaboration and a human-centered design approach to development concerns. The program is a joint initiative of OpenIDEO and GHR Foundation, made possible through GHR funding.

OpenIDEO: OpenIDEO is a global open innovation platform that builds collaborative communities to address pressing social and environmental issues. In online Challenges, offline Chapters and targeted programs, OpenIDEO enables innovators anywhere to apply design thinking towards generating social impact.  www.OpenIDEO.com

GHR Foundation: GHR Foundation improves lives by working toward a just, peaceful and healthy future.  Built on faith in entrepreneurial creativity, the foundation accelerates systemic change by nurturing promising new possibilities and partnerships in the areas of global development, education and health.  For more than 50 years, the pioneering design-build legacy of Opus Group founders Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst has guided GHR's philanthropic approach—collaborating with the world's experts to design and build opportunities for change to take hold.  www.GHRfoundation.org

Media Contact: Amy Nugent, 651.450.9222 or [email protected]

SOURCE GHR Foundation

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