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The Roddenberry Foundation Announces +1 Global Fund: first of its kind network-based model to fight Covid-19.
(Sept. 21, 2020, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)—The Roddenberry Foundation today announced the launch and first funding round of the +1 Global Fund, a radical new approach to philanthropy designed to get funding quickly to communities most affected by Covid-19.
The +1 Global Fund was created to support the myriad and impactful ways in which social entrepreneurs and grassroots organizations are pivoting or amplifying their work to meet the demands of Covid-19 with vulnerable communities.
In an effort to alleviate the additional pressures the crisis has inflicted on these organizations, the +1 Global Fund fund eliminates the applications, restrictions, and reporting at the core of traditional philanthropy.
Instead, the Fund emphasizes networks, trust, and collaboration. It is designed to activate partner networks of high-impact social entrepreneurs and grassroots organizations who identify peers addressing the social, economic, and health impacts of the pandemic.
“The +1 Global Fund is a truly innovative funding platform that flips the script on who and how organizations are identified and vetted,” said Sameen Piracha, Director of Partnerships and Fundraising, Global Venture at Ashoka, “it’s a distinctive participatory funding process that unlocks the power of our networks. That’s powerful!”
The key to the Fund’s approach is a nomination framework that solicits recommendations from organizations on the frontlines of the pandemic. By relying on those who are closest to the issues and the solutions, the Fund is able to quickly identify organizations successfully combating the pandemic. It does so without applications or restrictions.
Reciprocity is built into the model. When a nominee is selected for funding, they receive $15,000 and the individual who nominated them receives $2,500. Grantees who receive funding are invited to “pay it forward” by sharing nominations in future rounds, strengthening and expanding the fund’s network.
“In our design process we set out to meet the crisis with a solution as unorthodox as the problem. We challenged ourselves to throw out the funder’s playbook. We took a different approach,” said Roddenberry Foundation Chief Executive Lior Ipp. “Covid is going to have a continued social, economic and health impact and we will need more responsive, scalable and agile funding models to fight it.”
For the first round of this initiative, the Roddenberry Foundation has partnered with global organizations including Acumen, Ashoka, The Obama Foundation, and The Resolution Project. To date, over 150 social entrepreneurs have nominated nearly 350 peers in 35 countries combating Covid-19.
About The Roddenberry Foundation
The Roddenberry Foundation is committed to big, bold ideas that can change the world. We make catalytic, timely investments in original ideas and extraordinary people through three core programs which uncover and support great, often untested ideas, and the individuals and organizations whose vision and leadership have the potential to bring them to fruition. http://roddenberryfoundation.org.
