Sundance Institute has initiated a Request for Proposals for STORIES OF CHANGE: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN FOCUS THROUGH DOCUMENTARY. The one-time funding initiative will provide $1.2 million in film project grants to enable the development and/or production of new feature-length independent documentary films that frame, examine and amplify social entrepreneurship as an innovative approach to the central questions of our time.

STORIES OF CHANGE is part of a $3 million, three-year partnership with the Skoll Foundation designed to explore the role of film in advancing knowledge about social entrepreneurship. The initiative builds on earlier work between the Skoll Foundation and Sundance Institute to combine the art of storytelling with the impact of social entrepreneurship. This partnership will help create new opportunities for leading social entrepreneurs and outstanding documentary filmmakers to collaborate and to create new projects that advance the innovative approaches found in both fields. The initiative anticipates funding up to 8 films in the range of $30,000-$150,000 per project, with editorial control being retained by the filmmaker(s).

“Documentary filmmakers and social entrepreneurs have much to contribute to the challenges we currently face as a global society,” said Cara Mertes, Director, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “This initiative is the first of its kind to bring the two fields together to seek inspiration, innovation, and creative experimentation around our most urgent social concerns.”

Those with proposals for documentary films on topics in social entrepreneurship, including the work of specific social entrepreneurs, are encouraged to apply directly to Sundance online.

Deadline for Submissions: August 15, 2008

Awards Announced: December, 2008

So many goodies in this article about the rise of social venture funds:

This year, socially conscious venture funds are ramping up at an unprecedented scale. At least seven new and follow-on funds billed as mission-driven investment vehicles are on track to raise about $750 million this year

“It’s really peaked in the last six months,” says David Chen, founder of Equilibrium Capital, a planned $200 million fund focused on the cleantech and wellness sectors. Since he began raising the fund last fall, Chen has seen a marked increase in interest levels from investors of all stripes in the social venture asset class.

The rise in social venture comes as institutional and accredited investors are putting significantly more money into so-called socially responsible investment (SRI) vehicles. Today, roughly $2.71 trillion—or 11% of assets under professional management in the United States—are now involved in SRI, according to the Social Investment Forum, a trade group.

via Venture Capital Journal.

BUILD’s mission is to provide real-world entrepreneurial experience that empowers youth from under-resourced communities to excel in education, lead in their communities, and succeed professionally. By supporting students in developing and actually running their own small businesses, BUILD puts entrepreneurial education far beyond the classroom into a tangible context. BUILD students come from neighborhoods where the high school drop-out rate ranges from 50% to 70%; yet, to date, 100% of BUILD graduates have graduated from high school and enrolled in college. Interested candidates can learn more about the organization at www.build.org.

Go here for more information.

EA’s new casual games boss discusses why titles aimed at wider audiences offer designers greater opportunities to innovate. Nashak also talks about Games for Change, a festival uniting do-good nonprofits with game makers.

Link

“MicroPlace, [is] the world’s only online brokerage specializing in socially responsible investments that alleviate poverty. Today we are launching a nationwide campaign to help the everyday investor address poverty with as little as $100 - using the spare change that is laying around your house.”

Link to press release

From NY Times:

Donating $10 to buy a mosquito net to save an African child from malaria has become a hip way to show you care, especially for teenagers. The movement is like a modern version of the March of Dimes, created in 1938 to defeat polio, or like collecting pennies for Unicef on Halloween.

Where to buy:

Nothing But Nets

This is great and I hope they raise a lot of money

If you’re interested in lunch with Alan Greenspan, check out the CharityBuzz auction going on right now!

Seth Godin says that there will be a coming backlash over green marketing. He references a marketing campaign that says Tumi will plant trees if you buy a specific line of luggage. Also relevant is this story about “green” Barbie: The Ultimate Greenwashing: Barbie Goes Green.

The fact that it’s so hard to quantify a product’s carbon footprint is the root cause of this marketing problem. (It’s the classic measurement issue that we see recurring in the social sector). For now, we have, from the FTC: Part 260 — GUIDES FOR THE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETING CLAIMS.

And if you’re a marketer that really cares about being green, Seth says you “should be scrambling right now to find a number or an organization that can defend the green brand. If not, it’s going to be worthless and a great opportunity for improvement is going to be lost.”

Sorry, but you’ll have to read his post to understand what he’s saying.

boardnetUSA is a website that’s designed to be a marketplace where nonprofits looking to fill board seats can connect with individuals looking to serve on nonprofit boards.

The Volunteer Consulting Group, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization in New York City with over 30 years of experience aiding in the development and strengthening of nonprofit organizations, initially developed the concept of boardnetUSA. With assistance from philanthropic and corporate supporters the Volunteer Consulting Group serves as the primary management and coordinating entity of the growing national network that is boardnetUSA.

Link to site