SEWF Finance Solutions Labs: Applications Now Open

 

The SEWF Finance Solutions Labs will give attendees an extraordinary and unique way to ‘be part of the solution’.

At the heart of the Labs will be six SEWF attendees who are looking to take their change efforts to the next level. Help will come in the form of input from experts and fellow attendees in strategic and highly focused sessions. Not only do fellow attendees get a chance to help in the solutions, they will be able to learn from the process and apply those insights to their own work.

Dan Overall

“We are very excited to announce the Finance Solutions Labs because they accomplish a number of SEWF goals” said Dan Overall, Executive Director of SEWF 2013. “First, they are another instance of giving our attendees a real opportunity to make change and to be changed – to serve, lead and learn. Secondly, it honours a request we received many months ago to shake things up in terms of format – whereas most sessions are 90 minutes, the Finance Labs are all-day efforts that enable attendees that are so inclined to roll up their sleeves and truly dig in to a big sticky problem.”

Any SEWF 2013 attendee can apply to be one of the six organizations that are the focus of the labs and all SEWF 2013 attendees are welcome to sit in on the labs. The October 3 Finance Solutions Lab will target three efforts that relate to alleviating poverty. The three target areas for the October 4 Finance Solutions Lab are wide open – they could relate to social inclusion, clean energy, food safety or some other ideas SEWF attendees come up with. More details about the application process and the Labs are below.

Applications must be in by September 4 at 12:00 noon EST.

Criteria for applying

• Structure: Represent a nonprofit organization, for-profit company, or collaborative with an initiative whose objective is to employ a systems-change approach to ending the cycle of poverty (for October 3^rd session) or to combatting a pressing social or environmental issue (for October 4^th session).
• Stage: Beyond idea or concept stage. Initiatives should have one (1) year of operating activity, which could include research and development or piloting.
• Geography: Initiatives may be located anywhere in the world.
• Approach: Apply a social innovation, social enterprise, and/or social finance approach.
• Content: Presenters will:
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the problem being addressed (eg. extreme poverty in rural, southern Sudan).
  • Illustrate a comprehensive vision for a solution to address the problem.
  • Outline their model to operating, structuring, and financing their solution.
  • Describe the desired impact (qualitative and quantitative).
  • Identify the key challenges and barriers facing their initiative.
  • Identify one key question they want answered by the expert and community advisors.

For the application form or questions and inquiries, please email . Remember, only SEWF 2013 attendees will be able to apply.

Finance Solutions Lab Structure

Morning Session

1. Presentations (30 mins):

Five (5) minute presentations by each of the three (3) initiatives followed by brief Q&A with the audience.

2. Small working groups (1.5 hours)

Key advisors are assigned to each initiative to provide feedback and help address the key challenges and questions raised by the presenters. Conference delegates are invited to observe and participate in each of the roundtable discussions.

Afternoon Session

1. Group Discussion (1 hour)

Facilitated, frank, and open full group discussion around each of the initiatives and workable solutions to their challenges (20 minutes per organization).

2. Peer Circle (Concurrent with Group Discussion)

Three presenters will share their learnings from the morning with each other, and provide peer feedback on their models. Presenters will then spend 30-45 minutes to revise their presentation.

3. Re-Presentation (30 minutes)

Presenters deliver revised presentation, as well as key findings and takeaways from the day (10 minutes each).

About SEWF:

The Social Enterprise World Forum is a global gathering to hear inspiring speakers, connect, share ideas, and advance a movement dedicated to a powerful idea – that working together we can use markets and innovations to solve the world’s most complex and confounding

social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Each year SEWF gives a different host country an incredible opportunity to celebrate and nurture its own social enterprise movement. 2013 is Canada’s chance to shine. Event host, TRICO Charitable Foundation, is partnering with the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, Social Innovation Generation, and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network to make this a watershed moment for social enterprise, for Canada and for the world.

SEWF 2013 by the numbers:

• Attendees: 1,200 from 30 countries
• 6 Program Tracks: Social Finance/Impact Investing, Indigenous Social Enterprise, Social Enterprise Skills Building, Research and Public Policy, Cross-Boundary Collaboration, Social Innovation
• Breakout Sessions: 36, featuring 120 speakers from 20 countries
• Main Stage Speakers: 17
• 1st time in Canada
• October 2-4, 2013, Calgary, Canada

Click here to register.