RESOLUTION PROJECT

Become a Resolution Fellow

Resolution Fellows are selected through our Social Venture Challenges (SVC) – multi-stage competitions, combining web-based submissions, live rounds of presentations, and a due diligence process. We host our SVCs in partnership with conferences around the world that attract talented and passionate young people. Eligible conference attendees are invited to submit proposals for impactful social ventures addressing a social issue important to them.
Resolution selects those finalists with the best proposals and most compelling personal leadership characteristics to become Resolution Fellows. Resolution Fellowships include a full ecosystem of support for aspiring young social entrepreneurs – including seed funding, mentorship, resources, and access to a community of like-minded peers.

Interested in becoming a Resolution Fellow? Check out the following pages for more information and eligibility requirements, upcoming Social Venture Challenges, and answers to commonly asked questions.

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If you have additional specific questions, send us a message on our contact page.

The SVC is a multi-step competition designed to inspire undergraduate students to propose impactful social ventures addressing pressing issues in their communities. We host SVCs in partnership with conferences around the world that attract talented and passionate young leaders.

The SVC consists of a:

  • Social venture proposal: Prior to the SVC, individuals and/or teams complete a multi-step online proposal. Resolution reviews submissions and invites Semifinalists (often everyone who completed a proposal) to participate in the SVC Forum in-person at the conference.
  • SVC Forum: At the conference, semifinalists will showcase their proposed social ventures in an informal, science fair-like setting to judges and conference attendees.
  • SVC Finals: At the conference, invited Finalists present their social venture to a panel of judges. Presentations will be followed by question and answer sessions.

Resolution will award Fellowships (after a due-diligence onboarding period) to the most compelling leaders with the most promising social venture proposals. Fellowships include a full ecosystem of support for aspiring young social entrepreneurs – including seed funding, mentorship, resources, and access to a community of like-minded peers. 

All decisions regarding the Fellowship will be made by The Resolution Project at its sole discretion. The level of support and/or funding will be dependent on The Resolution Project’s resources and abilities, and shall be provided on a discretionary basis.

Eligibility and Judging Criteria

The Resolution Social Venture Challenge is a competition for a Resolution Fellowship. A Resolution Fellowship provides a full ecosystem for a new social entrepreneur and a pathway to creating positive impact today. This includes seed funding to launch the venture proposed for the SVC, along with ongoing mentorship, robust support, access to the Resolution network, and membership in a community that is committed to action. All decisions regarding the Fellowship will be made by The Resolution Project in its sole discretion. The level of support and/or funding will be dependent on The Resolution Project’s resources and abilities, and shall be provided on a discretionary basis.  Each team receives one grant and venture-specific guidance, but each Fellow also receives individualized mentorship and support.

Resolution does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, color, national, social or indigenous origin, ancestry, gender identity, sex or gender (including pregnancy), LGBTQ+ status or sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital or partnership status, veteran status, military service status, or any other characteristic consistent with relevant legal requirements, in regards to Resolution’s operations or in provision of its Fellowship program.

Eligibility for a Resolution Fellowship:

You must be a current undergraduate student in college or university.

To be eligible for a Resolution Fellowship, you need to be enrolled as an undergraduate student and not yet have received an undergraduate degree. Integrated joint degree programs with a bachelors degree are permissible if you receive the joint degree at the same time as your bachelors degree (and that cannot have happened already). Students working toward an associates degree or who are working towards their first bachelors degree after their associates degree are eligible. Students who are working toward another non-bachelors degree that will be their first college or university-granted degree are also eligible.

You must be a Founder of the social venture you are proposing.  The social venture must be created and led by the Founder(s).

A Founder is someone who is involved in the strategic creation and development of the social venture, and plans to be part of the implementation of the social venture. One, two, or three Founders per venture are permitted unless the team can show extenuating circumstances and obtains permission from The Resolution Project to participate with more than three Founders. High school and graduate students may participate as Venture Team members, but are not eligible to receive Fellowships.

You must present and represent the venture in-person at the conference at both the Social Venture Forum and, if you move forward, the Finals.

You must not be a staff member or volunteer of the host conference/organization for the Social Venture Challenge in which you are competing.

You must have at least one teammate working on your social venture.  You and your team must be trustworthy and committed to ethical standards.

If members of your team are attending the host conference we expect the team to be active and participate in the Forum (and, if selected, in the Finals).  If, however, you are the only member of your team attending the host conference, we require a letter from at least one other teammate, stating his or her name, a brief introduction, and explaining his or her involvement in and support of the social venture. Please note, this letter should be no longer than one page.

Your proposed social venture benefits a community and is socially responsible.

Resolution supports both for-profit and not-for-profit social ventures. Resolution does not consider as eligible purely for-profit businesses that donate a portion of their proceeds to other charities.  Businesses may be eligible if they have social impacts on underserved populations or major social challenges, and businesses may be eligible if they perform philanthropic work as part of their model (e.g., those that have an associated foundation that the leadership directly works on and is substantively involved in leading or implementing).

Your venture is youth-created and youth-led.

Your proposed social venture is a new organization, program or business, or a major new initiative of an existing organization.  If this is part of an existing organization, you must to be able to distinguish the initiative from existing operations; expansion without clear differentiation is not eligible. 

Your proposed social venture cannot have already received funding from another institution or organization.

Small-scale crowdfunding and small-scale fundraising from Founders, family, and friends are acceptable.

Your proposed social venture has the support of an Ally, who can be a professor, professional or other senior advisor.

An Ally is an advisor with experience in the area you are looking to address. Often an Ally is an academic advisor, mentor, or family friend in an appropriate industry who can share helpful insights on the project or who gives very sound advice.

Your proposed social venture must be ongoing and sustainable (not a one-time event), have clear, attainable, and measurable goals, and a well-defined and realistic budget.

Judging Criteria

Judging will be done by qualified individuals selected by Resolution’s Board of Directors. If any judge has a relationship with an applicant, the judge will recuse him/herself from judging that applicant. Selection of Fellows will be made without regard to race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs. In judging your Venture, panelists will be assessing your Venture on the following criteria:

Leadership and Collaboration

  • Leadership Characteristics – Is the Founding team open to mentorship? Are they poised and professional? Are they prepared? Do they articulate their vision well?
  • Team Dynamics – Are all Founding team members engaged in the development and presentation of the social venture? Does the team collaborate and support each other? If participating as an individual, does he or she have demonstrated support from peers?
  • Commitment to Social Responsibility – Does the Founding team demonstrate a desire and a long-term interest in making a positive impact? Do they have passion for the social change their venture aims to make?

Social Impact & Innovation

  • Problem/Issue — Is there a discernible problem? Has the social issue been articulated clearly and effectively?
  • Social Impact — What is the specific need the venture fulfills? Who is helped? How are they helped? How many are helped?
  • Integration of Missions — Do the venture’s social mission and identified problem align? Does the idea address the issue?
  • Innovation– Is this approach innovative or unique? Can the innovation be leveraged through other organizations to bring about faster or greater social returns?

Viability

  • Model — Is the idea for delivering the social innovation viable? Can is be executed upon immediately? Will the social venture be effective?
  • Fundability — Does this venture have the potential to receive financial support from additional investors/donors?
  • Marketability — Is there a clear demand for these products or services in the marketplace?

Strategic Plan

  • Scalability — Is there potential for growth or replication of the venture?
  • Sustainability –Is there potential for the venture to have long-term impact?
  • Performance Benchmarks – Does the venture have clear methods to track, monitor, and access the goals articulated in the action plan?
  • Risk Assessment — Are there risk factors associated with the venture and development of the venture? Have they been identified? Is there a plan for mitigating them?

What is an SVC?

The Resolution Social Venture Challenge (SVC) is a competition for Resolution Fellowships. The SVC is designed to identify and support teams of young people from around the world who offer strong solutions to pressing social issues. It rewards outstanding innovation, initiative, and enterprise among participating venturers.

Specifically, the SVC presents students with three challenges: 1) to identify a problem, large or small; 2) to conceive of a solution; and 3) to implement that solution. Students are asked to produce a detailed proposal in stages, describing the problem they will address and how their social enterprise will address it.

What is a Resolution Fellowship and what would I get if I was awarded one?

Resolution Fellowships recognize young leaders for their initiative and innovation in addressing social challenges through social entrepreneurship and for their dedication to a lifetime of social responsibility. Resolution provides Fellows with access to a full ecosystem for a new social entrepreneur and a pathway to creating positive impact today. This includes seed funding of up to $5,000 to launch the venture proposed for the SVC, along with ongoing mentorship, pro bono services, robust support and access to the Resolution network.  All decisions regarding the Fellowship will be made by The Resolution Project in its sole discretion. The level of support and/or funding will be dependent on The Resolution Project’s resources and abilities, and shall be provided on a discretionary basis. Please note, each team receives a grant (not each Fellow).

Is my idea a social venture?

In order to be a social venture, an idea needs to be both innovative and have social impact – it must address a real social problem in a unique way. Your social venture can be structured as a for-profit or not-for-profit organization, so long as it has a measurable, positive social impact. Resolution does not consider as eligible purely for-profit businesses that donate a portion of their proceeds to other charities.  Businesses may be eligible if they have social impacts on underserved populations or major social challenges, and businesses may be eligible if they perform philanthropic work as part of their model (e.g., those that have an associated foundation that the leadership directly works on and is substantively involved in leading or implementing).

A key characteristic of a social venture is that it is sustainable, so identifying a revenue stream is very important to ensuring that the project can have a lasting effect. You can see how Resolution assesses social ventures under our Eligibility Rules and Judging Guidelines.

Who can enter?

To be eligible to receive a Resolution Fellowship:

  • You must be a current undergraduate student in college or university. (To be eligible for a Resolution Fellowship, you need to be enrolled as an undergraduate student and not yet have received an undergraduate degree. Integrated joint degree programs with a bachelors degree are permissible if you receive the joint degree at the same time as your bachelors degree (and that cannot have happened already). Students working toward an associates degree or who are working towards their first bachelors degree after their associates degree are eligible. Students who are working toward another non-bachelors degree that will be their first college or university-granted degree are also eligible.)
  • You must be a Founder of the social venture you are proposing.  The social venture must be created and led by the Founder(s).
  • You must present and represent the Venture in-person at the conference at both the Social Venture Forum and, if you move forward, the Finals.
  • You must not be a staff member or volunteer of the host conference for the Social Venture Challenge in which you are competing.
  • You must have at least one teammate working on your social venture. 
  • You and your team must be trustworthy and committed to ethical standards.

For more detailed requirements, please see our Eligibility Rules and Judging Guidelines.

Can I submit materials or present my venture in a language other than English?

The official language of Resolution’s Social Venture Challenge is English, so we require that your materials and your presentation be in English. Resolution’s conference partners are English-language conferences, and as a program within those conferences, we carry out our competition in English to make it accessible to all attendees of the conference. This choice of language impacts everything from making it possible for the audience to understand the presentations, to selecting judges who can assess all teams equally.

How can I get started?

In order to participate in an SVC, you must register with one of our partner conferences. The conference organizers will be in touch with all participants with instructions on getting started.  Check out our upcoming SVCs.

Can I participate in the SVC without a team?

Yes, you are eligible to take part in an SVC as an individual. If you plan to participate as an individual, we require that you have at least one team member back home supporting your venture. Our experience is that a social entrepreneur is more likely to succeed when there is at least another person helping out. We ask individuals participating in the SVC to provide a short letter from a team member at home outlining his/her involvement in and support of the venture, should it go forward. In this case, only the individual actually attending the SVC is eligible to receive a Resolution Fellowship.

Who can be on my team?

Teams are limited to three Founders per Venture unless the team can show extenuating circumstances and obtains permission from The Resolution Project to participate with more than three Founders. Founders are self-identified in the application process. High school and graduate students may participate as Venture Team members, but are not eligible to receive Resolution Fellowships.

What is an Ally and why do I need one?

An Ally is an advisor with experience in the area you’re looking to address. Often they are academic advisors, mentors, or family friends in an appropriate industry who can share helpful insights on the project or who give very sound advice.

Allies are important because every strong entrepreneur and leader needs great mentors and advisors. Their specific knowledge, their experience, their access and support will be helpful to the project. They also show Resolution that you have been able to convince more senior individuals of the merits of your project—something you will have to do often as you build your social venture.

Am I still eligible if I’ve already raised money for my Venture?

To be eligible for a Resolution Fellowship, the Venture you are presenting cannot have already received funding from another institution or organization. Small-scale crowdfunding and small-scale fundraising from Founders, family, and friends are acceptable.

Are there any restrictions on the use of grant money?

Yes, as with most grants, use of funds is limited to an approved budget proposed to Resolution by the team of fellows. One additional restriction is that of the entire grant amount, only 10% of the grant money can be used towards travel and travel-related expenses. For example, if you received a $1,500 grant, $150 could be used for travel and travel-related expenses.

What should be included in the budget?

The budget should be a comprehensive budget for the Venture, not just the allocations of the funds associated with the Resolution grant. All past, present, and known-future fundraising efforts should be included in the budget.

If I don’t win, will I get feedback?

Yes, every Venture Team that participates in-person in an SVC will receive constructive feedback.

Who judges this?

Judging will be done by qualified individuals selected by Resolution’s Board of Directors. If any judge has a prior relationship with an applicant, the judge will recuse him/herself from judging that applicant’s venture.

How does the judging work?

For the details of our judging process, please visit our Eligibility Rules and Judging Guidelines.

We have three upcoming SVCs in 2024:

  • Harvard MUN SVC | February 14-18
  • Rutgers SVC | April 12-13 (Interested Rutgers undergraduate students apply by March 21, 2024 here: bit.ly/SVCatRICSI)
  • World MUN SVC | March 8-14

Previous Social Venture Challenges