Three Online Competitions Seek Collaborative, Innovative Solutions to Entrenched Health and Social Problems
Sponsoring online, open-source idea competitions to identify promising approaches to advancing social change goals - 2006-08
Changemakers, an online community for social entrepreneurs, held three online competitions in 2006–2007 to generate innovative projects in three categories:
- Intimate partner violence
- "Disruptive innovations" in health and health care
- Computer and video games to promote health.
Changemakers seeks to provide a forum in which social innovators can develop solutions to entrenched health and social problems. It uses online "open-source" collaborative competitions to generate these solutions.
Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, an organization that promotes social entrepreneurship worldwide.
Key Results:
- In 2006–2007, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) funded the three online competitions. Four judges, including a program officer at RWJF, chose 12 finalists and, from them, the three winners with the most innovative solutions. The winners each received $5,000.
- The three competitions were:
- "No Private Matter! Ending Abuse in Intimate and Family Relations." Winners were announced May 1, 2007. See Sidebar on the three winning projects.
- "Disruptive Innovations in Health and Health Care: Solutions People Want." Winners announced August 29, 2007. For this competition, the online Changemakers community selected three winners in an "open-source" voting process. See Sidebar on the three winning projects. In November 2007, RWJF invited 11 of the 307 entrants to compete for a total of $5 million in grants.
- "Why Games Matter: A Prescription for Improving Health and Health Care" The winners were announced November 8, 2007.) For this competition, the online Changemakers community selected three winners in an "open-source" voting process. See Sidebar on the three winning projects.
Afterward: RWJF has supported three additional online open source competitions run by Ashoka:
- To help young men at risk reach their greatest potential; a $240,000 grant from November 2007 to July 2008.
- To create a new financial market for social entrepreneurs focusing on health and health care in the U.S.; a $1,540,175 grant from August 2005 to August 2009 (ID# 052599).
- To advance social change goals—2008–2010; a $2,588,125 grant from August 2008 to April 2011 (ID# 063695).