NEWSBYMOLLY MILLS

This is part 6 of an 11-part series on Undergraduate Social Entrepreneurship coordinated by the Social Innovation Initiative (SII) at Brown University. This post was written by Molly Mills, leader of the SII Grants Competition.

When I can plant a few seeds and watch them grow into a harvest that feeds an entire community, I really feel like I have a "green thumb." The Social Innovation Initiative (SII) Grant Competition plants these seeds by funding early-stage undergraduate social ventures at Brown University. Our process reaches and engages multiple audiences, including alumni, community members and participants.

Here's a run-down of the steps:

1. Bring in the gardeners: Early on in our process, we match all applicants with mentors who watch short, video-recorded ‘elevator pitches' from each student before connecting with applicants according to their field or area of expertise. These mentors provide guidance and support throughout the competition, and continue to nurture early-stage ventures as they mature into full-fledged project plans.

2. Fertilize the soil: Young innovators depend on mutual support and shared resources, especially on a very small campus. In a peer critique process, applicants present developing projects before three or four colleagues (faculty, students or alums) who give constructive comments and ask tough questions about the project's sustainability, innovation, logistical feasibility and social impact. Each of our applicants gets to both pitch their idea during critique and sit as a "peer" offering comments on another project idea.