With the Social Startup Pitch “Creating Participation”, we support founders and innovative projects that have set themselves the task of improving the lives of people with a migration background and that rely on the power of art and culture to achieve this. On December 3, 2024, our 8 finalists will therefore compete for prize money totaling 100,000 euros at the pitch event in Düsseldorf. In addition to the jury awards, there is also an audience award, which is decided in advance via an online vote. The competition takes place in cooperation and with the financial support of the Fritz Henkel Foundation takes place.
The starting point for the Social Startup Pitch is the fundamental conviction that cultural education can open doors and facilitate encounters on new levels. This offers people with a history of migration or experience as refugees in particular the opportunity to participate more fully in society. That is why it is so important to increase the number of successful projects in this field. However, many cultural participation projects reach their limits because they lack visibility and funding. This is where the Social Startup Pitch can help and support you in scaling your work to the next level!
The participants prepare for the pitch in advance through workshops and individual coaching sessions. This enables them to further develop their offerings with professional support, improve their presentation skills and network with each other. The result is a clear vision for the future of the projects and a strong community that is supported by a shared vision.
In the first step, the jury will select 8 organizations from all applications. As part of the program, they receive professional support in preparing for their pitch at the beginning of December. This enables them to further develop their services and plan the implementation of their project in order to tackle potential challenges in a concrete manner, particularly with regard to current migration developments. The coaching sessions are a benefit from which all final teams can profit in the long term, regardless of the prize money. At the final pitch event, the 8 teams will then present their results and the winners will be chosen: 3 prizes will be awarded by the jury and one via a community vote. Prize money totaling €100,000 has been announced.
For inspiration, you can find initiatives that Social Impact has supported in the area of culture in the past here, as well as the teams from the Social Startup Pitch 2022 and the conditions of participation here.
Application deadline: June 23, 2024