Accelerate is a pitch competition which gives individuals across Greater Cleveland the chance to win seed money to help launch their idea to make the region a better place.
Donor Name: Cleveland Leadership Center
State: Ohio
County: Cuyahoga County (OH), Lake County (OH), Geauga County (OH), Medina County (OH), and Lorain County (OH)
Type of Grant: Accelerator
Deadline: 12/02/2022
Size of the Grant: $5,000
Details:
Accelerate is a high-energy annual civic pitch competition. This Shark Tank-style event gives individuals across Northeast Ohio a chance to win seed money to help launch their idea to make the region a better place.
Accelerate 2023, sponsored by Citizens, will take place the evening of Thursday, February 23, 2023.
Five proposals are selected from each of the six pitch categories (30 pitches total) to be pitch at the event. In the first round, presenters pitch their ideas to a panel of community leaders who select one finalist in each category to pitch in the Finalist round to the full audience, which votes for the winner.
Six Categories
- Cleveland Experiences & Excursions
- Evoking connection to place for visitors and locals, and inspiring return visits.
- Economic Prosperity
- Creating pathways to financial success for people and places.
- Education
- Advancing access, readiness, and success for pre-k through college students.
- Health & Well-Being
- Promoting the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals and their communities.
- Quality of life
- Improving lives through art, culture, the environment, and community improvement projects.
- Social change
- Increasing equity, access, and opportunities within communities.
Funding Information
The winner receives $5,000 and the remaining five finalists each receive $2,000 to help bring their ideas to life. The Technovation competition will award $3,500 to the most innovative technology-based idea.
Eligibility Criteria
- Anyone with an idea to improve the Greater Cleveland community can apply. Proposed ideas cannot be affiliated with an established organization or business. Independent panels of leaders from across Northeast Ohio review the pitch applications and select 30 ideas for the category competition (five in each category) and the five Technovation ideas to be pitched at the event.
- The reviewers evaluate the applications based on the following criteria:
- Potential for community impact and advancing NE Ohio.
- How unique, creative, and innovative the initiative is.
- A realistic implementation plan that would be aided by the prize money.
For more information, visit Cleveland Leadership Center.
