Future Finder Challenge: $1 million to Reimagine Career Navigation for Adult Learners

The Future Finder Challenge is a $1 million challenge to reimagine career navigation for adult learners. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education invites innovators to build digital tools that better support adult learners as they launch and advance their careers.

Donor Name: U.S. Department of Education

State: All States

County: All Counties

Territory: American Samoa, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands

Type of Grant: Challenge

Deadline: 12/15/2022

Size of the Grant: $500,000

Details:

The challenge aims to bring together stakeholders from across the adult ed ecosystem and adjacent fields to encourage collaboration and information sharing. The challenge will provide funding and guidance around topics such as user-centered design, data collection and evaluation, and sustainability planning to help innovators pave the way.

Stages

Stage 1: Open submissions
- In the first stage, innovators — including strategists, developers, user-centered designers, and educators — are invited to submit prototypes and accompanying proposals for digital tools that will improve the career navigation experience for adult learners. Submissions are due by 6:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, December 15, 2022. Up to five finalists will be selected to receive at least $50,000 each and progress to Stage 2.
Stage 2: Accelerator
- Finalists will have access to virtual resources, mentorship from experts, and other support to help them build and test their tools. This will include guidance around topics such as user-centered design, data collection and evaluation, and sustainability planning. At the end of Stage 2, finalists will submit their market-ready tools and accompanying proposals for review and participate in a live demo day. One grand-prize winner will receive $500,000, and up to two runners-up will receive a share of at least $250,000.
Beyond the challenge: Deployment
- The winners will be supported as they deploy their solutions across the adult ed ecosystem. Deployment support will include guidance around marketing strategies as well as customizable templates for communications materials.

Prizes

Total Prize Pool: $1 million
Stage 1: Up to five finalists will receive at least $50,000 each.
Stage 2: One grand-prize winner will be awarded $500,000, and up to two runners-up will receive a share of at least $250,000.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible entrants must be:
- Individuals at least 18 years of age and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States (defined as the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas of the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); or
- Teams of individuals that (i) are all at least 18 years of age, (ii) include at least one citizen or permanent resident of the United States, and (iii) may also include foreign citizens who affirm at the time of submission of an entry for the Challenge that they are foreign citizens, who are not permanent residents; or
- An entity registered or incorporated in accordance with applicable state and local laws, and maintaining a primary place of business in the United States. The entity may include foreign citizens participating as employees of the entity.

Selection Criteria

In Stage 1, the judging panel will use the Stage 1 criteria to recommend up to five finalists to win prizes and progress into Stage 2. Depending on the volume of submissions received, a review panel may conduct an initial review of eligible submissions. A subset of the highest-scoring submissions will then progress for review by the judging panel.
- Stage 1 Criteria
  - Analytics and insights: Extent to which the entrant identifies relevant data points — such as user, usage, and outcomes data — to inform continuous tool improvements and advance the adult ed sector’s understanding of effective career navigation practices.
  - Impact: Extent to which the tool has the potential to improve career navigation for adult learners — including through increased self-awareness, career knowledge, confidence, and/or job attainment in high-growth, high-wage industries.
  - Integration: Extent to which the entrant plans to integrate with existing local workforce systems and tools, including through partnerships with adult education providers and/or industry.
  - Learner centricity: Extent to which the entrant demonstrates an understanding of their target adult learners’ specific needs — such as literacy, tech-proficiency, and access to technology.
  - Scalability: Extent to which the tool has the potential to be scaled to impact a meaningful number of adult learners beyond the challenge.
  - Market readiness: Level of confidence that the tool will be market ready by the end of Stage 2 — with reference to the fidelity of the prototype, the team’s expertise, and the Stage 2 build and user testing plan.
In Stage 2, the judging panel will use the Stage 2 criteria to recommend a grand-prize winner and up to two runners-up.
- Stage 2 Criteria
  - Analytics and insights: Extent to which the entrant demonstrates a plan to collect and share data to inform continuous tool improvements and advance the adult ed sector’s understanding of effective career navigation practices.
  - Impact: Extent to which the entrant demonstrates how their tool will improve career navigation for adult learners — such as increased self-awareness, career knowledge, confidence, and/or job attainment in high-growth, high-wage industries.
  - Integration: Extent to which the tool will effectively integrate with local systems, including through partnerships with adult education providers and/or industry, and compatibility with existing datasets and tools.
  - Learner centricity: Extent to which the tool design, content, and deployment plan reflect target adult learners’ needs, as informed by rigorous user testing.
  - Scalability: Extent to which the entrant articulates a plan to deploy and scale the tool to impact a meaningful number of adult learners following the challenge.
  - Sustainability: Extent to which the entrant demonstrates the skills, resources, and commitment to maintain, update, and grow their tool beyond the challenge.