The Rhode Island Foundation has announced the Rhode Island Innovation Fellowship, a new fellowship program providing $100,000 a year for up to three years for two Rhode Islanders “to develop, test, and implement innovative ideas that have the potential to dramatically improve any area of life in Rhode Island.”
According to the Rhode Island Foundation, the fellowship will focus on the “greatest good for the greatest number of Rhode Islanders, a small idea that has big potential to be built to scale, or new approaches to longstanding, intractable challenges.” The Foundation’s six funding sectors are: arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environment, health, and human services. The fellowship appears to have a social entrepreneurship bent.
“There is no monopoly on creative thinking, exceptional ideas, or the potential of people to help solve issues affecting the lives of Rhode Islanders,” said John Carter, the philanthropist funding the fellowship. “Letitia [Carter] and I wanted to provide a platform for change – one in which everyone is invited to participate. We believe The Rhode Island Foundation is the ideal organization to carry forward our dreams for Rhode Island’s future and we are excited to embark on this adventure together.”
The deadline for applications is December 23, 2011. Read more about the fellowship.