Five new community ventures will get $10,000 each and the help of a paid consultant this summer to help implement their plans to bring Chattanoogans together “to live, work, play and learn.”
Causeway Challenge, a social innovation incubator that supports groups that go for bold community solutions, announced the winners Thursday from among nearly 90 groups that submitted suggestions about how to answer the question: “How can we make Chattanooga a city where people from all backgrounds live, work, play and learn together?”
“The Challenge has introduced us to an entire network of new ideas and passionate people who want to create positive change in Chattanooga,” said Abby Garrison, Causeway’s executive director. “We were really impressed by the quality of the applications, and we are excited about the potential of not only the five winning projects, but of the entire pool of applicants that we hope to engage in other ways.”
Taking a page from other entrepreneurial-focused venture funds, Causeway is not only giving seed money to each winning team but also providing a paid consultant and other guidance during a four-month incubation program for each of newly formed community causes. The assistance includes a one-on-one consultant, specialized workshops, 24/7 access to Causeway’s workspace as well as a temporary membership to Society of Work, access to Causeway’s network of pro-bono advisers, a $100 gift card to The Camp House to host meetings, and increased connections to Causeway’s network of investors, supporters and advisors.
“The money is certainly huge for us, but we’re even more excited about the assistance and help we’ll be getting during the incubation period to give us the professional help and advice we need to get organized and to be ultimately be successful,” said Katie Cowley, a mother, nursing student and community organizer who is part of the winning team known as ALICE (The American Legislative Initiative for Community Empowerment).