Make It Your Own Awards: Where We Are and Where We're Going

When the Case Foundation launched the Make It Your Own Awards^TM in June, we weren't quite sure how the public would react to this new grants program. We wanted to shine a spotlight on "citizen-centered" approaches to civic engagement, and we were excited to use the latest technology to make the initiative a truly interactive and inclusive experience. We were hopeful that we would receive at least 1,000 grant applications.

Four months and 4,641 applications later, we're thrilled with how things have turned out so far. Passionate individuals and teams from every state in the country visited our website and submitted great ideas for working together in their communities to identify issues, discuss solutions, and take action. Our diverse team of community reviewers has now selected the Top 100 ideas -- ideas that speak of a real commitment to citizen-centered change.

Since we can't fund all of the great ideas received, we're giving every one of the 4,641 applicants an innovative online tool, known as a "widget," that can be used like an advertising banner to raise awareness and funds for their project. Each of the 100 semifinalists will also receive $100 to jump-start their online fundraising efforts, as well as personal assistance from a "proposal coach" who will help refine and develop their idea and the logistics around getting it implemented.

In March 2008, the Top 20 finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and awarded $10,000 grants. The Final Four will be selected by the online community, and each will receive an additional $25,000 grant.

Reaching Real People
In the true sprit of the citizen-centered approach, we strived to get applications from real people that represent the nation's tremendous diversity. So our marketing plan was devised to do just that. Our outreach partners included many non-traditional sources -- Community Connect, the home of online destinations Black Planet, Asian Avenue, Mi Gente and Glee; GOOD Magazine, the hip and edgy publication for people who want to make a difference; and more than 200 partner organizations.

A survey of the nearly 5,000 Make It Your Own Awards applicants reveals that we were successful in reaching a diverse pool of individuals:

• Sixty-nine percent of applicants were female;
• Thirty-nine percent of applicants were non-white;
• Twenty-four percent of applicants were African American;
• The top five states submitting applications included: California (9.9%), New York (6.9%), Florida (6%), Pennsylvania (4.2%), and Texas (4.1%);
• The top five cities submitting applications included (in order): Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta; and
• There was near-equal representation from the four regions of the nation: Northeast (20.7%), Midwest (23.2%), South (34.2%), and West (22%).

Room for Improvement
Interestingly, more than one-half of those surveyed said they had never completed an online grant application before. This is of particular note when considering that one-quarter of all the applicants were over the age of 55. While we are heartened by the willingness of this age group to practice online engagement, we also recognize that we could have done a better job attracting those under 25, who represented 10 percent of all applicants.

We will also need to redouble our efforts and reexamine our strategy to reach Hispanics or Latinos, who only made up five percent of the applicant pool.

Perhaps of greatest note is a marked disparity between the number of applicants who believed they had a good idea of what we were looking for (70 percent) and the number of applications that reviewers identified as reflecting a true understanding of the citizen-centered model.

According to Case Foundation social investment manager Michael Smith, many applicants "described projects developed by one person or a small group of people seeking funding to help convince others to join their cause."

We recognize that the concept can be a hard one to grasp, and while we were clear in our application guidelines about the types of projects we are seeking, we might have been able to do a better job explaining and highlighting the tenets of our program.

Moving Forward
So what's next? Check out the Top 100. Each applicant has a personalized webpage where you can read their application and project diary, view photos and videos, and provide comments. You can also see how their fundraising effort is succeeding by checking out their widget. And if it's a project you want to support, you can contribute directly through the widget and copy it to your own website or blog.

In March, we need you to come back and vote to select which of the Top 20 $10,000 grant recipients make it to the Final Four and get an extra $25,000. In the meantime, we've got plenty of lessons to learn from and much to look forward to.