climate-strategies-accelerator-2017

CSA are looking for high-potential concepts for far-reaching social or political change. The CSA does not invest in for-profit enterprises or innovations (though these are also essential to carbon reduction). Instead, we seek new ideas that leverage political, cultural, social, or behavioral change to reimagine transit systems, urban planning, water use, land rights, technology, consumer habits, and more.

CSA expect that participants’ ideas will evolve –– we want them to. The solutions that innovators pitch to funders at the end of the Breakthrough Lab may look very different from their original proposals. We are more interested in finding the right people for the accelerator than the perfect ideas.

Who:
Breakthrough Lab candidates should have:

• ● A history of creating real, meaningful change in their fields
• ● Strong and diverse networks
• ● Drive, tenacity, and imagination
• ● Willingness to work full-time on their project for three years
• ● Systems thinking and collaborative approach
• ● The right ratio of talent to arrogance

At the end of the Breakthrough Lab, the CSA Fund may choose to invest in one or more candidates, who would then become Program Leaders, receiving $1-2 million USD per year for a three-year grant period to pursue their ideas. There is no guarantee that any of the Fellows will become Program Leaders.

Selections will be based on:

• ● The anticipated impact of the project (i.e., tons of carbon or disruptive political change)
• ● The strength of the leader’s strategy and theory of change
• ● Leader’s demonstrated ability to work with a large network to achieve the goal
• ● English proficiency (this Breakthrough Lab will be conducted only in English, though future Labs may be conducted in additional languages)

How:

CSA don’t believe any one person or organization can achieve the scale of change we seek; we’re looking for innovators who are ready to work with an entire ecosystem of players –– from government and NGOs to private enterprise. We seek leaders who can serve as a hub within a network, partnering with and resourcing other groups and individuals (including redistributing grant funds) in order to achieve their goals.