NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM supports organizations executing on innovative and transformational ideas that can strengthen North Carolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
NC IDEA is particularly interested in supporting organizations who serve under-resourced entrepreneurs building scaleable businesses. Under-resourced is intentionally vague; the lack of resources may be due to factors of geography, gender, race or limited economic means. Organizations who primarily serve audiences of high technology, venture-backable businesses are still invited to apply but are herewith informed that the number of grants targeted for that sector will be limited.
It is not our intention to create funding dependencies. This effort is intended to validate vital activities and demonstrate that continuing (supporting) those activities, beyond the period of the grant, would be in the interest of the communities served.
We invite proposals from nonprofit and for profit organizations within North Carolina that primarily help people start and grow high potential firms. High potential firms are companies that have the potential to grow into seven figure companies and/or employ more than 50 people within 5-7 years. Organizations working with small and lifestyle businesses are not the focus of this program, as we believe there are other entities around the state that are serving those firms.
The following entities are not eligible to be awarded an NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM grant:
Requests for proposals are intentionally non-prescriptive and evaluation is subjective; at the sole discretion of the Foundation. Applicants are encouraged not to assume they will receive funding and not to represent or make other funding initiatives contingent upon winning a grant following their application.
NC IDEA does not presume how to best serve the diverse communities of North Carolina. We have however, supported dozens of organizations around the state and have observed common practices with promising results that will factor into our evaluation. These include, but are not limited to:
Proposals will be subjectively evaluated using the criteria that follows. Other factors may be considered at the sole discretion of NC IDEA.
Alignment
Ability to Execute
Outcomes & Metrics
Sustainability
Leverage
Timing