Five organizations with novel ideas about how to solve a variety of problems in the Triangle will compete in a pitch event today at HQ Raleigh.

The top prize is a $25,000 grant from the Triangle Community Foundation.

More than 50 groups applied for the grant, and five finalists were picked for the showdown which happens between 1-5 p.m. Several judges in the event have connections to the technology community.

Before presenting, the organization teams received coaching from Dawn and Brian Crawford of BDCD Ideas.

The finalists:

  • Bull City Cool Food Hub Collaboration

Partners: Farmer Foodshare, Reinvestment Partners, CFSA, Durham County, Durham County Soil and Water Conservation

Idea: A piece of the strategy to revitalize a distressed neighborhood located in Old North Durham, to strengthen the local food supply chain and to address unmet nutritional needs.

  • Second Helpings

Partners: Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham (RCND), Core Catering Company, Durham County Criminal Justice Resource Center (CJRC)

Idea: A food trailer that provides certified “Durham Living Wage” employment for justice-involved individuals who are in transition from prison to civilian life.

  • Siler City Unidos

Partners: Chatham Economic Development Corporation, Siler City Development Organization. This project also plans to include others.

Idea: A program to strengthen the community, particularly Siler City’s Hispanic population. The Idea Centro will be a place to gather stakeholders, engage minority residents, train leaders, nurture ideas, coordinate development and create excitement about Siler City.

  • Tiny Home Pilot

Partners: The Farm at Penny Lane, Habitat for Humanity of Chatham County

Idea: The Farm seeks to assist individuals living with mental health challenges to find a way to become self-sufficient and have an improved quality of life. This partnership would offer a housing solution that is affordable, energy efficient, and located in a supportive community environment.

  • Wake Collaborative

Partners: Community Partnerships, Inc., Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), Daniels Center, SouthLight Healthcare, StepUp Ministries, Triangle Family Services, Wake County SmartStart

Idea: A pilot project in the 27610 zip code in Raleigh with wrap-around social-emotional development services to focus on young children in four distinct age groups: prenatal; ages 0-3; ages 3-4; and children in kindergarten – 3rd grade.

Judges include:

  • Chair, Easter Maynard, Director of Community Investment, Investment Management Corporation
  • Scott Crawford, Chef & Co-Owner, Standard Foods
  • David Dodson, President, MDC
  • Aaron Houghton, Co-Founder and CEO, BoostSuite
  • Donovan Moxey, CEO, Interactive Multimedia Solutions and IBS International
  • Steven Pearson, Manager of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM