Competing for over $40,000 in grant money, 10 Greensboro-based nonprofits will pitch their community solutions to a virtual crowd during this week’s Future Fund 10 LIVE.

The online showcase is the culmination of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro’s Future Fund incubator program, in which 10 nonprofits work with mentors to craft a three-minute pitch.

The event will be streamed via Facebook Live on April 21 at 6 p.m. Anyone who tunes into the livestream can cast their choice for the $20,000 audience vote prize. Future Fund’s members will vote for the $12,000 and $8,000 winners. The volunteer mentors who coached the finalists on their pitch will vote on a $3,000 prize. A $1,000 prize will be awarded to the winner of Future Fund’s community vote, which has been collecting submissions for the past two weeks.

Organizers are expecting around 2,000 virtual attendees to tune in on Tuesday night.

Future Fund’s 2020 class was chosen from 50 applicants last November. Jodee Ruppel, Future Fund’s program coordinator, says the finalists were picked because of their “passion, innovation and potential for sustainable impact” in the community.

“They stood out with their passion and their ideas that address community needs in a new and/or impactful way,” Ruppel added. “Last year’s finalists and this year’s finalists are mix of new and established nonprofits that are coming up with creative ways to tackle issues in our community.”

Here’s a snapshot of Future Fund’s class of 2020:

  • Community Housing Solutions: Provides affordable housing for low-income households in Guilford County.
  • Community Theatre of Greensboro: An organization supporting Greensboro’s arts and entertainment community.
  • Freedom House: An addiction treatment and rehabilitation center.
  • Gant School of Music and Jazz: Provides local students with access to musical instruments and instruction.
  • Guilford Green Foundation: Provides programming and funding for initiatives supporting the local LGBTQ community.
  • Interactive Resource Center: A day center for people who are homeless, offering job search assistance, computer access, skills classes, medical assistance and other services.
  • Montagnard Dega Association: An organization that serves North Carolina’s Montagnard population through refugee resettlement services and community engagement.
  • Operation Xcel: An after-school/summer program providing education and leadership development to children in kindergarten through middle school.
  • The Re-Entry Expert: Provides assistance for people who’ve been incarcerated. Services include GED assistance, college enrollment, training opportunities and driver’s license prep.
  • Youth Villages: Provides residential treatment, foster care and adoption services, and crisis support for children and families.

Ruppel says that the goal of the event is to “bring Shark Tank-style thinking to nonprofits.”

“At Future Fund, we want to push nonprofits out of their comfort zone, to reward innovative thinkers and spotlight up and coming organizations that are needed in our community,” she adds.

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