by Rachel Ogbu

 

The Rockefeller Foundation has announced a new competition in search of solutions that will improve livelihoods for poor or vulnerable workers in the world’s informal economies.

The new competition seeks to award grants to innovators who are transforming the livelihoods of informal workers.

The competition will consider as many as 10 of the finalists for the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $100,000 and win support in proposal-writing to enable the further development of submitted ideas and this is in celebration of The Rockefeller Foundation’s centennial anniversary, the Centennial Innovation Challenge.

According to a statement by The Rockefeller Foundation,1.8 billion people find their livelihoods in the informal economy like in the business enterprises and jobs that exist partially or completely outside of government regulation often out of necessity.

“Informal workers lack basic safety nets like pensions and health insurance, and are typically without recourse if they are denied pay or are compelled to work in unsafe conditions. Improving working conditions, legal rights, and social benefits for informal workers would open new pathways to economic and social empowerment for millions of poor or vulnerable people worldwide.”

“The Rockefeller Foundation is looking to tap the ingenuity and dedication of today’s social innovators to address the world’s most urgent challenges and ensure that informal workers canachieve equitable  growth, all while building resilience in an increasingly volatile world,” said Dr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Together we can chart new paths that will transform the livesofthe billions working in informal economies across the globe.”

Ideas for the 2013 Centennial Innovation Challenge will be accepted online at challenge.rockefellerfoundation.orguntil the deadline on April1, 2013.

The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, the Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact.

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