With 662 ideas from participants in 185 countries, the Ideas phase of the 2017 BridgeBuilder Challenge has come to a close. We called on our global community to submit solutions addressing urgent global challenges in radically new ways, and were presented with an unexpected number of ideas from social innovators around the world. A huge thanks to everyone who participated, whether you submitted an idea, gave feedback or helped spread the word—you made the Ideas phase a tremendous success!

We at GHR are energized and inspired by the quality of submissions, and humbled by the expertise and dedication of everyone who participated in the Challenge community. We received ideas building bridges between peace, prosperity and planet in innovative ways, finding intersections in unexpected places. The reach of the Challenge provides us with diverse perspectives and opportunities outside our usual funding areas, which we hope pushes our work to the next level. 

​As we enter the Review phase, the GHR and OpenIDEO teams are eagerly digging into Challenge submissions. On May 1, after close and thoughtful review, we will announce the shortlisted ideas. We are excited to explore the ideas, learn from the creativity of Challenge participants and ensure their contributions help push the Foundation's work to the next level. The ideas selected during the Final Evaluation phase will be announced in July. 

GHR has committed $3 million to three challenges with OpenIDEO, and we will be conducting a second Challenge around this time next year. Until then, stay plugged in to the Challenge community—you can continue commenting on the ideas and discussing them with one another!

Our world faces complex, interconnected challenges that cannot be solved in isolation. Many of these issues are emerging and growing at a rate that requires immediate action to provide relief, restoration and reconciliation.

GHR Foundation is partnering with OpenIDEO to conduct our first open challenge. The deadline to apply is April 14, 2017.

The BridgeBuilder Challenge leverages the universal call from Pope Francis to ‘build bridges’ addressing the pressing and emergent concerns of our time in the areas of peace, prosperity and planet.

With this program, GHR—in collaboration with OpenIDEO, an open innovation platform—will seek out and invest in organizations developing solutions for the global good. Stemming from our founders’ values, the challenge seeks to support new and innovative projects that respond to needs in two or more of these areas, in the United States and around the world. The top ideas selected from the challenge will receive a total of $1 million in funding, in addition to support provided by our experts. All participants will benefit from the platform's collaborative improvement process and opportunities for connection to new partners and potential funders.

To learn more and apply for the BridgeBuilder Challenge, visit the OpenIDEO page.