We are now accepting BridgeBuilder Challenge ideas until Friday April 14th, a one-week extension of our initial deadline! Inspired by submissions so far and the continued strong interest in the Challenge, we are excited to see new proposals and current proposals grow through collaboration, iteration and feedback on the platform. To potential grantees who have  yet to submit, we hope this extension will encourage you to join the Challenge sooner rather than later and collaborate within our community until the deadline.

Have questions?
Last week, OpenIDEO held conference calls with community members to answer questions and provide insight. You can find resources prepared for the calls here, and a recording of the sessions here. Listen to hear questions from peer organizations and better understand the process behind the Challenge.

Dig deeper using these resources:

• How to Submit an Idea
• What Happens After I Submit an Idea?
• Why Open Innnovation?
• Anatomy of a Challenge Idea
• What Makes a Strong Idea?
• More About the Challenge
• Adding Visual Goodness to Your Ideas

For more information on the BridgeBuilder Challenge and GHR's other impact areas, contact us.

GHR Foundation is partnering with OpenIDEO, an open innovation platform, to conduct the BridgeBuilder Challenge.  Why use open innovation to run the BridgeBuilder Challenge? The answer is simple—we believe this transparent, collaborative and iterative approach has the potential to change how grant making is done. 

​Modeled on IDEO's human-centered design methodology, OpenIDEO's unique brand of open innovation uses a collaborative process to focus attention on important topics and create a space for community members to contribute and build on each others' thinking. Open innovation can help organizations around the world develop new ideas, collect diverse perspectives and solve problems together. Our partnership with OpenIDEO will help us discover social innovators doing critical work often overlooked by private funders.

​Unlike traditional RFPs or challenge models, an open innovation platform also allows our participants access to a number of resources beyond the funds awarded and a partnership with GHR. Challenge participants also receive:

The open innovation process is transparent, collaborative and iterative—we sincerely believe it will make our work and the work of our partners better. In the spirit of both open innovation and our design-build approach to philanthropy, we plan to share what we learn from this unique grant making process.

If you have an idea solving an urgent global challenge at the intersection of peace, prosperity and planet, submit here by April 14. The earlier ideas are submitted, the more support you will have as your idea develops. For more information on the BridgeBuilder Challenge and GHR's other impact areas, contact us.

It is with a heavy heart that GHR shares the sad news of GHR board member Peter Karoff’s passing on March 9, 2017.

Peter was a longtime friend of GHR and a leading contributor to the world of Philanthropy. Inspired by the idea of strategic philanthropy and thinking creatively to increase the impact of philanthropy on society, he founded The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) in 1989. TPI is now a pioneer non-profit consulting firm and a leading influence of thought in the philanthropic world. Many of Peter’s revolutionary ideas are captured in his book, The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Change.

Peter played a key role in establishing the Rauenhorst family foundations--an accomplishment he took great pride in--and was instrumental in the founding and shaping of GHR's vision of improving lives by working towards a just, peaceful, healthy future. Peter’s decades of contributions as a board member and advisor cannot be overstated—he was simply exemplary, and we take great joy in having dedicated the Karoff study at our offices in his name.
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An avid poet and a master of words, Peter’s poetic approach to life and philanthropy is a true testament that philanthropy and social change is an art form—​one that he mastered and taught with perfection. GHR sends our thoughts and prayers to Peter’s family. We celebrate his life and the legacy he helped create at GHR and many other foundations.

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 the BridgeBuilder Challenge, addressing the pressing and emergent concerns of our time in the areas of peace, prosperity and planet. The deadline to apply is April 14, 2017.

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.

GHR Foundation's Sister Support funding seeks to ensure a vital future for Catholic sisters, marked by congregations that are well-led, well-resourced and powerful in spiritual witness and service.

Below is the first national study of the 4,000 international sisters living in the United States. With support from GHR, researchers from Trinity Washington University and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University conducted the report in order to better understand the experiences and contributions of international sisters. The report is available below in both English and Spanish.

To learn more about the report and GHR’s Sister Support Initiative, contact us.