SBIR Phase I: Incubating A Fourth-Sector Ecosystem With A Scalable Educational Crowdfunding Platform

SBIR第一阶段项目的重点是展示创新众筹流程的可行性，以有效支持和发展当地社区层面的第四部门经济。这第四部门经济，是三个传统经济部门的混合（公共，私人和非营利组织）准备解决世界上许多最困难和复杂的社会问题;然而，如果没有一个支持性的生态系统，该项目提出了一个创新的第四部门生态系统孵化器，它带来了一套协调的为当地社区提供服务，让他们参与，教育他们，并通过众筹平台提供金融资本。该项目将让四个社区参与一项试点研究，旨在吸引和教育主要领导人，激发对第四部门增长的倡导，并通过众筹提供资本准入来催化第四部门社会企业。这个基层可扩展的教育和参与式孵化器的验证将使社区能够支持当地的营利性企业，这些企业将改善社区的生活质量，创造就业机会，并为经济做出贡献，从而在全国和全球范围内推广这种模式。交钥匙过程，为第四部门的业务增长提供催化剂。创新的组成部分包括一个强大的，安全的众筹平台，对社区领袖和企业进行第四部门原则的教育培训，评估/提供持续改进过程的评估方法，奖励第四部门支持行为的游戏化;以及网络建设过程。本研究的目标是确定满足所有利益相关者需求的性能、设计和教育培训规范（例如，企业家、社区领袖、贡献者），并通过在四个社区进行试点研究，证明这一平台的可行性。方法将侧重于四个社区的利益攸关方的持续评价和反馈，以确定教社区管理其孵化器的最佳方法，动员社区参与，取得运动成功，展示培训的改进学习成果，并增加试点社区网络的密度和互惠性。将收集和分析调查和数据，以确定从规划到执行再到评估的过程中每个组成部分的有效性，如调查结果、网络扩展、该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.

This SBIR Phase I project is focused on demonstrating the feasibility of an innovative crowdfunding process to effectively support and grow the fourth sector economy at the local community level. This fourth sector economy, a blend of three traditional economic sectors (public, private and nonprofit) is poised to solve many of the world's most difficult and complex social problems; however, this sector cannot work effectively without a supportive ecosystem that enables the creation, funding, and operation of organizations within it. This project proposes an innovative Fourth Sector Ecosystem incubator that brings a coordinated suite of services to local communities to engage them, educate them, and provide financial capital through a crowdfunding platform. This project will engage four communities in a pilot study designed to engage and educate key leaders, energize advocacy for fourth-sector growth, and catalyze fourth-sector social enterprises by offering capital access through crowdfunding. The validation of this grass-roots scalable educational and participatory incubator will enable communities to support local for-benefit businesses who will improve the quality of life in their communities, create jobs, and contribute to the economy, leading to expansion of this model across the nation and globally.The innovation inherent in this educational platform is the synergy between the components of its scalable, turnkey process to provide a catalyst for fourth-sector business growth. Innovative components include a robust, secure crowdfunding platform, educational training for community leaders and businesses in fourth-sector principles, assessment methods to evaluate/provide continuous improvement of the process, gamification that rewards fourth-sector-supporting behaviors; and network-building processes. The goals of this research are to determine the performance, design and educational training specifications that will address the needs of all stakeholders (e.g., entrepreneurs, community leaders, contributors), and demonstrate the feasibility of this platform through a pilot study in four communities. Methods will focus on continuous evaluation and feedback from stakeholders in the four communities to determine best methods to teach communities to manage their incubators, activate their communities to participate, achieve campaign success, demonstrate improved learning outcomes from the training, and increase the density and reciprocity of networks in the pilot communities. Surveys and data will be collected and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of each component in the process, from planning to implementation to assessment, as shown through survey results, expansion of networks, and funding raised by fourth sector enterprises using the crowdfunding tool.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.