creativity & Leadership Fellowships

The Creativity & Leadership Project provides Fellowships of up to $30,000 to graduating seniors. Fellows benefit from funding, mentoring by leading entrepreneurs, and peer support. Fellowships award innovative, motivated, and prepared Oberlin students the unparalleled opportunity to move their entrepreneurial ideas from concept to reality. Ventures may be driven by profit or social motives (or both), but should include a model for addressing a demonstrated need or demand and a feasible strategy for financial sustainability.

The fellowship committee looks for applicants with demonstrated leadership potential, strong passion and commitment to their ideas, extraordinary motivation, and an imaginative approach to solving complex problems. While the fellowship year is intended to be a period of applied learning, successful applicants should possess a foundation of experience and knowledge sufficient to achieving their stated goals for the venture.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the resources available to them through the Creativity & Leadership Project, including workshops, advisors, grants for research and preparation, research tools, and other resources. Applicants should contact the Creativity & Leadership Project to review their ideas and the application process.

Eligibility:

• The project leader must graduate from Oberlin College in December 2009 or May 2010.
• The project leader must have completed ENTR 100: Introduction to Entrepreneurship (or equivalent coursework as approved by the Creativity & Leadership Project Committee).
• The project leader and relevant team members must be committed to working on their venture full-time during the fellowship year. Fellows may supplement their fellowship with part-time work, but may not be enrolled in a degree program at another institution.

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The fellowship application process includes three stages: (1) Intent to Apply; (2) Submission of Full Proposal; (3) Oral Presentations.

Intent to Apply (due November 17, 2009)

While participation in this pre-proposal round is not required, students who submit their intention to apply are positioned to take best advantage of the resources available to them through the C&L Project (e.g.. access to guest speakers and workshops, advising and mentoring, additional grant funding opportunities, application review, etc.).

Applicants should develop responses to the questions below and email them to creativity@oberlin.edu (supplemental items such as research, recordings, and other media may be included):

1. Full name and T# of all students principally involved in the project.
2. What is your idea?
3. What drew you to this issue? When and how did you come up with your idea?
4. What is new about what you are proposing? Why is there a need for your idea?
5. How much work have you already done on this idea?
6. How will you make your proposed venture financially sustainable?
7. What do you intend to achieve during you fellowship year? Describe your approximate timeline, expected location(s), and the projected outcome(s) of your activities.
8. If you are applying as a team, give an example of how you have worked together successfully in the past that highlights how you relate to each other. If you have not worked together previously, explain why you feel that your team will be effective in carrying out this project.

Full Proposal (due February 22, 2010)

Applicants should submit a completed registration form, as well as the information listed below, to creativity@oberlin.edu. Include all information in a single PDF file, except for letters of recommendation. Letters should be submitted directly by the referee to creativity@oberlin.edu or the Office Career Services.

Registration - Please fill out the online form.

Proposal - Describe your venture in 3,000 words or fewer. You may include up to 10 pages of appendices or supporting material, such as research, images, organizational charts, and recordings. The proposal should include the following elements. If you cannot yet answer any particular prompt, please explain how you intend to develop your answer.

• Idea: succinctly capture your idea.
• Problem: describe the problem that your idea will address. Quantify where possible.
• Solution: detail how your idea will solve this problem.
• Market: describe in as much detail as possible the market or community that you intend to serve.
• Differentiation: describe the competitive landscape and explain how your idea is distinct.
• Impact: describe how much of this market you feel is addressable, and how you will address it. If you are starting a social venture, explain the social impact that you will have.
• Model: propose a method for carrying through your solution to the identified market. Describe how quickly you intend to grow, as well as how you will deliver your product/service. This should include an explanation of how you will sustain your venture financially.
• Implementation: describe in detail your goals and objectives for the year. Detail the timeline, activities, and expected location(s) necessary to achieve those goals and objectives.
• Team: describe the individual(s) that will bring this venture to fruition. This should include background information and an analysis of the abilities that each individual brings to the effort. Describe any partners or advisors who will be active contributors to the venture.

Budget- Prepare a budget that categorizes projected expenses and revenue for your project for the fellowship year. If expenses exceed $30,000, include all projected sources of revenue.

Resumes for each student principally involved in the project, one page each.

Two signed confidential letters of support for each student principally involved in the project. At least one referee should be an Oberlin College faculty or staff member able to comment on your capacity to implement the proposed project. Letters should be submitted directly by the referee to creativity@oberlin.edu or the Office of Career Services.

Oral Presentation (early April)

Those selected to participate in Round II will be asked to make a 15-minute oral presentation to the Fellowship Review Committee.