The SEVEN Fund’s Request for Proposals under the Third Annual Solutions to Poverty” will award “two (2) research grants of no more than $100,000 each.”

“The aim of SEVEN Fund sponsored research is to challenge the prevailing state of mind in this field. We want to answer the question of whether wealth-creation may be the most effective solution to alleviate poverty. We invest our efforts and resources to find, research, and document examples where entrepreneurial success is shown to have led to poverty alleviation. In the process, we will seek to inspire entrepreneurs in developing countries with advice, investments, role models, and services.

At SEVEN, we believe that enterprise solutions to poverty already exist, but are not sufficiently studied, analyzed, and exhibited as examples. There are specific questions that have no formulated answers – it is our aim to sponsor research to explore and find these answers. For example:

1.What are the most significant qualities of a successful entrepreneur, especially in the uncertain environment of a developing economy?
2.Can entrepreneurship be taught, inspired, and diffused through a society?
3.Could support for the entrepreneurial spirit serve as role models of sustainable solutions to poverty?
4.What is the relationship between prosperity and progressive human values?
5.How can enterprises contribute to making stronger societies?
Questions like these lie at the heart of enterprise-based solutions to poverty, and at the foundation of our understanding of how to help an economy grow and, ultimately, help bring about a high and rising standard of living for the vast majority of citizens. Answers to these questions will have implications for governments, multilateral donors, corporations, financial institutions, investors, and citizens in general.”

“Evaluation Criteria & Project Eligibility

In this RFP competition, SEVEN will award grants of varying value (no single grant will exceed $100,000 and twelve months) to exceptional research proposals meeting the criteria. Researchers in academic and other institutions may apply for projects up to one year in duration, beginning March 15, 2011. Grant applications will be subject to a competitive process of confidential expert review similar to that employed by similar grant funding agencies.”

The last date to submit initial proposals is 15 October 2010.

For more information, visit this link.