•  

    Scarsdale Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs
    Creating a Better World Through Innovation

    Scarsdale Seal SSEF LOGO

     

    The Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation (SSEF) is proud to offer grants in sponsorship of the Scarsdale Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs. Following in the footsteps of the District’s Center for Innovation, this program encourages students to develop innovative ways to tackle environmental and societal issues through social entrepreneurship.

    In our increasingly complex world, our students will need to develop solutions for many problems of today.  Honoring the District’s motto, Non Sibi, this program will provide students with an opportunity to solve a real-world problem that may exist in the Scarsdale community or beyond.  Our goal is that students will see themselves as agents of positive change, acknowledging that patience, failure, and risk-taking are part of the process.  The SSEF Grant funding is designed to help seed or sustain social entrepreneurship ideas and projects. 

    Types of funding can be utilized to:

    • SEED a new idea and/or need help building a prototype or proof of concept
    • SCALE a new idea or project that you have a prototype and are ready to grow

    While the grant program focuses on student entrepreneurship, the program is open to all Scarsdale High School students, regardless of their participation in the AT Entrepreneurship course at the high school. SSEF grants are awarded in the Spring for students.

     

    The Process

    To be considered, students will be asked to fill out the application (either as an individual or team) that asks questions about the proposed project. After submitting an application deadline, student groups will be contacted by the faculty panel to meet and discuss the project.  During this time, the faculty panel will provide feedback to help students revise and prepare for the presentation to the SSEF grant panel.  Students will also need to choose a mentor(s), who will help guide the process and timeline. The program will culminate with students presenting their problems and solutions, competing in pitch sessions, in front of a review panel for feedback and for consideration of additional funding to fund or scale the idea.

    Here is the Link to the slideshow from our October 30th information session.

    Please note that you will need to use your Scarsdale Schools Student account to access the slide deck and the application form.

     

    2024-2025 School Year Schedule

    October 30, 2024, at 2:10 PM (7th Period) Informational Session: All high school students are welcome to attend!
    October 2024 - January 2025 Develop a proposal to submit for application.  Please complete this form to begin the process. 
    January 31, 2025, at 9 PM Applications are due
    February, 2025: Faculty Grant Committee to review applications and provide feedback.
    Late February / Early March 2025: Applicants meet with the Faculty Grant Committee for an information session and feedback.
    March-May 2025: Checkpoints on progress
    May 2025 Pitch Sessions to the SSEF Panel

     

    Please contact William Yang, K-12 Coordinator of Digital Learning and Literacy, if you have any questions.