The Public Strategies Group donor advised fund at Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, The Public Strategies Group, Inc. (PSG) and The Center for Policy Studies, announce Catapult!, an international competition of worthy innovative public purpose system change.

Up to three winners of the competition—one international, one North American, and one from a Minnesota based organization—will receive a Catapult! grant designed to boost your change initiative.

The grant comes in the form of a Lab, an intensive week-long design, strategy development, and/or planning session involving key people of your choosing, outside experts you may choose in conjunction with PSG, and members of the PSG team who will facilitate the work of the Lab, provide design expertise, and change management strategy expertise.

Depending on the needs of the competition winners, the Lab can focus on a “clean sheet” design for a delivery system that produces better results for the money, a change management strategy to help further an initiative that is already designed, or a problem solving strategy to overcome a particular barrier that might be hindering an important change effort.

The Lab will take place this summer (2013) at PSG headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota in a room designed and equipped especially for this type of creative work. The purpose and content scope of the Lab will be determined by the winning organization, but it must aim to measurably improve the public good. PSG will provide a team throughout the Lab to facilitate all Lab activities as well as to provide creative strategists to help provoke and support the thinking of Lab participants.

Organizations wishing to compete for an opportunity to have a Lab created especially around their needs and purposes should notify Laura Schwartz at The Public Strategies Group (laura@psg.us or 651-227-9774) of their interest. An RFP will be issued in March spelling out conditions of the competition and criteria that will be used in determining the three winners. An informational webinar will take place on March 28th at 1:00 PM Central Time (more information coming soon).

This is a philanthropic undertaking. No fees of any kind are associated with being a winner in this competition. The selected organizations must be willing to invest the time of their key people who are leading the change.

You can learn more about Catapult! here: http://catapult.psg.us.