Misk Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launch Misk Grand Challenges

Two philanthropic organisations, The Misk Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, yesterday announced that they have partnered to launch a new initiative, the Misk Grand Challenges.

In a press release, the Misk Foundation stated that each of the philanthropic organisations will contribute $5-million towards the initiative. The Misk Grand Challenges will award 100 innovators and thinkers from around the world $100 000 each in seed funding grants to prove their concepts.

Misk Grand Challenges winners will each get $100 000 in seed funding grants

The initiative, which is aimed at youth, seeks to achieve three objectives. These are namely: empowering the youth to take on and succeed in the “knowledge economy”, inspire innovative solutions to the most challenging problems around the world, and launch a new generation of leaders.

“Tackling global issues demands global partnerships. This collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is an important and essential initiative for the Misk Foundation. Misk Grand Challenges will directly empower young people by providing them with the research grants necessary to give them the chance to innovate new solutions,” Misk Foundation secretary general Bader Al Asaker said in the release.

“A positive future can be shaped by the next generation and the Misk Grand Challenges will act as a vital catalyst in this process,” added Al Asaker.

A series of Grand Challenges, which will be launched over a period of three years, will focus on education and global citizenship. Applications for the first two challenges are open up until May next year.

The first challenge, which is around education, calls for proposals that provide new solutions to transform education and school leadership. The challenge aims to better prepare school children with skills required for problem solving, adaptability and leadership in the 21st century.

The global citizenship challenge calls for solutions that will engage the youth and encourage them to address one or more of the first six United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. The first six goals are: clean water and sanitation, poverty eradication, hunger eradication, good health and well-being, gender equality and quality education.

Projects deemed to have the most impact will be able to apply for additional funding and will also get the opportunity to implement their ideas across priority locations.

The grant recipients will also get assistance developing their proof of concepts from three networks, in the form of The Misk Global Forum, The Grand Challenges global alumni and the The Goalkeepers network of advocates on global health and poverty alleviation.

The announcement of the Misk Grand Challenges coincides with the second annual Misk Global Forum — a global conference for thought leaders — which kicks off today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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