Official Rules

Terms and Conditions

Overview 

  • The Changemaker Challenge (the “Contest”) is seeking innovative and fresh thinking ideas to help tackle important social issues in Howard County, Maryland (the “County”). No idea is too big or too small. All ideas, however, must be original and must help to make a positive difference in the lives of County residents. Ideas can focus on any social issue affecting the County, including, by way of example only, public health, education, social justice, economic opportunity, children, teens or the elderly. All ideas must consist of educational or charitable activities consistent with Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
  • There will be 5 finalists if we receive 20 or fewer entries, and up to 10 finalists if we receive more than 20 entries.
  • There will be one $25,000 grant, one $15,000 grant, and two $10,000 grants awarded. Finalists will be invited to pitch their ideas to a virtual audience on Tuesday, November 9, 2021.
    • One of the $10,000 grants will be awarded to an entry for a project created by or serving women and/or girls in Howard County. The winner of this award is also eligible to win the audience choice award.
    • One of the $10,000 grants will be awarded based on audience choice. The winner of the audience choice award is also eligible to win one of the other grants.
  • These Official Rules set forth the complete terms and conditions of the Contest.

Sponsors 

  • The Sponsors of the Contest are the Horizon Foundation of Howard County (the “Horizon Foundation”), United Way of Central Maryland, Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (the “Women’s Giving Circle) and Community Foundation of Howard County (the “Community Foundation”).
  • The Horizon Foundation is the largest independent health philanthropy in Maryland. The Foundation leads community change so everyone in Howard County can live a longer, better life. The Foundation is committed to improving health through innovative initiatives, collaborative partnerships, strategic grantmaking and thoughtful advocacy.
  • United Way of Central Maryland improves lives for residents of Greater Baltimore and the surrounding counties by promoting equity and increasing access to education, health, employment and housing.
  • The Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. Women’s Giving Circle pools their dollars so they can have a greater impact together than they might otherwise have alone.
  • The Community Foundation of Howard County seeks to inspire lifelong giving and to connect people, places and organizations to worthy causes across Howard County and beyond.
  • The Horizon Foundation is located at 10221 Wincopin Circle, Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21044.
  • United Way of Central Maryland is located at 1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 340, Baltimore, MD 21230.
  • The Women’s Giving Circle is located at Century Plaza East, 10630 Little Patuxent Pkwy, UNIT 315, Columbia, MD 21044.
  • The Community Foundation is located at 10440 Little Patuxent Pkwy, #230, Columbia, MD 21044.

Who May Enter 

  • The Contest is open to (1) individual residents of the State of Maryland who are 18 years of age or older as of July 1, 2021, (2) teams of individual residents of the State of Maryland all of whom are 18 years of age or older as of July 1, 2021 and (3) IRC section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that conduct activities or provides services in the State of Maryland as of July 1, 2021.  Each individual, team and non-profit organization that submits an entry (an “Entry”) in the Contest shall be referred to as an “Entrant” and collectively as “Entrants.”
  • Changemaker Challenge applicants, finalists and winners from previous years are eligible to apply for the 2021 Contest.
  • For-profit entities, and nonprofit entities other than those exempt under section 501(c)(3), are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
  • To be eligible to win a grant, the activities proposed in the Entry must be consistent with the restrictions imposed on nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under IRC section 501(c)(3).
  • To be eligible to win a grant, each Entrant (including all members of a team-submitted Entry) must be available, if chosen as a finalist, to attend, at their own cost and expense, the following:
    • Two mandatory, in-person pitch sessions for all finalists at a venue located in Howard County, Maryland. The first session will be on September 14, 2021, from 9:30 am – 11:30 am. The second session will be on September 30, 2021, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. All finalists must be in attendance. The actual location of the mandatory in-person pitch sessions will be provided upon notification of an Entrant being chosen as a finalist.
    • Two mandatory, in-person filming sessions for all finalists to work with a production company to film their concept. The first filming session will take place October 4 or 5, 2021, for a 30-minute session at a location of the finalists choosing in Howard County, Maryland. The second filming session will take place on October 18, 2021, for a 45-minute in-studio session located in Baltimore, Maryland. The actual locations are to be determined. All finalists must participate.
    • A virtual event on November 9, 2021, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, where all finalists will present their pitches to the Judges. The pitches will consist of the pre-recorded presentations that were created by the production company and a live Q&A with the Judges. All finalists must attend.
  • Any Entrant not able to attend all of the above activities will be ineligible to win a grant and should not submit an Entry.
  • Board members and employees of any of the Sponsors or any of the organizations providing Judges (in other words, the Horizon Foundation, United Way of Central Maryland, Women’s Giving Circle and Community Foundation of Howard County) and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, step-parent, child, step-child, sibling, step-sibling and their respective spouses) and persons living in the same household of any such Judge or employee (whether related or not) are not eligible to participate in the Contest. In addition, if any such ineligible individual serves on the Board of Directors of, or is employed by, a nonprofit organization, that nonprofit organization is not eligible to participate in the Contest.
  • OFFER IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

How to Enter 

  • The Contest Period will begin on July 1, 2021, at 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Savings Time and will end on August 29, 2021, at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. United Way of Central Maryland’s computers will serve as the official time-keeping device for this Contest.
  • All Entries must be submitted during the Contest Period. No late Entries will be accepted.
  • All Entrant ideas must directly impact or directly benefit Howard County.
  • Eligible Entrants may enter the Contest by completing the Changemaker Challenge Online Entry Form.
  • Each eligible Entrant must answer all of the following questions in the Online Entry Form with the word limits specified below:
  1. What is your Big Idea? [Summarize in 100 words or less]
  2. What potential social impact will your Big Idea advance in Howard County? [100 words or less]
  3. Tell us how you would spend up to $25,000 to bring your Big Idea to life. [100 words or less]
  4. What experience do you have that will help you succeed in making a difference? [100 words or less]
  5. What is your plan to develop, promote and implement your idea to ensure success? [200 words or less]
  6. How did you hear about Changemaker Challenge?
  • To be eligible to win a grant, the activities proposed in the Entry must be consistent with the restrictions imposed on nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under IRC section 501(c)(3).
  • Each eligible Entrant must also create a video about his/her/its idea (the “Video”) to accompany their online application. The Video must be two minutes or less in length. Cell phone videos are acceptable. The Video should be your “elevator pitch.” In other words, the Video should summarize your idea and explain how it will have a positive social impact on the County. Each Entrant must upload the Video to YouTube (be sure it is marked “unlisted”) and include the YouTube link as part of the Changemaker Challenge Entry Form. All entries must comply with YouTube Community Guidelines. See https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/policies/community-guidelines/. All entries must also comply with YouTube Terms of Service. See https://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms. 
  • No person may enter the Contest more than once. Each Entrant must choose to be part of a team Entry or an individual Entry, but not both and not more than one of each.
  • Only one Entry per team; individual team members must not submit separate Entries. All team Entries must identify a team leader who will be the main point of contact on behalf of the team.
  • A nonprofit organization may enter the Contest only once. All non-profit Entries must identify an individual who will be the main point of contact on behalf of the non-profit.
  • Each individual participating in this Contest (whether individually or as part of a team) and each nonprofit organization acknowledges that he/she/it has read, understands and agrees to be bound by these Official Rules. By submitting an Entry, each individual (whether participating individually or as part of a team) and each nonprofit organization warrants that he/she/it has complied with all the requirements set out in these Official Rules. If any individual team member is determined not to be eligible to participate in this Contest, the entire team will be disqualified.
  • Only electronic entries will be accepted.
  • Submitted entries must be original and must not infringe any copyright or trademark rights or violate any laws.
  • Entries that contain obscene, defamatory, sexually explicit or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content will be disqualified in the sole discretion of the Sponsors.

Judging 

  • An evaluation team from the Horizon Foundation, United Way of Central Maryland, Women’s Giving Circle and Community Foundation will review the Entries on three criteria: innovation, impact and implementation:
  1. Innovation – Demonstrate a compelling need for your idea and explain your idea clearly and concisely;
  2. Impact – Explain the expected impact of your idea, how you will evaluate success and how your idea may be sustained over time; and
  3. Implementation – Explain how you plan to implement your idea successfully.
  • The evaluation team will select finalists from all eligible Entries. Finalists will be notified by email on or about September 10, 2021. It is important that all Entries include proper working email addresses. Each finalist must respond to the email no later than September 13, 2021, to confirm eligibility, including that he/she/it will participate in the Event. In the event a finalist has not responded affirmatively by September 13, 2021, despite several attempts, the Sponsors reserve the right to pick an alternate finalist.
  • All finalists must attend the virtual Event on November 9, 2021. Each finalist will present their three-minute pre-recorded pitch video that was created by the production company about his/her/its Entry and answer questions during a virtual Q&A. The presentations and Q&A will be shown before a virtual audience, and a panel of Judges selected by the Sponsors based on their expertise in social innovation.
  • At the end of all of the presentations and Q&A, the Judges will confer and select the Entrants to whom three of the four grants will be awarded. Decisions by the Judges will be based on the above-stated judging criteria, and will be final and may not be appealed. The fourth grant, the audience choice award, will be decided by Event attendees (excluding the Judges and finalists) via the chat or polling feature on the virtual platform. This award will be selected by the audience during the Judges’ deliberation and announced with the other winners.
  • The grant winners will be announced at the Event.

Grants 

  • There will be one $25K grant, one $15K grant and two $10K grants awarded.
    • One of the $10,000 grants will be awarded to an entry for a project created by or serving women and/or girls in Howard County. The winner of this award is also eligible to win the audience choice award.
    • One of the $10,000 grants will be awarded based on audience choice. The winner of the audience choice award is also eligible to win one of the other grants.
  • Grants may only be used for charitable and educational activities consistent with the tax-exempt status described above. It is understood that you and/or your organization will not use your grant to intervene in any election or support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office, or to engage in any lobbying.
  • In the event any of the winning Entrants does not accept the grant offered, or any of the winning Entrants fails to return any required forms as requested by the Sponsors, the Sponsors reserve the right to select an alternate winner or not award the grant.
  • Grants are not transferable, nor are there substitutions or cash redemptions, except at the Sponsor’s discretion.

Chances of Winning 

  • NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT OR DONATION IS NECESSARY.
  • A PURCHASE, PAYMENT OR DONATION WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
  • The odds of winning are dependent on the number of entries received.

Winners 

  • Only the winners and people at the Event who stay to hear the announcement of the winners will be notified of the Contest outcome, but you can check the winners’ list by visiting http://www.changemakerchallengehc.org. The winning Entrants will be listed on or about November 10, 2021, and will remain online for at least ninety (90) days. You may also request a winners’ list by emailing charmon@thehorizonfoundation.org or via mail to either of the Sponsors at the street addresses listed above, if received by March 31, 2022.

Other Important Information 

  • Grants will be awarded to winning Entrants upon the Sponsors’ receiving a signed grant agreement from the Entrants (and, in the case of a group Entry, signed by all individuals in that group).
  • Entrants should not include any confidential or trade secret information in their Entries.
  • All Entrants retain their copyright rights in and to the materials they submit, but each finalist must grant a license to the Sponsors to allow the Sponsors to publicize the finalist’s Entry and all related materials.
  • Each finalist, including all individuals who enter as part of a team, hereby grants the Sponsors the right to use his/her/its name and likeness in promotional materials relating to the Contest and his/her/its idea.
  • The Sponsors agree not to knowingly fund or use any non-winning idea without the permission of the Entrant of such idea. Notwithstanding, Entrants understand that many grant ideas are similar and acknowledge that it is possible that a Sponsor may fund or use an idea similar to one of the submitted ideas in the future.
  • The Sponsors’ and Judges’ decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.
  • Entries become the property of the Sponsors and will not be returned.
  • The Sponsors are not liable for lost, late, illegible, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, or incorrect Entries.
  • No mechanically reproduced Entries or faxes will be accepted.
  • All taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winners.
  • The Sponsors are not responsible for any tampering with this Contest (e.g., hackers, viruses, automated entry devices, and other). The Sponsors reserve the right to terminate or modify the Contest at any time in case of technical failures or other issues outside of their control.
  • The Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify anyone who violates these Official Rules.
  • The information the Sponsors collect about entrants through this Contest will be used to disseminate communications from the Sponsors. Such Entrant may unsubscribe at any time by following the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email from the Sponsors. All information collected by the Sponsors via this Contest will be governed by the privacy policy located here.
  • By entering this Contest, all Entrants (including all individuals if part of a team Entry) agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsors and the Judges, and each of their officers, directors, employees and agents, from all claims, losses, damages and liabilities arising out of their participation in this Contest, including participation at the Event, and the acceptance of any grant awarded hereunder.
  • An Entrant may not, in supplying work as part of this Contest, knowingly infringe or misappropriate any intellectual property right of a third party, and will take reasonable actions to avoid infringement. Entrant will defend and indemnify the Sponsors from and against any claim, lawsuit, or other proceeding, loss, cost, liability, or expense (including court costs and reasonable fees of attorneys and other professionals) to the extent arising out of: (i) any third party claim that an entry infringes any patent, copyright, trade secret, or other intellectual property right of any third party; or (ii) any third party claim arising out of the negligent or other tortious acts or omissions by the Entrant or its employees, subcontractors, or agents in connection with or related to the entry.
  • This Contest shall be governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to its conflict of law rules. The forum for any dispute shall be in Howard County, Maryland.