Little Big Fund believes that effective early-stage, non-profit social entrepreneurs need more than a clear mission and focused strategy. To launch their initiatives, they need a mindset about change: sometimes, the work of transformation involves small-scale actions catalyzed by micro grants and individualized mentorship. At a time of heightened expectations and economic constraints on young social entrepreneurs,
Little Big Fund wants to empower social change visionaries with the understanding that fundraising is not daunting—but rather, doable. Whether working for an existing organization or for one they are building, students of Little Big Fund experience an antidote to the weightiness of asking for money. They get the tools, skills, peer support, best practices, and real-world experience they need to take control of the fundraising beast before they leave school. In their culminating project, students write a grant, submit it to a review committee, and defend the grant proposal in person to a grant committee of interested funders.
Our low-risk model results in a payoff of real world experience — and potentially, a micro-grant. Students of Little Big Fund are ignited by the spark that comes from submitting their first grant proposal, their first real-time ask, and possibly, their first ‘yes’ to a grant request.