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Boosting voter engagement: Ideas Challenge winners announced

May 19, 2017
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The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Center for Civic Innovation announce the award winners for the 2017 Ideas Challenge. This year, the Ideas Challenge sought creative ideas that will inform, engage and empower people around the 2017 local elections in the City of Atlanta and surrounding communities.

A review committee made up of Community Foundation staff, Center for Civic Innovation staff and local community leaders have determined the following awards to four finalists and their nonprofit partners:

  • Kavi Vu & Phi Nguyen | Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta: $10,000 for “Wake Up and Listen”, a web-based voter video series targeting Atlanta’s Asian American community
  • Monica Campana | Living Walls, The City Speaks: $5,000 for “Signs of Solidarity ATL – Voter Edition”, a project to create and hang 100 banners around Atlanta, each created by a local artist and containing a message that encourages people to vote
  • Rhonda Patrick | (nonprofit partner TBD): $1,500 for “One Movement Truck”, an interactive truck that travels to special events and highlights the history of voting as well as the 2017 election
  • Jenn Graham | (nonprofit partner TBD): $1,000 for “Civic Voter”, a text-based app that informs and reminds Atlanta citizens of things they need to know in order to vote in the local elections

“There was a tremendous spotlight on the 2016 election cycle because of the national-level decisions being made, and our local Mayoral elections and other ballot initiatives this year are just as critical and need attention and engagement,” said Rohit Malhotra, founder and executive director of the Center for Civic Innovation. “The winning ideas in this challenge are taking the issues directly to voters using media, arts, technology and place-based outreach. We are encouraged about the potential of each project to have notable impact on voter involvement and turnout.”

Created in 2014 by the Community Foundation, the Ideas Challenge seeks innovative ideas and solutions from community members on a variety of challenges in our communities. This year, a pool of over 100 applications was submitted and narrowed to four finalists, who each wrote and submitted formal grant applications that detailed their project inspiration, timeline and budget.



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