Please review this read-only version of the application to help understand what is required to submit your proposal online. To access and complete a submission, please register for the challenge no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Thank you for participating in the AI Poverty Challenge. We recommend reviewing all application requirements, rules, and the scoring rubric used to assess all valid submissions before you begin.

Responses to this submission form must be in English. This provides consistency across all submissions during our review process and reduces the risk of misinterpretation or translation error.  

This application form saves automatically and the status of your application is available to view on your dashboard (you will not receive any automated emails).

Your entire submission will be shared with Evaluation Panel members and the AI Poverty Challenge Team during the evaluation process. Portions of your submission may be published online and may be shared with the general public to promote your solution or to highlight results (see rules for more information). Those portions may include, but are not limited to, Quick Pitch and Video Presentation.  

Prior to submission, confirm the information provided on the Registration Form is correct (go to Submissions and select Registration Form). Be sure to review your submission as it will appear after it’s been submitted (click the preview button next to Submit). When you have completed all requirements, you will be able to submit the application form. Once you have submitted, you will no longer be able to make changes. 

Submit your application no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Participants who do not submit their completed application by the deadline will not have their entry considered for this challenge. Contact questions@aipovertychallenge.org with questions or technical issues.

All fields are required.

A. QUICK PITCH

Offer a brief and compelling overview of your solution.

Solution Title (up to 10 words)

Provide a title for your solution that easily identifies and distinguishes it from others.

Solution Statement (up to 25 words)

Provide a short, one-sentence description of your solution.  

Executive Summary (up to 75 words)

Provide a concise overview of the most compelling aspects of your solution. This should be a stand-alone summary of the problem and proposed solution.

B. VIDEO PRESENTATION  

Submit a video that showcases your solution and pitches your story in a succinct format. This is an opportunity to share your vision and approach in a way that is different from the written proposal format. You may include screen shots, walk-throughs, or other visuals of your solution if you wish. This DOES NOT need to be a professionally produced video – a video shot on a smartphone is acceptable.

To complete this requirement, upload a short digital film using YouTube. Video submissions should follow these guidelines or else it will render the application ineligible:  

• Two (2) minutes in length maximum.
• Must be in English, or if in another language, subtitled in English.
• Must be captioned. See instructions on how to caption YouTube videos here.
• Excludes images of identifiable children (under age 18) without express parental consent.
• Excludes copyrighted material (including, but not limited to, music) for which you do not have a license.
• Set the Privacy Settings on your video to Public or Unlisted – do not set them to Private.

Here are general suggestions for delivering a high-quality video pitch:

• Introduce yourself, your partners, and/or team.
• Explain your project and what is unique about it.
• Identify how you will know that you’ve achieved success.
• Demo the solution, share a success story, or describe a use case scenario. Make an effort to connect with your audience of Evaluation Panel judges.  

C. THE TEAM

Provide a basic understanding of the leadership, structure, and capabilities of those working on this solution. Should you receive funding, you must designate a Lead Organization responsible for taking accountability for those award funds, as well as providing project direction, control, and supervision. Your Lead Organization was identified during registration. If your Lead Organization has changed, please select Edit Registration Form from the Profile menu to update the Lead Organization information.

Partners

We welcome applications which include multiple organizations, including government agencies and which reflect cross-sector partnerships. (Note that government agencies cannot serve as the Lead Organization, but we encourage them to submit with a nonprofit or for-profit company.) If your team consists of two or more organizations, list them using the legal name of each partner. If your team does not consist of two or more organizations, enter “Not Applicable.”

Team Structure (up to 150 words)

Describe the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of each key team member/partner. Please specify if the team member is full-time or serving as a consultant/external partner.

Team Biographies (up to 100 words)

Introduce us to up to three individuals who will oversee and be responsible for the success of the project. For each, provide a first/last name, title, and affiliation (if applicable), and a brief biographical statement. Emphasize the expertise and/or credentials that are most relevant to this project. Please include links to key team member/partner LinkedIn profiles.  

Track Record (up to 150 words)

Describe your team’s skills, capacity, and experience to successfully deliver the solution. Be sure to include core competencies and how they apply to your solution, any relevant past efforts or experience, and any other additional details that support your ability to deliver impact. If your team has personal experience with poverty, please share.

D. THE PROBLEM

Demonstrate your understanding of the problem you aim to solve.

Problem Statement (up to 200 words)

Set the stage for your solution and explain why you have committed to help solve this challenge. Describe the problem, how it relates to poverty in the United States, and the specific needs your solution will address.

Existing Landscape (up to 150 words)

Briefly describe other organizations or projects that are most similar to your work. Explain how your team and proposed solution fit into this landscape.  

E. THE SOLUTION

The Robin Hood AI Poverty Challenge welcomes a wide range of new or existing solutions to fight poverty through AI. Illustrate your approach to applying AI technologies to address the poverty-related challenge you have identified and the benefits your solution will deliver. Emphasize how your project aligns with the criteria used to assess each valid application (see scoring rubric).

Solution Category

Solution Category was selected during registration (Education, Financial Empowerment, and Workforce). If this has changed, please select Registration Form from the Submission menu to update.

Project Stage

Select one option that best describes the project stage for your proposed solution. NOTE: Solutions at any stage are eligible to apply. The scoring rubric considers evidence of effectiveness, regardless of stage.

• Research & Ideation: In the process of developing a new approach to addressing the issue but has not tested the approach.
• Proof of Concept: Has been implementing the strategy for a small number of targeted stakeholders and/or at a small scale.
• Scaling: Has evidence of impact and is expanding and adapting the strategy, but has yet to achieve large-scale implementation.  
• Operating at Scale: Has evidence its strategy achieves impact and is delivering the solution at scale, but further iteration / evolution of the solution may increase impact.

Solution Type

Select one option that best describes the type of solution you are proposing.

• Product
• Service
• Technical Infrastructure
• Training & Capacity-building
• Other.  

If you selected Other, describe below.

Solution Description (up to 250 words)

Describe your solution and the ways in which the use of artificial intelligence addresses the purpose of this challenge, the relevant solution category, and your Problem Statement. Provide an overview of key stakeholders and introduce the measurable impact and benefits to these communities. Note: Later in the application you will have additional opportunities to describe beneficiaries and intended impact.

Innovation (up to 150 words)

Explain how your solution diverges from, enhances, and/or reinforces existing methods/practices. Emphasize unique aspects of your solution and why you believe it will be more effective or impactful than existing efforts to address the problem.

Reach & Scalability (up to 200 words)

How many people is your solution reaching as of today and/or on an annual basis, and what proportion of the people reached by your solution do you estimate are currently in poverty? Share your vision for expanding your reach, and plans you have to expand your solution to benefit more people, including any plans to promote your solution to enable broader access. If you expect a significant change in your reach in the coming two years, describe the factors that will affect this change and include how many you project to be reaching two years from now, including your rationale for this projection.  

Data Access (up to 150 words)

Describe the data and data sources your AI solution will need in order to deliver its intended results, as well as the status of your access to that data. How will you ensure access to necessary data? What challenges do you anticipate (for example, data privacy, regulatory compliance, etc.) and what is your route to overcoming them?

Intellectual Property (up to 100 words)

Explain any issues related to intellectual property (IP) that underlies your solution. Identify owner(s) of the IP. If you are building on existing or off-the-shelf technology, detail the permissions you have secured to utilize that technology. Describe how you will make the use of any IP for the purposes of scaling your proposed solution during the two-year project period.

Technical Features (up to 200 words)

Explain how your solution works and identify key features of the solution. If you are building on an existing technology, describe the baseline and specific changes you intend to make.  

Technical Expertise (up to 200 words)

Demonstrate your technical knowledge of AI and the solution, including but not limited to explanations of those issues which might concern stakeholders, such as data security, mitigation of bias, safety, stability, scalability, and/or interpretability.  

User Experience (up to 75 words)

Describe the journey for up to three (3) different types of potential users of the proposed solution. This may include the main flow of actions for primary users/intended audiences, as well as other illustrative use cases the solution can support.  

User Experience Visual

Upload a single PDF that includes a visual representation of the user experiences described above. The PDF should not exceed 10MB and a total of two pages, and should not contain additional text explanations or be used to circumvent word counts in this application. Some brief labels and/or basic text descriptions are permitted. Any pages beyond the two-page limit, as well as unrelated content to this specific question, will render the application ineligible.

Project Visual

Upload a single PDF that includes a visual representation of your project, technical features, and technical expertise described above. This may include, but is not limited to: user interface, illustrations, schematics, images, graphs, diagrams, maps, flow charts, organizational charts, or other visuals to help reviewers to better understand your team and proposed approach. The PDF should not exceed 10MB and a total of four pages, and should not contain additional text explanations or be used to circumvent word counts in this application. Some brief labels and/or basic text descriptions are permitted. Any pages beyond the four-page limit, as well as unrelated content to this specific question, will render the application ineligible.

F. BENEFICIARIES

Tell us more about where your solution will focus its impact and the communities that will benefit.

Beneficiary Description (up to 200 words)

Describe the people / communities that your solution is intended to benefit. While proposed solutions may benefit everyone, describe how your solution can reduce existing economic, racial or other disparities rather than exacerbating them.  

Beneficiary Engagement (up to 200 words)

We expect teams to be thoughtful about working with beneficiaries and to draw on the insights and perspectives of people for whom a solution is intended. Describe how you have engaged beneficiaries to inform the solution and/or its user experience, and describe your plans for ongoing engagement to ensure long-term success. Articulate any costs/burdens that beneficiaries may be expected to take on when participating in or using the proposed solution.

Stakeholder Engagement (up to 150 words)

To be effective, projects may need support or partnership from others – government, investors, technology partners, community leaders, etc. Demonstrate your understanding of the key stakeholders necessary for your work to be effective and describe plans to engage them on an ongoing basis to ensure long-term success. Articulate any costs/burdens that stakeholders may be expected to absorb.

Location Description (up to 150 words)

Where have you and/or your team already implemented your solution? If you are not currently implementing your proposed solution, enter “Not applicable.” Provide any context that may clarify the locations in which your solution is or will be available. Describe how your proposed solution is relevant to the challenges of people experiencing poverty in New York City.

G. IMPACT

Demonstrate how your project will achieve meaningful results for people experiencing poverty in the United States.

Outcomes (up to 200 words)

Describe specific outcomes and measurable results you intend to achieve, including any of Robin Hood’s mobility milestones, as applicable.

Theory of Action (up to 200 words)

Explain how your solution will lead to the poverty-fighting outcomes you have described. What will need to occur in order for your solution to achieve these intended results for people currently in poverty?

Assessing Results (up to 150 words)

Describe your methodology for measuring overall performance of the proposed strategy, including the means through which you will track results or milestones to indicate success. What data and methodologies will you use to know if you are having your intended results?

Evidence of Effectiveness (up to 200 words)

Provide evidence to show the solution will work. Present any internal (e.g., informal studies, observations, or other indicators of change) or formal evidence, including any evaluation results. If you do not have evidence of impact of your own solution, can you point to research-backed practices on which your solution is based, or analogous solutions achieving meaningful impact that you think your solution may similarly achieve?

Evidence Type

Select one option that best describes the level of evidence supporting your proposed solution.

• There is a theoretical logic model for the strategy, but it has never been implemented.
• Strategy has been implemented, but team has not (yet) formally tracked outcomes or collected measurable effect or beneficiary feedback (as relevant).  

• Formally collects and documents qualitative and/or quantitative feedback to assess progress but has not conducted a formal assessment.
• Has conducted internal evaluations or outcome assessments.
• There has been at least one external evaluation of outcomes.
• There has been an external assessment of impact (e.g., RCT; quasi-experimental design; contribution analysis; collective impact)

References (up to 100 words)

If you included citations for Evidence of Effectiveness, provide a bibliography with a corresponding bracketed number [#] for each citation. There is no specific required format for citations. You may also offer a list of resources that may be used to validate general claims made in your application. If not applicable, enter “Not applicable.”

Marketing & Communications (up to 150 words)

Briefly describe your plans to promote your solution and/or share your results, key findings, lessons learned, and other helpful information with others. If applicable, explain how your solution could serve as a model for other communities/populations.

H. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN & BUDGET

Illustrate your plan and the resources required to successfully implement your solution.

Plan & Timeline (up to 200 words)

Share your implementation plan over the course of up to a two-year project period. Include key dates and/or milestones to help track and measure success.

Risk Mitigation (up to 150 words)

Explain how you will ensure your solution is feasible. Describe the main risks your solution could fail, as well as any unintended consequences, and your plan to address them. Discuss your experience and capacity to manage technical and/or operational barriers.  

Budget Narrative (up to 150 words)

Offer a general overview of how you will use the $1 million award, including projected needs by category. You may include any explanations of existing resources you have already secured.  

Budget

To help understand your priorities, provide a budget for how the $1 million award would be spent. Funds identified in this table should reflect and clarify your general explanations provided in Budget Narrative above and include more detailed cost categories that support your plans and intended outcomes. While administrative expenditures are eligible, note that we do not accept general line item descriptions (such as “Miscellaneous” or “Overhead”). In addition to direct project costs, the budget may include a reasonable allocation for indirect expenses associated with the overall operations of the organization that are shared across the organization’s activities. We reserve the right to review and adjust the amounts allocated for indirect expenses. Applications from university-based teams should not have an indirect rate exceeding 15%. The budget must account for the full $1 million and review the Rules for ineligible expenses.

Total Projected Costs

Provide the estimated total costs (in US dollars) to successfully implement your proposed solution over a two-year period.  

Sustainability (up to 100 words)

Describe plans to leverage additional resources to sustain and/or scale your approach over time.

Other Resources (up to 75 words)

List other key funders and amount of funding secured to date for the proposed solution, including in-kind support. If there are no current commitments for the solution, enter “Not Applicable.”  

Acceleration Support (up to 100 words)

If you could access non-monetary support to accelerate your solution, what would be most valuable?  Robin Hood and its partners may work to support promising solutions and your answer will help shape the kind of additional resources available. Feel free to specify any needs for technical assistance, staffing, resources, tools, and other support necessary to overcome roadblocks, barriers, and gaps that have historically inhibited progress.  

Other Considerations (up to 150 words)

Is there anything else we should know?  This is your final opportunity to raise any other considerations, emphasize or expand upon a previous point, or provide new information, as necessary. Note: Evaluation Panel judges are instructed to avoid online research and/or review of links that may be provided as part of this submission – we recommend you include any key considerations and important information within your responses to this application form.

I. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provide additional information about the Lead Organization.

Lead Organization Identification Number

Provide the identification number provided by the Lead Organization’s taxing authority (e.g., the Internal Revenue Service). If this is in progress, insert “Pending approval.”

Annual Operating Budget

What is the annual operating budget (USD) of the Lead Organization?

• Less than $1 Million
• $1.0 to 5.0 Million
• $5.1 to 10 Million
• $10.1 to 25 Million
• $25.1 to 50 Million
• $50.1 to 100 Million
• $100.1 to 250 Million
• $250.1 to 500 Million
• $500.1 to 750 Million
• $750.1 Million to $1 Billion
• $1 Billion +

J. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If your team is invited to participate in any future phases of this competition, you may be required to provide additional information (refer to the Rules and Timeline), including but not limited to:

• Pitch or demo of the proposed solution.  
• A separate award agreement with the Competition Sponsor to confirm eligibility.
• Tax Determination Letter
• Audited Financial Statements  
• Articles of Incorporation, Charter, or similar documentation
• Evidence of additional funding and resources secured to implement the proposed solution.  
• Evidence of efficacy of the solution, including technical capabilities
• Existing policies, if any, addressing conflicts of interest, whistleblower, internal controls, anti-money laundering, intellectual property, code of conduct, ethics, gifts, and any similar policies governing the Lead Organization and/or partners.
• If selected for an award, any summary of lessons learned, impact, and results.

Robin Hood reserves the right to perform background checks on key individuals associated with the proposal, and the refusal by key individuals to provide necessary authorizations will be a reason to reject any application for further consideration. Background information and the results of any background checks will be kept confidential.