Leap Africa Call For Application For 2019-2020 Social Innovators Programme

LEAP Africa in collaboration with Union Bank has announced its call for application for the Social Innovators Programme 2019/2020 Fellowship.

Background Information

L.E.A.P: Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability & Professionalism

(LEAP) Africa is a non-profit organization, committed to developing dynamic, innovative and principled leaders that will transform Africa. LEAP has inspired and worked with local and international partners to equip nearly 50, 000 youths, teachers, youth-focused CSOs, social entrepreneurs and businesses to lead ethically and implement initiatives that will transform communities, institutionalize organizations and contribute to national development.

In 2004, LEAP Africa pioneered the celebration of young people who are leading positive change initiatives in local communities through the Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards (ANYLA). Building on the successes of ANYLA, LEAP designed the Social Innovators Programme and Awards (SIPA) which is a year-long fellowship that bridges the skills gap of sustainability of these social ventures and more. Through the SIPA, the fellowship offers an opportunity to learn, be supported with resources, networks and showcase talented young social innovators between ages 18 and 35 whose initiatives have improved the livelihood of others.

About the SIP Fellowship

Over the past five (5) years, LEAP Africa has partnered with Union Bank Nigeria, other corporate sponsors and development champions, to enable these young change-makers to transition their social change solutions into scalable social enterprises. Through a careful selection process, 20 highly motivated and young social innovators are chosen across a pool of applicants to participate in activities outlined for the fellowship year.

Fellows are empowered through series of training sessions (physical and online), mentorship, access to local & international funding and partnership opportunities, and importantly the opportunity to be a part of a global network of social change agents. These activities culminate into an award ceremony where outstanding Fellows are rewarded with a financial sustainability prize award and also showcased. The social ventures of the Fellows cover various aspects of the society, such as Agriculture, Youth Empowerment, Education, Science & Technology, Health, Law, Human Rights, among others.

Why Apply?

Access to an established faculty and curriculum to equip you to build an effective system and sustainable structures in your enterprise
Access to a support ecosystem of professionals as mentors, advisory services, skills and other resources towards enterprise growth
Access to impact investment opportunities from local and international partners
Opportunity to build valuable networks and partnerships to amplify your enterprise credibility both locally and internationally

Who Should Apply?

We are seeking applications from budding social entrepreneurs who would be available and willing to participate in the various activities outlined for the fellowship year. The 2019/2020 fellowship cycle begins in November 2019 and ends on November 2020. An ideal SIP fellow should be:

Young women and men between 18 and 35 years, whose ideas and initiatives offer effective solutions to challenges in local communities across Nigeria
Applicants must be Initiators/ Co-founders of a socially focused venture/enterprise/ Foundation, located anywhere in Nigeria.
Applicants must have been involved in operating their ventures/enterprise beyond 12 months prior to the time of this application.
Applicants must be available to participate in the Fellowship activities including implementation of appropriate systems to sustain their innovation over the course of the fellowship year.

*Females are strongly encouraged to apply

Selection Criteria:

In our review of applications, we will be looking for the following:

Level of creativity/innovation applied and their entrepreneurial approach towards social change.
Experience mobilizing people and resources to achieve set goals.
Motivation for application: Applicants must give compelling reasons why they would like to participate in the fellowship programme and also show a strong desire to increase the impact of their change initiative.
Demonstrate a passion for social change and active participation in community building.
Willingness to implement appropriate systems and structures to sustain the innovation developed

Application Deadline:

All applicants must fill the application form and submit via the link provided below on or before 11:59 pm, Sunday, August 11th, 2019.

Application Link:
To access the application form, kindly click on this link

Please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information

Interested applicants should kindly follow the link above and forward other queries to:
sipa@leapafrica.org or coguonu@leapafrica.org