SEATTLE, July 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Committee for Children (CFC), the nation's leading non-profit provider of social-emotional curricula, has teamed up with Atlanta-based Points of Light to find and support innovative ventures in social-emotional learning during the fall 2014 Civic Accelerator. This fall's challenge focuses on creating new pathways and increasing access to economic opportunity for all and is open for applications until August 15 at http://www.pointsoflight.org/civic-incubator/apply. The 12-week accelerator program provides both non-profit and for-profit startups with valuable advice, mentoring and networking opportunities with a goal of equipping them to seek investments and scale their social innovations. It also offers $50,000 in funding to the top candidates, as selected by their social-enterprise peers.
"We're excited to partner with the team at Committee for Children," said Ayesha Khanna, President of the Civic Incubator at Points of Light. "Their focus on social-emotional learning and the role it plays in economic opportunity adds a new dimension to the work we're doing as we support and invest in cutting-edge civic startups."
Committee for Children is partnering with Points of Light under the auspices of its New Mission Ventures Department, which is dedicated to expanding CFC's mission of fostering the social and emotional development, safety, and well-being of children.
"We are pleased to announce that 5 of the approximately 15 ventures accepted into the program will have a component that addresses social and emotional development," said New Mission Ventures Director Mia Doces. "The evidence is clear: social-emotional competence is a foundation for economic opportunity in the 21st century."
The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on "civic ventures" — for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three-month, boot camp-style program convenes 10–15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale its social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation and Starbucks Foundation, both founding partners, and from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, SAP, and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. New sponsor Committee for Children became a project funder this year. For more information, go to www.civic-x.org and follow @civicacceleratr.
About Committee for Children
Seattle-based nonprofit Committee for Children's research-based educational programs, including the award-winning Second Step program, teach social-emotional skills to prevent bullying, violence, and abuse and improve academics. Their curricula are used in over 25,000 schools across the United States and around the world. To learn more, go to www.cfchildren.org.
About the Points of Light
Points of Light is the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, engaging 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. The Civic Incubator serves as a catalyst for innovation by supporting, investing and helping to grow the impact of social entrepreneurs and their civic ventures through several programs, including the Civic Accelerator.