FAQs
Joshua Venture Group appreciates your interest in our organization and our program. Have a question about the Dual Investment Program or application process? Consult the most common questions below for an immediate answer. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us here.
THE NEW JOSHUA VENTURE GROUP
Q: Why have you renamed the organization Joshua Venture Group?
A: As part of our relaunch, we added “Group” to our name to represent all of our enterprises, our investors, and our stakeholders. The addition of the word “Group” reflects an emphasis on the fellow cohorts and their respective endeavors that will collectively impact the Jewish world. As it also alludes to a venture capital business, it highlights that those projects to be funded and mentored will be held accountable for their performance and judicious use of funds. Through our new identity, we seek to emphasize the Jewish collective as well as the professional nature of our work.
Our name is inspired by the biblical Joshua, who leads our people into the Promised Land. Joshua Venture Group seeks to invest in the future – through funding ideas and supporting emerging leaders. We strive to invest in a portfolio of leaders and ventures that are addressing a cross-section of important issues in the Jewish community. We are open to Jewish social entrepreneurs who are passionate about issues as diverse as peace-building, inclusiveness, cutting-edge arts and culture, to health and developmental issues.
Q: What was the process between 2005 when Joshua Venture suspended operations and 2009?
A: During the second cohort, stakeholders in the organization hired an outside evaluator to assess the program’s successes and shortcomings. The evaluation found the program itself to be sound, although the organizational infrastructure required significant redevelopment. The decision was then made to suspend operations. Over the next few years, a new business plan was crafted reflecting the evaluator’s assessments, a new team was recruited, funding for core operations for five years was secured, and the headquarters were moved from San Francisco to New York City.
ELIGIBILITY
Q: My project is based outside the United States. May I apply for the Dual Investment Program?
A: No. At this time, Joshua Venture Group will only consider applicants who live in the United States and base their projects here. It is possible for significant activities of a United States-based organization to take place elsewhere in the world.
Q: I am not an American citizen. May I apply for the Dual Investment Program?
A: Yes. To be eligible, you must have American work authorization (i.e., citizenship, permanent residence status, or a work visa).
Q; My project is structured as a for-profit organization. May I apply for the Dual Investment Program?
A: Yes, so long as you meet our other criteria for impact, leadership, and venture structure.
Q: I’m not sure if my proposal meets your criteria. May I schedule a personal interview to review my proposal before I decide whether I should complete an application?
A: Joshua Venture Group has a small staff. Since we cannot offer personal interviews to all applicants, in fairness we cannot grant personal interviews to any applicants, either over the phone or in person.
Our eligibility criteria are generally straightforward. The criteria that cause confusion are the requirements that a program be the original idea of the applicant and be innovative. We suggest that you do some research before applying to determine if someone else is implementing your idea, either in your community or in a different community. If a similar model currently exists but your plan is to execute this model in a different way in order to make it more effective than existing programs, you may be eligible. If your idea is truly novel and untested with tremendous potential for creating lasting social change, we encourage you to apply.
Q: Do I need to have 501(c)(3) status before I can apply for the Dual Investment Program?
A: No, you do not need to establish 501(c)(3) status before you apply.
Q: I have more than one idea for an innovative new program. May I submit both ideas?
A: No. Joshua Venture Group only allows one submission per applicant per year. If you submit both ideas, or submit the same idea twice, you will automatically be removed from further consideration for the Program.
Q: Are applicants who are participating in other fellowships, incubators, or social entrepreneurial programs eligible?
A: Yes. As long as applicants meet the impact, leadership, and venture criteria posted here, they are eligible. Joshua Venture Group seeks to leverage our resources to ensure the greatest impact on the community. Therefore, we will take into account the stage and current funding of all applicants and evaluate where our funding and development support will be best leveraged.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Q: Am I applying for support for me or for my project?
A: Both. For Joshua Venture Group, this is a dual investment – in you and your vision. You may propose to use the funds in the way that will best support your project, including salary, operating expenses, or program costs. However, Joshua Venture Group is interested in supporting and training you, as a young Jewish social entrepreneur, not just your project. Therefore, Fellows will be selected on the basis of their personal characteristics and leadership potential, in addition to their project ideas.
Q: The Venture Concept Paper asks what my “theory of change” is. How does Joshua Venture Group define “theory of change”?
A: To assist you in thinking about how to explain or describe your theory of change, we have compiled a list of resources here. It is not mandatory that you follow any of these resources precisely, nor do we endorse them as the right or only way to define “theory of change”; they are simply suggestions to help guide your thinking as you formulate your vision for your venture.
Q: What is the timeline for the application process?
A: The application process consists of three stages. For the 2010-2012 Dual Investment Program, the process went as follows: Venture Concept Papers (Stage 1) were due January 2nd, 2010; Stage 2 Applicants were announced January 18th; Venture Proposals (Stage 2) were due February 12th; Finalists were announced March 8th; In-person Interviews (Stage 3) were conducted at the end of March; and Fellows were announced at the beginning of April 2010. The next opportunity to apply will be for the 2012-2014 Dual Investment Program. More information about the applications process for the next cohort will be available in Spring 2012.
Q: Who will be evaluating applications for the Program?
A: Joshua Venture Group’s staff evaluates all concept papers submitted in the first stage. We involve a diverse group of outside readers reflecting a cross-section of issue areas that affect Jewish communities. The final stage consists of in-person interviews with a selection committee comprised of representatives from Joshua Venture Group’s board, staff, and alumni as well as the broader community.
Q: How will Fellows be selected?
A: Applications for the Dual Investment Program will be evaluated on the strength of the application to meet our criteria. Joshua Venture Group seeks to fund creative solutions to demonstrated needs that have the potential to greatly affect the Jewish people, and that are led by dynamic, visionary leaders. We bring on a cohort of eight fellows who are representative of our community, as well as the change we envision in the Jewish world. Our program is unique in the peer group that we create among the Fellows. The Fellows will rely on each other in the years to come to support and learn from each other. Therefore, the makeup of this cohort will be a factor in our decision-making.
Q: What if there is more than one person heading up the project?
A: Only one individual per organization may be selected for the Dual Investment Program. Therefore, if you are working in a partnership or a team, one person may apply for the Program. Fellows are expected to share their knowledge and resources with their colleagues to benefit their project.
Q: How will I know that my online application has been received?
A: Upon submitting your application, your screen will refresh and a message will appear confirming that your application has been received.
Q: I have limited access to the Internet. Can you mail me an application or can I download a copy off your website? Instead of using your format, may I mail you my business plan?
A: No, you must submit your application using our online tools. If you have limited access to the Internet, we suggest printing out the application questions ahead of time. You can work on composing your answers offline. This will save you considerable time when you go online to enter your responses. We will not accept any other documents (e.g., letters of inquiry, business plans) in lieu of the online application.
DUAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM
Q: What is the total amount awarded to Fellows as part of the Dual Investment Program?
A: Monetary awards are given to Fellows in the amount of $40,000 annually for two years, or a total of $80,000. In addition, there are stipends available for health insurance, as well as professional and organizational development consultants, totaling over $10,000 per year.
Q: What is the exact timeframe of the 2010-2012 Dual Investment Program?
A: The application cycle for the 2010-2012 Dual Investment Program is now closed. The application cycle for the 2012-2014 Program will begin in Spring 2012.
Q: Your grant amount of $40,000 per year is less than I am making in my current job. How am I supposed to support myself? Do you offer grants of different sizes based on the applicant’s experience or financial need?
A: Joshua Venture Group does not vary the amount of the grant based on experience or financial need and expects that in the first two years of Program, our Fellows will need to raise additional funds.