D. The Challenge

Set the stage for your solution and explain why you have committed to help solve this challenge. Demonstrate your understanding of the problem you aim to solve.

Primary Barrier

We have identified the following non-exhaustive list of ​barriers to address through the WIN Narrative Challenge. We have compiled some research on these barriers, which can be reviewed in the community resource page and About page. Choose one that best describes the primary focus and subject matter of your proposed solution. If applicable, you will have the opportunity to select and discuss additional barriers under Other Barriers and Barrier Narrative below.

• ​​​Biased Attitudes​​
• ​​​​Narrow Narratives​​​
• Limited Public Awareness  
• ​​Zero Sum Assumptions​​​
• ​​​​Downplaying Harassment​​​
• ​​​​Caregiving Responsibilities​​​
• ​​​​The Broken Rung​​​
• ​​​​Inflexible Workplaces​​​
• ​​​​Violence and Sexual Harassment​​​
• ​​​​Bias and Toxic Workplace Culture​​​
• ​​​​Salary Discrepancy​​​

Other Barriers

We understand proposed solutions may focus on more than one barrier or disparity. Select up to three additional barriers or disparities your solution will aim to address.  

You may select up to three additional barriers or select Not applicable below. If your solution is focused on addressing more than a total of four barriers, you may list and further describe them under Barrier Narrative.

• ​​Not applicable​​​
• ​​​​Biased Attitudes​​​
• ​​​​Narrow Narratives​​​
• ​​​​Limited Public Awareness ​​​
• ​​​​Zero Sum Assumptions​​​
• ​​​​Downplaying Harassment​​​​​
• ​​​​Caregiving Responsibilities​​​
• ​​​​The Broken Rung​​​
• ​​​​Inflexible Workplaces​​​
• ​​​​Violence and Sexual Harassment​​​
• ​​​​Bias and Toxic Workplace Culture​​​
• ​​​​Salary Discrepancy​​​​​

Barrier Narrative (up to 200 words)  

Describe the specific barriers your proposed solution aims to 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.

Local Conditions (up to 150 words)  

It is important to reflect a genuine and authentic understanding of the conditions in and around where you intend to implement your project. This is your opportunity to showcase that you’ve taken time to understand any issues that are important and/or unique to the communities you aim to serve, as applicable. You may include specific references to any local stakeholders or groups who may have an invested interest in your success or failure.

E. The Solution

This challenge​​ ​seeks game-changing approaches to develop and promote narratives that help everyone — especially women — thrive as workplaces are transforming. Solutions could include mitigating bias, celebrating women’s achievements in the workplace, or amplifying positive and varied portrayals of what leadership can look like.​​ ​​Illustrate your approach and the benefits your solution will deliver. Emphasize how your project aligns with the criteria used to assess each valid application (see scoring rubric).

Project Description (up to 250 words)  

Describe your solution and how it addresses the purpose of this challenge and the relevant barriers. Provide an overview of key stakeholders and beneficiaries, 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 in more detail. Describe what your solution is or does, and how it meaningfully contributes to narratives that support ​​everyone, ​​especially​​ women,​​​ ​in ​​a​​​​ ​rapidly chan​ging ​​workplace.

Project Visual (up to three pages)

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

Innovation (up to 250 words)  

How does the solution offer a novel or breakthrough approach to ​​develop and promote narratives that ​​support everyone, especially women, in a rapidly changing workplace?​​​​​​​ For example, ​how will this ​solution ​help​ women,​​ f​amilies, communities, and/or the economy overall — to thrive? Explain how your solution diverges from, enhances, and/or reinforces existing methods/strategies. Share how your approach will be more effective and/or impactful than existing efforts to address the problem. Highlight innovative features and any other information demonstrating creativity and innovation in your approach and the proposed solution.

Scalability (up to 250 words)  

Describe your plan for scaling your solution and its benefits. Scale may mean expanding to new populations or geographies, or it may mean how you intend to amplify your impact more deeply in one geography or population or context. If appropriate, explain whether and how you will need to tailor and adapt your solution for scaling and/or amplifying impact. What is the evidence, or why do you believe your results can be replicated? As you prepare your response, the following resources would be beneficial to review: 1) the article, Emerging Pathways to Transformative Scale, from the Stanford SOCIAL INNOVATION Review (SSIR) and 2) the article, The Four Pathways to Impact at Scale, from The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University.

Adaptability (up to 150 words)

Explain how your solution will be adaptive to shifting conditions throughout the project period. How would your solution be responsive to disruptions?

F. Beneficiaries and Impact

Tell us more about where your project will focus its impact and the communities that will benefit. This is also the opportunity to provide evidence that supports your solution.  

Region

Select one option that best describes the primary region (as defined by the US Census Bureau) where the proposed solution will be implemented through the WIN Narrative Challenge. If applicable, you may provide more information through your narrative responses below, such as under Location Narrative and/or Beneficiary Narrative.

• Nation-wide
• Pacific
• Mountain West
• West North Central  
• West South Central  
• East North Central
• East South Central  
• South Atlantic
• Middle Atlantic
• New England

Region - Other

Select all options that best describe any secondary region(s) (as defined by the US Census Bureau) where the proposed solution will be implemented through the WIN Narrative Challenge. If not applicable, select Not applicable below.

• Not applicable
• Nation-wide
• Pacific
• Mountain West
• West North Central  
• West South Central  
• East North Central
• East South Central  
• South Atlantic
• Middle Atlantic
• New England

Geography Type

Select one option that best describes the primary location of the proposed solution that your team aims to reach through the WIN Narrative Challenge. If applicable, you may provide more information through your narrative responses below, such as under Location Narrative and/or Beneficiary Narrative.

• City
• Multi-city
• County
• Multi-county
• State
• Multi-state / Regional
• National

Geography Type - Other

Select all options that best describe any secondary location(s) of the proposed solution that your team aims to reach through the WIN Narrative Challenge. If not applicable, select Not applicable below.

• Not applicable
• City
• Multi-city
• County
• Multi-county
• State
• Multi-state / Regional
• National

Community Type

Select one option that best describes the primary community the proposed solution aims to serve through the WIN Narrative Challenge. If applicable, you may provide more information through your narrative responses below, such as under Location Narrative and/or Beneficiary Narrative.

• Rural
• Suburban
• Urban

Community Type - Other

Select the options that best describe any secondary communities the proposed solution aims to serve through the WIN Narrative Challenge. If not applicable, select Not applicable below.

• Not applicable
• Rural
• Suburban
• Urban

Location of Current or Relevant Work (up to 50 words)

List the location(s) where your proposed project has already been implemented. If your project has not yet been implemented at another site or region, then you may identify a project of similar type or scale, where your team may not have been responsible but where the similarities are significant. If there has been no other project of similar type or scale, enter Not applicable.

Location Narrative (up to 100 words)

Explain the proposed location(s) of your project. Describe any existing relationships or assets that will impact where the proposed project may be implemented. If relevant, you may also describe additional locations where you plan to expand or scale your project.

Beneficiary Description (up to 250 words)

More fully describe your priority populations, as well as any secondary or other populations who may engage with and/or benefit from the project.

Community Relationships (up to 200 words)

Describe your relationship with the community/communities you seek to impact. Why are they meaningful to you, your team and the solution you propose? How do your experiences reflect those of the communities served?  

Stakeholder Engagement (up to 200 words)

Share your outreach and engagement plans for stakeholders for the project period. Describe your approach to responding to the needs of the populations you aim to serve through your proposed solution. Identify which stakeholders you have engaged so far and how you will continue to engage relevant decision makers, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders to ensure your project successfully achieves your goals.  

Outcomes & Results (up to 200 words)

Describe the short- to long-term impact, specific outcomes, and measurable results you intend to achieve through the proposed project. This may include goals and objectives as they relate to changes in attitude, behavior, and/or knowledge, reach and engagement, and more.

Measurement of Results (up to 200 words)

How do you plan to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of your proposed project against the key metrics you have described above? What interim indicators will you be measuring that will indicate you are making progress towards the macro indicators you have defined?

Evidence of Effectiveness (up to 250 words)

What evidence do you have or why do you believe that the solution you propose will work? Present any internal evidence (e.g., impact results from pilot programs, case studies from beneficiaries, evidence from analogous or similar approaches in other contexts) or formal academic evidence if it exists, including any results from complementary or previous work. If necessary, you may cite academic literature or papers. Use brackets and numbers to indicate relevant citations [#], which you can later clarify in a separate Bibliography section. The purpose of providing citations throughout the application is to affirm that any claims have been investigated and/or verified by a credible source or authority, and to attribute academic works appropriately.  

Communications (up to 150 words)

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

References (up to 200 words)

If you included citations under Evidence of Effectiveness, provide your bibliography with a corresponding bracketed number [#] for each citation and attribution of the relevant authors. 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.  

Other Considerations (up to 150 words)

This is your final opportunity to raise any other considerations. Here, you may emphasize or expand upon a previous point or provide new information, as necessary.

G. Project Plan and Budget

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

Plan & Timeline Narrative (up to 250 words)

Offer a general overview of your implementation plan over the course of a two- to three- year project period. Include key activities and milestones to help track and measure success.  

Detailed Timeline

Provide a detailed implementation plan and timeline over the course of a two- to three- year project period. Milestones and dates noted below should reflect and clarify your general explanations provided in Project Plan Narrative above and include more specific descriptions and key dates. Your timeline and budget must detail in which project year the activity / cost will be incurred: Y1, Y2, and/or Y3.

NOTE: A maximum of 50 tasks may be added to the table below and the total number of days must be greater than or equal to 730 days and less than or equal to 1,095 days (two to three years).

Risk Mitigation (up to 200 words)

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

Total Projected Costs

List the total cost to implement your project. This can include costs beyond the total amount of the award.  

Budget Narrative (up to 250 words)

Offer a general overview of how you would use the $5 million grant, including the projected needs by category. Specify what portion of the budget is expected to be spent on monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). You may include any explanations of existing resources you have already secured.

Budget

Provide a line-item budget for how the $5 million award would be spent in Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3, as well as the total cost. Funds identified in these tables 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.

In addition to direct project costs, the budget may include a reasonable allocation for indirect expenses associated with the overall operations of the team that are shared across the organization’s activities. We reserve the right to review and adjust amounts allocated for indirect expenses. Review the rules for ineligible expenses.

Budget for use of the funds awarded under this Challenge should follow these guidelines:

• Your budget must total $5 million (USD) and be allocated across two to three years. If your project period is two years, please leave the Year 3 table blank.
• Your budget must detail in which project year the cost will be incurred: Year 1, Year 2, and/or Year 3.
• Your budget may allocate funds to support Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning activities.  
• Your budget may afford reasonable accommodations to make your project accessible, for example to people with disabilities, as implementers, participants, and beneficiaries.

TOTAL COST: ALL YEARS

For the summary table below, under Line Item Description: enter Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 and under Amount: enter the corresponding sub-total from your tables above. If your project period is two years, please only enter Year 1 and Year 2 below, as well as the corresponding sub-total for each year. Your total costs below must equal $5 million (USD).  

Total Resource Requirements (up to 100 words)

If your project requires more than $5 million (USD), explain how you have secured (or plan to secure) the balance of any necessary funds and provide an overview of how those funds will be used. If your total projected costs do not exceed $5 million (USD), enter Not applicable.

Contingency (up to 150 words)

Explain any adjustments to the proposed plan and impact should you receive a $2.5 million award, and how the project may be impacted if a $5 million award is not secured. Describe any potential to leverage additional resources to realize, sustain, and/or scale your project.

Project Funders (up to 100 words)

List the names of the top five past and current funders, amounts, and type of resources (cash or in-kind) for the proposed project. Include this information for up to the past three years.

If your project has not received any support from other funders, enter Not applicable below.

Technical Assistance (up to 150 words)

Specify your needs for other technical assistance, staffing, resources, tools, and other support necessary to successfully implement the proposed project and overcome roadblocks, barriers, and gaps that have historically inhibited progress. If not applicable, enter Not applicable.

H. Administrative Information

Provide additional information about the Lead Organization. Before answering, use the Readiness Tool to understand your ability to be competitive according to the size of your annual operating budget.

Employer Identification Number (EIN) (up to 5 words)

Enter your EIN. If in progress, enter Pending approval. Do not include social security numbers.

Annual Operating Budget

What is the annual operating budget of the Lead Organization?

1. Less than $1 Million
2. $1.0 to 5 Million
3. $5.1 to 10 Million
4. $10.1 to 25 Million
5. $25.1 to 50 Million
6. $50.1 to 100 Million
7. $100.1 to 500 Million
8. More than $500 Million

Organization Funders

Provide the following information for at least three and up to five of the top funders of the Lead Organization within the last three years: (1) legal name of the entity responsible for funding your organization; (2) period of funding (in months to date); (3) amount of funding within the prescribed period. If your organization has not received any support from other funders, enter Not applicable for every field below.  

Number of Full-time Employees

How many full-time employees (FTE) does the Lead Organization employ?

• Less than 10
• 10 to 25
• 26 to 50
• 51 to 100
• 101 to 300
• 301 to 500
• 501 to 999
• 1,000+

Number of Part-time Employees & Volunteers (up to 25 words)

Enter the number of part-time employees and the number of volunteers engaged by the Lead Organization in the past year.

Financials

We require information necessary to understand the financial health of the Lead Organization. Upload audited financial reports from the past two (2) years for the Lead Organization. If audited financial reports are not available, upload 990s or certified financials for the past two (2) years for the Lead Organization.

You may submit the two years of financial records in any standard format. You must upload a single PDF file that does not exceed 10MB.

Lobbying

Grant funds awarded under this Competition may not be used for lobbying purposes or activities. Does your project plan involve any lobbying activities?  

• Yes
• No

I. Additional Information

As a condition of participation in this Competition, your team may be required to provide additional information (refer to the rules and Timeline), including but not limited to:

• Additional information about your organization
• Articles of Incorporation, Charter, bylaws, and/or similar documentation
• A more comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan for the project.
• Additional information about charitable purpose and compliance with private benefit rules.
• Confirmation that award funds will not be used for lobbying.
• Existing policies, if any, addressing conflicts of interest, whistleblower, internal controls, anti-money laundering, intellectual property, human subjects research, code of conduct, ethics, gifts, and any similar policies governing the organization.

The Aspen Institute reserves the right to perform due diligence and background checks on key individuals associated with the project, and the refusal by the key individuals to provide necessary authorizations for a background check may result in the rejection of an application for further consideration. Background information and the results of any background checks will be kept confidential.