Education impact and monetization

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Our solution consists of working with an NGO to develop a model of revenue that converts the impact generated on educational programs for low-income students in the favelas (slams) into profit. We expect to create a system integrated with blockchain technologies in which we can apply principles of transparency, traceability, tokenomics and, therefore, to be attractive to investors looking for trustful NGOs to invest in.

We will implement this proposal with ARCA, an education NGO located at Sao Paulo, Brazil. Details of the NGO will follow below.

Based on our strategy, we hope to inspire many other NGOs to start using their impact as a source of revenue, either to invest in new programs or to scale up their activities.

OBJECTIVES

Primary: to create a strategy that will help our NGO (Arca) and others to profit from their impact generated, using Cardashift CLAP tokens.

Secondary: to inspire other education NGOs focusing to adopt the same or similar strategies that will lead to impact monetization.

To achieve our goals, we will investigate the following questions:

• How can the education NGOs focused on low-income students monetize the impact generated by the courses offered at their centers?
• In which ways the transparency of blockchain protocols like Cardano and Cardashift can ensure security to the companies willing to invest in the work done by the NGOs.
• In which ways the tokenization of impact makes it more attractive to investors.
• What are the tokenization protocols that we need to start using blockchain to monetize impact.
• What are the indicators needed to prove impact objectively (and how to handle them), without falling into self-made assessments of impact that reduces the trust in such NGOs.

IMPLEMENTATION DESIGN (Steps)

1. We will select an expert in impact assessment of educational programs to assist in the project with an external perspective. This person will be responsible for developing a framework of impact monetization, taking into consideration our research questions mentioned above.
2. We will select one course focused on employability. This course will be offered to students and implemented at the NGO Arca facilities. The number of students attending the course is expected to be around 30 (from age 15 to 22 years old).
3. The expert, along with project coordinators, will establish indicators and an impact assessment plan.
4. The course is implemented and the framework of impact is tested.
5. We maintain the impact assessment after the course is implemented (to assess the effects in employability).
6. We evaluate results and test the viability of a protocol for impact monetization, taking into consideration the use of the Cardano and/or Caradashif solutions to scale and offer impact as a service for the NGOs.
7. We publish the results and the protocol and share them with NGO partners. Therefore, they can find similar or better ways to monetize their impact as well.
8. We keep improving and refining our protocol after this proposal cycle.

BACKGROUND

Arca is a french-brazilian NGO that works in the Vila Prudente favela in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It's a vocational training center for youth and adults with 20 years of expertise in vocational training for low-income students. The center attends almost 200 students every year and offers a variety of courses designed to increase the employability of vulnerable youth. Arca offers integral support to the students, with programs that cover:

• professional training courses, 
• programs of academic and professional mentoring,
• psychological assistance,
• courses for all ages, 
• accompaniment and engagement with the families of the young people,
• distribution of food baskets for families in food insecurity.

With prices soaring, there's much more pressure on the low-income classes. Basic human rights and needs are even more scarce for the lower classes. Therefore, the work done by many NGOs like Arca is both saving lives from malnutrition and keeping the youth on the right track by providing education and job opportunities. Without such educational programs to improve employability, the youth living in the favelas are more likely to get involved with criminality, early pregnancy, or to work under sub-human conditions.

We have chosen Arca as our model, because it is located at the heart of a Favela (slum) in the city of Sao Paulo, and has a similar context shared by the other 13.151 Favelas in 743 Brazilian cities, according to the last census[1]. So we believe that although the indicators and the framework might not be literally translated to all the Favelas, or to all the countries in Latin America, it is still a good first step in terms of piloting forms of monetizing impact with the help of the blockchain technology.

According to recent data, the black population is 2.7 times more likely to be a victim of murder than the white population[2]. Not coincidently, the majority of the population living in the slums is black.

Therefore, good education and career opportunities act as a shield against societal problems such as high levels of homicides, lack of opportunities for underrepresented students, inequality, and lack of trained professionals ready for the jobs of the future.

References: [1] https://ufmg.br/comunicacao/noticias/aumento-do-numero-de-favelas-no-brasil-e-reflexo-da-desigualdade-crescente-afirma-denise-morado

[2] https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2019-11/negros-ou-pardos-tem-27-mais-chances-de-serem-mortos-do-que-brancos

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

We will list below some core aspects presented in the challenge and explain why we are matching them.

Impact valuation and impact monetization: we will work on both issues, the creation of valuation framework that is broad and still relevant to the context of many NGOs conducting education programs. At the same time, we will investigate what are the possible protocols to monetize the impact generated by such programs.

The lack of financial attractiveness of impact projects: we will investigate and do our best to create a impact protocol that is attractive not only to the NGO, but also for industry members and investors. By focusing on transparency and trust, we will make it more attractive to invest in educational programs.

Monetizing impact requires the development of an entire ecosystem: Actors capable of defining criteria (standard) on what an impact means: That is exactly what we are, with our expertise and experience in educational programs and impact assessment, and with the structure of the NGO Arca, we will be working with a real scenario.

Discovers innovative ways for impact-oriented projects to create financial value out of their impact generation, notably by issuing impact tokens: In other words, a protocol to issue impact tokens (possibly using CLAP protocol) is an essential component of our objective.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

Risk 1: The selection of indicators for monetizing impact gets too broad or too complex.

Solution to mitigate: we will partner and contact organizations that have experience in monitoring impact for education and social NGOs. We will seek support from experts and think tanks to design the outline of the indicators.

Risk 2: The strategy of impact assessment and monetization created is not connected to the blockchain technology.

Solution to mitigate: we will seek support from Cardashift community, and also from Cardano and Catalyst community, to understand what points can be worked.

Risk 3: The impact assessment gets too broad or irrelevant.

Solution to mitigate: We will use the existing structure of an existing NGO, and apply the project in a real scenario. This avoids an approach that is sometimes too theoretical or too far from the reality in the Favelas, even though the impact assessment is well elaborated.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

TIMELINE WITH MILESTONES

 1st month: Selection of impact expert to create a viable structure; preparation of course offer (advertising, curriculum, enrollment of students, data protection and authorization protocols).

2nd month: Preparation of impact assessment plan, focusing on monetization possibilities.

3rd and 4th month: educational program implementation; Execution of impact assessment plan.

5th month: development of a protocol to monetize using blockchain, with its tokenomics, and investigate other possible solutions with Cardashift & Cardano communities.

6th month: preparation and presentation of framework and strategy for impact monetization, final reports, workshop with other NGOs.

PRODUCTS

• |Protocol for social impact monetization using Cardano or Cardashift CLAP tokens that will be applied to monetize impact generated by the NGO activities.
• A workshop with NGO members of our network, to share results and strategy adopted.
• Mapping of issues and challenges. This is a resource that other groups and NGOs can work on and potentially fix, without having to start from scratch.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Personnel:

Main researcher (external collaborator): 30h/week for 6 months: 720h x 11.44 USD/h = $8,236.80

Coordination: 8h/week for 6 months: 192h x 19.07 USD/h = $3,661.44

Administrative hours from the NGO staff spent with the program: 6h/week for 6 months: 144h x 9.54 USD/h = $1,373.76

Subtotals: $13,272.00

Project costs

Translation of reports, framework, and results from Portuguese to English: $800.

Workshop preparation with partner NGOs; Website to publish the strategy: $3,000.00

Subtotals: $3,800.00

Costs of an educational program at the NGO, that will serve as the basis for the research:

2 teachers’ salaries to conduct the course: $2,500.00

Course materials for the participants and meals: $1,200.00

Infrastructure and possible extra costs (rent, electricity, taxes): $500.00

Subtotals: $4,200.00

TOTAL: $21,272.00

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Gustavo Pugliese

· 7 years of experience in non-profit organizations in the US, Brazil, and Germany.

· Author of educational programs for low-income students.

· Master and PhD in Education, with research focused on the assessment of educational programs.

· Fellow in a US State Department Fellowship (YLAI), and in the German Chancellor Fellowship (supported by the German Federal Government). Both fellowships are related to social and educational entrepreneurship.

· F7 and F8 funded proposals, PA, vPA, Challenge Team, active member of the Catalyst Community.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavopugliese/?locale=en_US

Geraldine Challe

· Education Manager at Arca do Crescer, a French-Brazilian NGO

· 10 years of experience in NGOs.

· Expert in Evaluation and Management of Social Projects

Bachelor in Psychology from the Université de Savoie (France), Master in Evaluation and Management of Social Policies from the Université Grenoble-Alpes (France) and Master in Social Work from PUC/SP, she has been working for more than ten years in the third sector in France and Brazil. She has experience in elaboration, development, monitoring and evaluation of projects, as well as strategic planning. She is currently the manager of the NOG Arca.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldine-challe-b5204910b/

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

No, it's not on our roadmap to rely on further funding from Catalyst. If we are successful in our project, we will be able to monetize from our own impact and do not rely on further funding.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

To track progress and success:

WHAT WILL BE MEASURED: Progress of impact research during the phases of the project.

HOW IT WILL BE MEASURED: Bi-weekly meetings with the main researcher, where this person will report progress to project coordinators and NGO directors.

WHAT: Adaptability and quality of impact metrics selected to the monetization system.

HOW: We will conduct workshops focusing on the issue, inviting partner NGOs and potential investors to contribute with their external evaluation of our results. Peer-to-peer assessment.

WHAT: Number of new investors that will invest in the NGO Arca.

HOW: Calculation of new investors and tracking of how they reached the NGO.

WHAT: The revenue that can be generated from the impact measured in the educational programs.

HOW: Research conducted with current donors and partners of the NGO. (List of donors can be found on the NGO webpage).

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

In the short-term:

The NGO Arca reaches new investors by being able to apply blockchain technologies that bring more trust.

We create a stable process of impact monetization that will help the NGO to be more sustainable and scale up its activities.

In the mid and long-term:

Increased number of other NGOs implementing and improving the system that we will create.

We insert other technologies like smart contracts for example, and we will become references in the field.

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

Entirely new one

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

SDG goals:

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Reduce inequality within and among countries

SDG subgoals:

By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

 #proposertoolsdg