Join the Carnival for Change - Booth 8.

Welcome to the Carnival for Change where we explore the web for interesting items relating to social justice, health, education, and opportunity.

* Apply for a Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship. "We are particularly interested in applications from social entrepreneurs working in five critical sub-issue areas that threaten the survival of humanity – climate change, nuclear proliferation, global pandemics, conflict in the Middle East and water scarcity." The next application deadlines are November 4, 2008 and February 10, 2009. For more on social entrepreneurship, see the new SE section on Alltop.

* More from Skoll - This time it's their partnership with Sundance. Submit your film idea to Stories of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Focus Through Documentary. Completed films are not eligible. Deadline is August 15.

* Apply for a Echoing Green Fellowship. "Each year, Echoing Green awards 20 two-year fellowships to entrepreneurs creating new social change organizations. Fellows receive up to $90,000 in seed funding and technical support to turn their innovative ideas into sustainable organizations." The next application deadlines are this fall, so start preparing now.

* I found an interesting blog on microfranchises. Microfranchises are "small businesses that can easily be replicated by following proven marketing and operational concepts. The overall objective of MicroFranchising is to promote economic development by developing sound business models that can be replicated by entrepreneurs at the base of the pyramid; therefore, the start-up costs of MicroFranchises will be minimal. The key principle is replication, replicating success to scale." Check out David Stoker's blog, appropriately titled Microfranchising.

* Nominate a worthy social entrepreneur to be an Ashoka Fellow. "Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who we recognize to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society. They demonstrate unrivaled commitment to bold new ideas and prove that compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change. Ashoka Fellows work in over 60 countries around the globe in every area of human need." You can also donate to Ashoka's Venture Fund for Leading Social Entrepreneurs.

* Get your climate concerns heard. Submit your video on the topic to vimeo.com/climatematters . You could win $3000 and the winning videos will be broadcast nationally and distributed to Washington lawmakers.

* Vote for So What Can I Do for the 2009 Black Web Award for Most Original Blog. Visit http://www.blacktvonline.com/most-original-blog and vote as often as you like before October 5, 2008. Anyone can vote and there's no need to register to do so. Thanks!

* Have you found the theme here? Guess what I'm reading (other than the Bible): Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector, Social Entrepreneurship: New Models of Sustainable Social Change, Social Entrepreneurship: A Modern Approach to Social Value Creation (Entrepreneurship Series), and Social Entrepreneurship.


Thanks for visiting the Carnival for Change! If you'd like space at the next booth, send your items to me with "Carnival for Change" in the subject. See you next time! In the meantime, subscribe to So What Can I Do (see sidebar) or follow us on Twitter (@sowhatcanido).

“Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right." -Carl Schurz, revolutionary, statesman and reformer (1829-1906)