Social Venture Partners of Rhode Island (SVPRI) has issued a request for proposals for promising social enterprise opportunities from nonprofit organizations (NPOs) who may qualify to work with a team of students from an area college or university to develop and refine their business plan. Social enterprise consists of products and services that align with the mission of the organization and provide a source of revenue to help further that mission. Teams of students from area colleges and universities, including the Brown University social enterprise course, the URI One-Year MBA program and Bryant University’s Global Entrepreneurship program will form teams of approximately two to six students, and will work with nonprofit management to help develop their social enterprise business plans.

The plans may be submitted in a business plan competition in the spring of 2009, and the student team submitting the strongest business plan will receive a $5,000 grant, to benefit the NPO with whom they worked to create it.

A copy of the RFP is attached. Proposals must be submitted to info@svpri.org by no later than July 31, 2008 at 5 pm. Deadline Extended to Tuesday, August 12, 2008.

Please forward this message to organizations you believe may be interested in submitting a proposal.