The GBF Program Executive for Leadership Initiatives appoints and chairs the Selection Committee for the RLF Fund. Committee members may include corporate sponsors, former student leaders and include past Responsible Leadership Fund recipients, at the Program Executive’s Discretion.
- Requests For Proposals will be distributed to participating school administrators and to the GBF Presidents Network (two contact points total) in the fall of each academic year. Grant proposals must be received by the Committee no later than February 1st of the same academic year.
- Each school may forward up to three proposals per academic year. Proposals must indicate a spokesperson on the nomination form. This individual will speak for the team in the event of a finalist interview (see below).
- Proposals shall be returned via e-mail per the schedule communicated in the RFP mailing Additional information (examples of program materials, video clips, photos, local news articles, testimonials, etc.) is encouraged, but should be submitted as soft copies accompanying the proposal. Items forwarded to the GBF cannot be returned.
- The Selection Committee will screen proposals and select semi‑finalists. References will be contacted via telephone interviews focusing on selection criteria and community impact. Every effort will be made to contact references during this period, but failure to return GBF calls can adversely affect a proposal’s standing.
Selection Criteria: The proposal must address one of the following:
1. Category Alignment:
- Sustainability
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- 2. Project Alignment. The proposal must fall into one of the following project
- areas:
- Help scale a pilot program to full potential within the target community.
- Need a bullet to match second Alignment bullet above around “institutionalizing within target community”
- Help scale a successful program as a “best practice” across business schools.
- Help scale the program by creating a permanent “global program office” within the GBF or at the grant writer’s school and launch “chapters” at participating schools.
3. Scope of Involvement. The proposal must demonstrate:
- Significant involvement/support from the school and local community (both in number of volunteers AND number of beneficiaries).
- Thoughtful metrics, measurement, and proposed communication of results.
4. Additional Considerations:
- Does the proposal demonstrate a clear need and delineate specific deliverables made possible by the grant?
- Is the budget and project plan both realistic and achievable?
- Can this program be scaled? The GBF will give preference to projects that can be readily scaled to multiple schools across our network.
- Does the proposal include a specific plan (complete with communications/teaching aides) to ensure the project can be scaled?
Notes:
Should the GBF help fund a project, grant recipients will be required to provide all details necessary to include the project in the GBF best practices database.
The GBF encourages projects that have previously received financial support, either from the respective business school or from corporations/public service agencies.
The GBF may provide additional support in the form of a project team (advisory, business collaboration, etc.) comprised of Fund Sponsors and/or GBF mentors (current professionals who were past student leaders).
- The Selection Committee will review proposals and select finalists (the exact number will be determined by the Fund status each year). The Committee may (at its discretion) conduct 45‑minute telephone interviews. Interviews will focus on the selection criteria, ability to effectively articulate the project’s value proposition, and personal views on responsible leadership.
- The Selection Committee will have full discretion to present multiple grants or to forego grants if the proposals are not considered of suitable caliber. The Committee may also present special commendations and/or awards for Responsible Leadership efforts.
- Grant Recipient(s) will be notified prior to the annual Graduate Business Conference (GBC) and will be invited to the GBC awards ceremony for official presentation and acceptance remarks. If this spokesperson is not a Conference delegate, the GBF asks that the honoree’s school sponsor travel expenses.
- Prior to Fund dispersal, recipients will sign a formal Memorandum of Agreement which provides for performance metrics, milestones, deliverables, documentation, expenditure tracking, and validation.
- Acceptance of a RLF Grant must include a commitment to return to the GBC the following year to present the program and all relevant materials to the GBF network in a special workshop. The GBF may request additional presentations via webinar (to its global network and/or interested sponsors).
- The honoree’s school will be asked to join with the GBF in publicizing this unique contribution to responsible leadership initiatives worldwide.
