Applications for the 3rd annual A3C Action Pitch Competition are now open.
The A3C Action Pitch Competition is a national competition to find, support, and invest in new, innovative ideas that use art, music and hip-hop culture as a vehicle to advance social justice and civic engagement. Through a partnership with Atlanta's Center for Civic Innovations, we invite organizations from around the country to submit their ideas.
5+ Finalists will
- Travel to Atlanta for the A3C Festival & Conference
- Receive business development training & attend pitch bootcamp
- Pitch their idea to celebrity judges & a national audience
- Compete for more than $10,000 in cash and in-kind contributions
A3C and the Center for Civic Innovation launched the A3C Action Pitch Competition in 2015. We didn't really know what to expect, but we wanted to support amazing organizations - and people - already making an impact in our communities in unique ways. We knew instantly we had started something special after we met the first 5 finalists. The passion, work ethic and personal stories were intoxicating.
Malika Whitley (of ChopArt) won the inaugural A3C Action Pitch Competition. Chop Art works to empower homeless youth through art by providing a two week arts summer camp focused on the holistic immersion of music, theater and dance. Malika had never sought funding prior to 2015, but was just recently named a fellow of the Sara Blakely Foundation and continues to grow ChopArt to assist more homeless youth each year.
In 2016 we received twice as many applicants and we're overwhelmed by the interest in the Action Pitch Competition. We ended up inviting 7 applicants to the pitch competition and had three winners. We had three winners in The Village of Arts and Humanities and Shooting Without Bullets and the viewer choice award went to Girls Make Beats.
In 2016 we realized we needed to do more. We had over 150 applicants and most of them were extremely impressive. We wanted to produce an experience the could connect, educate and inspire more people.
This year, we introduce the Action Summit. The Action Summit invites activists, academics and artists to connect, discuss and address social justice challenges. The 2-day summit will host a series of panels, workshops and meet-ups that end with the 3rd annual A3C Action Pitch Competition.
Action Summit Asks: How can art, music and hip-hop culture be used to advance social justice and civic engagement?
The Auburn Avenue Research Library is adjacent from A3C’s Conference Center in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn Historic District. It is the first library in the Southeast to offer specialized reference and archival collections dedicated to the study and research of African American culture and history.
