Challenge invites out of the box ideas to help San Diego’s youth have a brighter future  

Challenge invites out of the box ideas to help San Diego’s youth have a brighter future  

The Prebys Foundation, in collaboration with Carrot, proudly announces the launch of Prebys Sparx, a groundbreaking challenge aimed at improving youth mental health and well-being across San Diego County. This exciting initiative offers $1.1 million in prizes, including a grand prize of $1 million. 

Prebys Sparx seeks innovative solutions that leverage the power of arts, culture, and nature to address mental health challenges among San Diego County’s youth. Nonprofit organizations based in or collaborating with local San Diego nonprofits are invited to participate. 

“Our well-being as humans depends far more than our modern world acknowledges on the sense of agency and wonder we discover through nature, the arts and culture,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation.  “Prebys Sparx is a call for innovative and bold ideas to help San Diego youth connect with these powerful community forces to promote their well-being. Given the extraordinary talent and vision that exist in San Diego County, not to mention the unparalleled natural and artistic environment here, we believe our county can help its young people discover their power and potential through tapping into the natural and creative worlds." 

Interested organizations can register now until November 7, 2024, at 3:00 PM PST. For more details and to take the readiness quiz, visit prebyssparx.org. For inquiries, contact questions@prebyssparx.org. 

Other key dates, participants should mark on their calendars include: 

 The Research Behind Prebys Sparx 

A growing number of healthcare providers, researchers, and community advocates recognize the importance of not only treating illness but also promoting mental and behavioral well-being through non-clinical experiences in the arts, culture, and nature. Prebys Foundation aims to help create a better environment for the well-being of San Diego’s youth. 

‍Recent data supports outdoors as medicine:  

  And this data shows arts are a pathway to:  

The San Diego region is home to a vibrant arts and culture community and great outdoor resources that offer an abundance of opportunities for healing, inspiration, rejuvenation, and social connection. Taking advantage of these assets, Prebys Foundation launched Prebys Sparx on August 22, 2024. This challenge invites bold ideas and innovative opportunities that employ arts, culture, and/or nature to address growing mental health disparities and promote behavioral well-being among youth ages 0-25 in the San Diego region. Up to four honorable mentions will each receive $25,000 and one grand prize winner will receive $1 million. 

Why Use Prize Philanthropy 

In recent years, so-called “prize philanthropy,” the use of monetary prizes to drive 

developments that benefit society, has become an increasingly popular form of 

philanthropy. Perhaps the best known such prize is the XPRIZE, which has spurred 

competitions to design space vehicles, energy efficient automobiles, oil spill cleanup 

technologies, home health care devices, and more. 

There are many potential benefits of such an approach. As Rockefeller Philanthropy Partners notes in their excellent overview of the benefits and challenges of prize philanthropy, prizes can: 

Prebys is using this prize competition to encourage talented people to work across disciplines and bring new or non-traditional perspectives beyond their areas of expertise. While the foundation does not expect this to become a major component of its work, prizes can encourage talented people to work across disciplines and bring unusual perspectives beyond their area's expertise. 

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About Prebys Foundation  

Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, a unique tri-national area encompassing communities from San Diego, Tijuana, and the Kumeyaay Nation. The foundation works to create an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic future for all San Diegans. Prebys advances excellence and shared opportunity through investments in groundbreaking institutions, ideas, and people to ensure more people in the region are financially secure, healthy, empowered, and connected. For more information about the Prebys Foundation, visit prebysfdn.org. 

About Carrot:  

The #1 platform for running prize programs, achievement awards, requests for proposals, and crowdsourcing contests. Carrot helps organizations build competitions that engage new talent and deliver groundbreaking solutions. Whether you’re developing technology for a Mars mission or tackling a local healthcare problem, entice the world to solve your toughest challenges.