Thanks to our supporters, IncitED has now launched its site. Visit us at www.incited.org

Grassroots Innovation Begins in Spring 2013.

Special thanks to the 57 supporters who provided funding for site improvements that will enable innovative educators everywhere to fund their own projects.  Those improvements are well underway and we will be moving the site to www.incited.org in just a few weeks. Watch this space for the official announcement. Again, thanks for your support, and please spread the word!

How will we use the funds?

These Stage 1 funds will be used to complete our own crowdfunding website for educators based on what you see here. It will have added features needed to support Project Builders, further enable Project Funders and provide information and tools supporting the replication of successful projects.

The IncitEd team is all volunteer right now, and we've reached a point at which professional design work and help with back-end design are needed. Reaching our goal will allow us to work with a site design professional to create an attractive, functional environment for Project Builders and Project Funders. It will also allow us to work with specialists in the area of database design to assure that behind-the-scenes processing is efficient and will support project replication as well as future growth.

Project Description

The quickest way to discover what IncitEd: Grassroots Educational Innovations is all about is to watch the short video presentation above, after which you'll have a pretty good idea of how IncitEd will meet your project funding needs and/or those of innovative educators you know.

Visit the IncitEd splash page to learn more, or to send us a message about innovative educational projects you would like to fund using IncitEd. If you'd like, ask about taking part in IncitEd's beta test program where your project is sure to be a featured project.

Important!

IncitEd: Grassroots Educational Innovations is in live test mode. Our test project is real, and contributions are being pre-authorized via PayPal, to be collected if the project meets its funding goal by January 2nd, 2013. (Otherwise, you’re not charged and we get nothing.)

Contributing to the cause is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Signup or login before making a contribution. The links to do so are on the far right of the top menu area.

2. Click "I Want to Contribute" above the rewards, or move the mouse pointer over the reward level you want and Click. On the rewards page confirm the amount and reward selection.

3. Click "Continue to PayPal" at the bottom of the rewards page. Don't be concerned if you don't have a PayPal account. Just follow the simple procedure on the PayPal page to pay with a credit card, or to log into your PayPal account if you have one.

For now this is the only project on the site. Educators are already submitting their own projects to be funded as we move forward. Your support is needed to make that happen.

See the Project Blog for more information on rewards. 

We hate bugs, but you may find some during this test that we haven’t uncovered. So if you find glitches or things that don't seem to work as well as they could, we are here to offer hands on, one-on-one help. 

Contact admin@incited.org or jrwood08@incited.org via email, and we can work through any problems. Likewise, send your suggestions to either of those addresses. Thanks for helping us make IncitEd: Grassroots Educational Innovations better as you help it become a reality.

Read on to learn more:

The current model for funding educational innovation is broken. People with ideas have trouble getting funding, and people with funding have trouble finding people with ideas. The review cycle for government agencies and large foundations can take months or years, while venture capitalists and angel investors expect rapid returns on their investments.

IncitEd fixes this by providing a platform where innovators working in the education sector can crowdsource funding. Project creators write one pitch that reaches thousands of small donors, making them less reliant on traditional seed funding sources. Education is too important to be left to billionaire philanthropists and government agencies.

Here are some examples of educators and organizations we champion:

Alan Burnce, a veteran high school teacher, has decided to replicate a proven education model from Massachusetts called North Star: Self Directed Learning for Teens, and he already has students joining him.

P:ear is a nonprofit that helps rebuild the lives of homeless and transitional youth through education, art, and recreation. The number of lives they save is directly related to their ability to hire staff and expand their programs.

Village Home Education Resource Center serves over 200 students and their families, providing a place for them to meet and learn together. This cooperative does not fit the current regulatory structure of the public system, but without it, homeschooling parents would be left working in isolation.

These are all real stories of real educators in Portland, Oregon, and stories like these exist all over the world. With IncitEd, innovative educators can go to one place to find funding, connect with other educators, and share their new models of learning. Here are four ways in which IncitEd is different and better when it comes to funding educational innovation:

  • We are designed by educators for educators. You won’t see our site littered with requests to fund taco trucks and cupcake stands.
  • We support open-source innovation, encouraging people to replicate and remix successfully funded projects.
  • We use social networks every step of the way, helping project creators communicate effectively with supporters.
  • We provide risk and impact ratings for each project, letting supporters make an informed judgment on the social impact of their donation.

    • Your donations will pay to enhance the IncitEd site, but more importantly, this initial campaign will help us measure the breadth of support for what we’re doing at IncitEd.

    If you’re excited about the work we’re doing, make a donation, and share our campaign with others. Let’s change education, one project at a time.

    Project FAQ

  • I have never made a video. How crucial are videos for a project's success?
    A video that shows your passion for the project and helps potential funders understand that passion can be very effective. Production quality is not nearly as important as a sincere message. That said, some well chosen photos inserted into Windows movie maker can also be effective. Consider recording a message that goes with the photos, or add some evocative music.
    • Ask the author a question
    Kevilina
    Kevilina
    Portland, United States
    Kevilina Burbank is IncitEd's co-founder along with Jaime Wood. Together, they have been teaching for over twenty years. They are passionate about giving educators a tool to create meaningful change in their communities and have been working voraciously to bring IncitEd to life.
    $2,500 collected
    Raising $2,500
    Project was successful
    57 supporters

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