The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) launched on Sunday, August 20, the first-ever Interfaith Innovation Lab, a global competition for members of the public to receive seed funding and join a comprehensive six-month leadership development program, all with the objective of transforming proposed concepts into viable projects that tackle surging Jew-hatred and other forms of religious prejudice.
Since its inception in 2019, the Innovation Lab has supported three cohorts of 45 changemakers and launched 35 impactful initiatives, reaching 500,000 people across the globe.
By providing guidance and funding to projects that promote the common mission of building a better future for all of humanity, the Innovation Lab is now focusing on interfaith cooperation.
“Interfaith solidarity is a crucial element in the collective effort to combat the alarming rise of antisemitism and other forms of religious bigotry,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “The Jewish people are not fighting hatred directed toward it alone, and as an organization that has many coalition partners of different faith backgrounds, we know that our cause is one felt by many outside our community.”
“We call upon members of the public to step forward with innovative ideas as how best to take the multi-faith network we are constantly building and maximize it in order to counter hatred,” he added.
Entrants should outline a practical solution for engaging collaboration and fostering a positive impact among different religions and communities to address antisemitism at the local, national, or international levels. The proposals are also welcome to incorporate broader approaches simultaneously dealing with antisemitism and additional manifestations of hatred targeting non-Jewish religious communities.
Previous Innovation Labs have attracted hundreds of applicants who submitted groundbreaking proposals effecting positive social change.
The contest was launched on Sunday, August 20, and the submission deadline is October 30. The chosen projects will be selected and onboarded by November 15 and will participate in a six-month lab that runs until May 13, 2024.
The first-place winner will receive a grand prize of $15,000. The second, third, and fourth-placed winners will each receive up to $7,500. The fifth to tenth-placed winners will share a prize pool of $12,500.
Furthermore, the winners will have the opportunity to participate in the six-month leadership program. This program includes unique mentorship and support from CAM senior advisors and staff, access to workshops and training sessions, and engaging digital and in-person networking opportunities.
Co-sponsors of the 2023 Interfaith Innovation Lab include the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa), Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Muslims Against Antisemitism (MAAS), B’nai B’rith International (BBI), and the Tikvah Fund.