How Does It Work
1.
Register Your Team (LIFT is FREE!)
Use the form at the bottom of this page to register your team for FREE now. We highly suggest a team of 3 to 5 students, but are open to any number of students.
Note: Teams may include students from multiple schools, colleges, universities and/or from multiple departments. We encourage it!
Recorded Information Session:
If you have additional questions after watching the recorded information session, send us an email: aces@unc.edu. We are excited to meet you and welcome you to this year’s LIFT Challenge cohort!
2.
Choose SDGs to Address
Choose one or multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address. Choose local, regional or global SDGs.
3.
Choose an Initiative
This can be an existing or proposed initiative. We welcome collaboration between students and organizations – it is a perfect opportunity to build your network, gain experience, and solve real issues!
4.
Submit a Concept Note (Accepted on a Rolling Basis)
The concept note is your starting point. You have up to three paragraphs to provide us with a general summary of what you are planning to propose. Do not worry. Judges will NOT see these. You can even change it later.
However, once you submit your concept note, we create coaching sessions to help you through blended finance and other topics. So submit these as soon as you can. For more guidance go to the “About the Competition” page. Submit your concept note here.
Coaching Sessions You Can Join Once You Submit a Concept Note:
Coaching sessions will be announced for the spring in January!
Information session and more coaching dates coming soon!
We will schedule sessions related to blended finance and relevant topics to YOUR concept note.
5.
Develop a Blended Finance Solution (Submissions deadline October, 2025)
Once you submit your concept note, you will receive a link to the proposal submission site. Your solution should include a three-paragraph summary of your proposal and a presentation slide deck of up to 25 slides. Optional supplements include a two-page narrative describing the proposal and a spreadsheet illustrating the financial and impact details of the proposal.
Am I Eligible?
Any undergraduate and graduate students at a college or university anywhere in the world are eligible!
Students of all backgrounds are encouraged to join in teams of 3-5 (although we accept teams with fewer or more students). We provide resources to learn about blended finance, social equity, impact investing and sustainable finance so you are prepared to put your best solution forward.
Key Dates
Concept note submissions = rolling basis
Once you have submitted a concept note here, we will begin to schedule coaching sessions to help your team.
Create and Submit Your Proposal (October, 2025)
The Finals (October, 2025) – Top Eight Proposals compete live with panels of judges
For more details visit the “About” page
Optional: Sign up for one or more information sessions
Dates and Times are TBD. You can join these sessions anytime and you do not need to stay the entire time. You can also view the recorded session above from last year’s LIFT challenge.
Judging Criteria
Challenge
Innovation
Scale of Solution
Impact
Sources of Funding
ROI & Risk
Timing
