Kelley Impact Competition

Make positive community change as a Kelley Impact Competition participant

The Kelley Institute for Social Impact (KISI) hosts an annual case competition to bring together socially minded students at Indiana University. Made possible by a gift from Kelley School of Business alumnus Lance Breitstein, BS'11, the Kelley Impact Competition challenges students to find and implement solutions to a social issue in Bloomington, Indiana. 

In addition to financial awards for top student teams, $10,000 in seed money supports the implementation of the winning idea to create lasting change in the community.

Interested in learning more? Please contact KISI at kisi@indiana.edu.

Eligibility

  • Open to all undergraduate IUB students.
  • Teams of 4, limit one senior per team.
  • Teams must be willing and able to assist the partner agency with implementing their proposal over the following 12 consecutive months following the competition.

Important dates

  • Application opens January 9
  • Kick-off event, January 19
    at 7:15 p.m.
  • Application due January 22
    at 11:59 p.m.
  • Round 1 due February 5
    at 11:59 p.m.
  • Rounds 2 and 3, March 3 

Awards

  • First place team, $8,000
  • Second place team, $2,000
  • Third place team, $1,000
  • $10,000 will also be awarded to the partner agency to implement the winning proposal from the first place team over the next consecutive 12 months.

Kelley Impact Competition 2022 winner

Lance Breitstein standing with winning Spades Consulting team members who smile and hold their award: a giant check for $10,000

Congratulations to the Spades Consulting team, winners of the 2022 Kelley Impact Competition: Katie Cole, BS’24; Kayla Oxley, BS’24; Naina Prabhakar, BS’24; and Ashwin Ramesh, BS’24.

We decided to participate in the Kelley Impact Competition so we could make an impact on the community and grow as leaders.

Spades Consulting team, Kelley Impact Competition 2022 winners

Kelley Impact Competition: Students launching real-world solutions for a local community partner

Watch the video to hear how past Kelley Impact Competition winners implemented their innovative ideas and became change makers doing good.

Kelley Impact Competition projects

2022

Partner: The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce

Case: Develop ideas to help The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce improve and expand their current initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion for their members. 

Winning team's solution: An innovative recommendation for a “B is for Belonging” campaign, revenue-generating coupon books, and DEI certification for Chamber members

2021

Partner: Community Justice & Meditation Center

Case: Present solutions to help CJAM educate the community of its services, recruit diverse volunteers, and make the case management system more efficient.

Winning team's solution: A Round-Up Rent donation program, enhanced marketing efforts, and diversity committee

2020

Partner: National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Bloomington Area (NAMI-GBA)

Case: Develop strategies and solutions that make a difference for the local community in addressing mental illness.

Winning team's solution: A new service-learning course at Indiana University, HON-H238 Planning for Social Impact: Mental Health for All. Now fully funded, their initiative will establish multiple years of support for NAMI-GBA. The second-place team also received funding and created a new website for the organization.

Rapid pivot: When the coronavirus pandemic impacted the competition schedule, the competition’s students, Kelley School staff, local partners, and judges adapted with resilience, transitioning to an online format. 

2019

Partner: Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County

Case: Provide an innovative idea to address affordable housing in Monroe County

Winning team's solution: Convert shipping containers into tiny homes to lower the cost of construction and the homeowner’s mortgage payment. Construction on the first shipping container—a first for any Indiana Habitat affiliate—began in September 2020. 

The Kelley Impact Competition incentivizes the smartest students in the country to learn more about the issues in their community, find solutions, and make a real difference in the world around them.

Lance Breitstein, BS'11, Kelley Impact Competition benefactor

Kelley Impact Competition is made possible by the Impact Foundation

impact competition logo

The Kelley Impact Competition partnership is providing the Community Justice & Mediation Center with the tools, resources, and person-power to deepen our capacity to better meet the conflict resolution and restorative justice needs of our community. We have been given the chance to think outside the bo, and to truly explore and co-create innovative solutions with our incredible Kelley student team. The project has the potential to become a replicable model that can be shared with other community mediation centers around the country.  It is not often that nonprofits are given this type of funding opportunity.

Liz Grenat, executive director, Community Justice & Mediation Center

The students are amazing—smart, dedicated, inquisitive, resourceful. They take (the Kelley Impact Competition) seriously, so the competition is very worthwhile because they want to see their ideas implemented. It would be a worthwhile endeavor for any organization.

Juliette Kniola, volunteer, National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Bloomington Area (NAMI-GBA), Kelley Impact Competition 2021 community partner