Brave Actions For A Better World: the fourth edition of the call for proposals for social integration projects to support women, youth and people with migrant backgrounds kicks off

Breganze (VI), March 12, 2025 - In a context marked by emergencies and global crises that accentuate social inequalities and increase needs, OTB Foundation announces the fourth edition of “Brave Actions for a Better World.” OTB Foundation, the nonprofit organization of OTB Group, has been active since 2006 and has already supported more than 380 social development projects globally, creating a positive and lasting impact for some 380,000 people. Its mission is to respond promptly to emergencies and improve people's lives in a sustainable way, ensuring equal opportunities for all.

The new edition of the call aims to strengthen the support for women, youth, and people with migrant backgrounds, with a focus on social inclusion, educational and in-work poverty, and inequality. The aim is to promote high-impact interventions, both nationally and internationally, with the intention of building a more equitable future creating concrete opportunities for personal and collective growth through bold and sustainable initiatives.

The fourth edition of Brave Actions for a Better World differs from the previous ones because of the broadening of the pool of beneficiaries and new and important innovations in the selection process. For the first time, the call – which offers a grant of 200,000 euros – will also be accessible to nonprofit organizations based in the U.S. and U.K., as well as in Italy. This decision takes on particular significance considering the recent cuts in international aid: the British government has in fact drastically reduced funding for poor countries, while in the United States, the Trump administration has suspended 67 percent of NGO activities globally. At a time in history when support for the most fragile is being scaled back, OTB Foundation is taking concrete action to ensure inclusion and create opportunities.

Moreover, to make participation easier, the 2025 call streamlined its selection process with a new application model structured in two phases, with a focus on the project idea and expected impact, simplifying all bureaucracy and putting the projects back at the center.

A highly qualified technical committee will evaluate the proposals based on criteria of innovation, sustainability and social impact. The selection committee will consist of entrepreneurs, experienced managers in financial and human resources, professionals from academia, and experts in nonprofit law and taxation of the Third Sector.

According to Oxfam's Global Wealth Report 2023, global inequality is steadily increasing, with a widening gap between rich and poor. Economic and social barriers continue to limit access to education, jobs, and opportunities for growth, particularly affecting the most vulnerable segments of the population. Women and children are among the most vulnerable to poverty and marginalization: according to the UN, one in ten women live in extreme poverty. Added to this is the growing digital divide, which left 2.7 billion people without access to the Internet in 2022, depriving them of education, training, and essential services.

Brave Actions for a Better World aims to offer concrete support to organizations that work to create real opportunities for those living in situations of exclusion and discrimination, supporting projects that target both social and economic inclusion and broad-based empowerment initiatives to counter this phenomenon at its root. “Our aim,” says Arianna Alessi, Vice President of OTB Foundation, ” is to foster the social and labor integration of women, youth and people with migrant backgrounds, promoting concrete opportunities for training and job placement to strengthen their economic and social autonomy. Great attention will also be given to financial education and job training, fundamental tools for a conscious personal and professional growth, and ultimately to innovative solutions capable of fighting inequality and promoting social sustainability.”

As with all projects funded by OTB Foundation, the selection criterion is based on five basic concepts: innovation, concreteness, sustainability, accountability, and courage – as highlighted by the name ‘Brave Actions for a Better World’. “We want to support innovative projects, capable of generating real social progress through new solutions, services or technologies,” continues Arianna Alessi. ”We are looking for concrete initiatives, which produce a tangible impact on the quality of life of the beneficiaries, an impact that is economically sustainable thanks to a co-financing model adapted to the management capacity of the proposing entity. Transparency is fundamental for us: the selected projects must guarantee clear and documented reporting, which is useful also for communicating the impact generated. Above all, we want to reward courage: we are looking for bold organizations, capable of tackling complex problems with out-of-the-box approaches, to build concrete and lasting change and give a chance to those who, today more than ever, risk being left behind,”Alessi concludes.

Candidate projects - with a minimum duration of one year - must then propose effective and sustainable solutions that can generate a concrete and lasting impact in the communities involved.

The “Brave Actions for a Better World” call for proposals is conceived, promoted, and financed by OTB Foundation with the technical support of Italia nonprofit, the largest platform of Italian nonprofits that, through data and digital tools, helps guide citizens and donors in the Third Sector and supports philanthropic entities, companies, and institutions generate social value. Italia nonprofit will manage the participation phases and the first part of application selection.

To apply for a project or for more information on the selection process steps and regulations visit https://braveactions.italianonprofit.it/it