UW SparkTank Nonprofit Nominations Due by Nov. 16

The University of Wyoming’s Ethics Club is accepting nominations for SparkTank, a College of Business initiative that awards funds to local nonprofit organizations.

With the exception of organizations that received SparkTank funding this year, all Albany County nonprofit organizations that provide essential needs -- such as food, shelter, safety and clothing -- are eligible to participate in the event.

“Anyone may nominate an Albany County nonprofit organization,” says Kent Noble, an Ethics Club adviser and Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Faculty Fellow in the UW College of Business. “Self-nominations also are permitted.”

Nominees must submit a video -- three minutes or less -- to Noble at knoble@uwyo.edu no later than Wednesday, Nov. 16.

The video should be posted on YouTube or Vimeo, and it must provide a brief overview of the organization, its mission, community impact, funding needs and a commitment to ethical principles, such as integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law and viability.

UW’s Ethics Club chapter members will screen the videos by Wednesday, Nov. 30, and finalists will be announced no later than Wednesday, Dec. 7. Students will base their decisions on the video’s content, as well as the community impact potential from a SparkTank investment.

“After the nonprofit finalists have been selected, Ethics Club members will conduct further due diligence by visiting with each of the finalists to gain additional information regarding their organization,” Noble says.

The finalists will compete in a “Shark Tank”-style competition next April, with each receiving a share of the money raised by UW’s Ethics Club and “Sales Seminar” students.

While not mandatory for SparkTank 2023, nonprofits participating in the event are strongly encouraged to begin the Better Business Bureau’s Charity Accreditation Program, Noble says.

“The free program promotes high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public,” he says. “The accreditation program will be mandatory for nonprofits participating in SparkTank 2024.”

Since 2018, UW’s Ethics Club has invested $240,000 -- including $115,000 in 2022 -- in Albany County’s nonprofit community.