Deloitte Launches the Deloitte RightStep™ Innovation Prize to Honor Education Trailblazers

As part of Deloitte's ongoing commitment to develop tomorrow's leaders, Deloitte will award $100,000 in cash and the opportunity to receive $100,000 of pro bono services to an education organization using technology to help drive successful outcomes for K-12 students

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Deloitte

Nov 10, 2014, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Deloitte unveiled the Deloitte RightStep™ Innovation Prize, which will recognize an organization that is advancing education through technology with a reward of cash and the opportunity to receive pro bono services. Nonprofits and for-profit social enterprises with proven solutions in the K-12 space are encouraged to apply.

Our nation's schools are challenged by limited resources, and with less than 10 percent of low-income Americans earning a bachelor's degree by age 24, the need to scale solutions that help more students persist through high school, college and then transition successfully to a career, has never been greater. The Deloitte RightStep™ Innovation Prize will recognize an organization with proven results in driving student success, such as reading/math proficiency, on-time graduation rates and college readiness.

"Deloitte has a long-standing history of supporting forward-thinking education organizations with a track record of success. We have stepped up to help today's youth become tomorrow's leaders," said Bill Copeland, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP, and leader for U.S. life sciences and health care; as well as champion for corporate citizenship education. "Last year, we reached more than 240,000 students across the U.S., through organizations like College Summit, City Year and Posse, by investing cash, pro bono services and positioning our professionals as board leaders. With the launch of the Deloitte RightStep™ Innovation Prize, we seek to extend the reach of our commitments by investing in innovative solutions and increasing the engagement of our professionals."

"Innovation inspires our people and their clients to achieve new possibilities in our everyday work. We feel we can apply this same approach in the education space to scale innovative solutions to create a measurable and lasting impact," said John Levis, global chief innovation officer, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

"This is a first for Deloitte and our corporate citizenship program. We are bringing together our subject matter professionals and champions in the education and innovation space, like Bill and John, and opening up the opportunity for new organizations to benefit from Deloitte's ecosystem," said Jonathan Copulsky, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Deloitte's corporate citizenship leader. "The skills of our people are at the center of our approach and we believe this effort represents one of the ways we can bring the breadth of our services to generate a significant impact."

The first round of submissions are due on Dec. 15, 2014 at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with winners announced in April. For a complete overview of the prize including rules and regulations and information on how to apply, please visit: http://www.deloitte.com/us/deloitte-rightstep-innovation.

About Deloitte's RightStep™ programs
A classroom full of children or young adults is never just that – at Deloitte, we see a room full of CEOs, CFOs, doctors, public servants and teachers to name a few. But we're doing more than seeing their potential. We're taking steps to help them achieve success. Through our RightStep™ programs, Deloitte is helping these children unleash their full potential by building confidence, inspiring leadership, fostering trust and taking the right steps to build brighter futures.

RightStep™ is part of Deloitte's larger commitment to corporate citizenship. Deloitte's corporate citizenship programs range from pro bono services and skills-based volunteering to nonprofit board membership, service sabbaticals, and a range of community involvement activities. Deloitte promotes a stronger economy and society by serving the public interest, building a culture of purpose, and inspiring leadership in others – within and outside Deloitte.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

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