The Nine (A–I) Criteria for selecting the Universal Project
SUMMARY (A–I)
A — All-Inclusive Benefit
B — Breakthrough Originality
C — Catalytic impact
D — Data
E — Equity
F — Feasibility
G — Gender
H — Holistic solution
I — Inspirational
Core Criteria (A–C)
These three are non-negotiable. Every U.P. must satisfy all three.
A – All-Inclusive:
The project must deliver tangible benefit to every person on Earth, irrespective of geography, gender, age, ethnicity, wealth, or status, ensuring universal applicability and inclusivity. Its impact must address human needs so fundamental that all of humanity rises when the project succeeds.
The project must possess global reach, meaning it can be deployed, adapted, or scaled across all continents without cultural, political, or technological barriers. It cannot be local, regional, or niche; it must be inherently planetary.
The solution must be adaptable. While it may start locally, the model must be capable of rapid, efficient expansion across different cultures, climates, and political systems without losing its effectiveness.
Whether a billionaire in Sydney or a farmer in Sidhi, the project must improve the shared human condition.
Assessment indicator: Evidence that outcomes produce universal public good effects or remove barriers for all groups; disaggregated metrics showing reach across region, gender, age, and income.
B. Breakthrough Originality
Definition: The project must be original in scope or approach. It introduces an idea, institution, or solution not currently championed by any major organization. The U.P. should fill a strategic void, not duplicate existing global efforts, ensuring true added value.
It must fill a gap that no one else is filling. It cannot be a duplication of efforts already being undertaken by the UN, or other major entities. It must represent blue-sky thinking—a neglected, overlooked, or entirely new solution that requires the unique, collective force of Givingtide to realize.
Assessment indicator: Landscape analysis demonstrating a clear gap; documentation of a unique value proposition and minimal overlap with established programs.
C. Catalytic
The project must generate exceptional return on investment (ROI)—whether measured in health, peace, prosperity, education, or planetary survival. A small input should yield systemic, long-lasting, and compounding benefits.
The project must show that by pooling global resources, we achieve economies of scale that make the intervention significantly cheaper than if nations or individuals attempted to solve the problem individually.
Assessment indicator: Catalytic ROI and Global Synergy Scorecard (CRGSS)” This tool is designed to measure both the catalytic power (extraordinary ROI) and the “global pooling/economies of scale” advantage. It is intended to be simple enough for global advocacy and rigorous enough for high-level validation.
Additional Criteria (D–I)
Each U.P. should satisfy as many as possible of these seven supporting criteria.
D. Data (Data-Driven Transparency)
Definition: The project must include clear, measurable outcomes and a credible monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan.
To maintain the trust of millions of micro-donors and major signatories alike, the project must have a built-in, radical reporting mechanism. Impact must be measurable, verifiable, and reported in real-time, ensuring that every penny is accounted for.
The project must commit to open governance, published budgets, and regular public reporting to ensure accountability.
Assessment indicator: SMART indicators, baseline data, and a funded third party evaluation schedule. Governance charter, conflict of interest disclosures, line item budget publication, and a public reporting cadence.
E. Equity
The project must intentionally reduce structural inequality—between nations, genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups—ensuring the benefits flow most strongly toward historically underserved populations.
Where relevant, the project should contribute to correcting historical imbalances or structural injustices through reparative or redistributive mechanisms—acknowledging that global prosperity today was built on uneven foundations. A qualifying U.P. should contribute to a fairer, more inclusive, and more dignified international order.
The project must respect human rights, protect dignity, and include safeguards to avoid harm or stigmatization.
Assessment indicator: Context analysis showing explicit project components that advance fairness, restitution, or structural change.
F. Feasibility
Definition: The project must be practical, implementable, and achievable within a reasonable timeframe.
The project should be capable of delivering visible results within a singular calendar year. While the long-term effects may take decades, the execution must be swift to demonstrate to the world the power of collective action.
The project must be sustainable. It cannot offer a temporary fix that vanishes once funding dries up. It must build long-term resilience against future shocks—be they economic, biological, or climatic—ensuring the benefit lasts for generations.
Assessment indicator: clear pathways for execution, measurable deliverables, and credible global partners willing to support or adopt the model.
G. Gender-Lift
Definition: The project must explicitly enhance the status, security, health, and opportunities of women and reduce gender disparities as a core objective or measurable outcome—recognizing that empowering women is the most reliable multiplier of family wellbeing, national prosperity, and global development.
The project should not just “include” women, but structurally improve their agency, economic power, or social standing as a primary outcome.
Assessment indicator: Gender disaggregated targets, gender sensitive design features, and mechanisms ensuring women’s leadership, participation, and benefit.
H: Holistic
The U.P. must offer a single solution that solves multiple problems across different sectors and levels—health, education, economics, environment, governance, social cohesion, security, etc. It must be a “keystone” intervention—a unifying lever that reduces complexity by addressing several interconnected global challenges simultaneously. Pulling one lever in one sector simultaneously solves problems in other major sectors.
Assessment indicator: Logical framework linking one core activity to indicators in at least two sectors and two governance levels.
I: Inspirational
The project must be symbolically powerful, capturing the imagination of the world, inspiring collective action, energizing media engagement, and motivating institutions and individuals to participate. It should tell a story that moves humanity.
The project must address a need so fundamental that it bypasses political partisanship. It must be a cause that is objectively difficult to argue against (e.g., saving children’s vision or preventing water wars), ensuring broad-based global consensus.
Assessment Indicator: Narrative Resonance Index: Documentation of widespread media coverage, endorsements from high-profile leaders, and/or viral social media engagement around the project’s story or mission.
“Creating Currents of Change”