The Reinventing Delaware program is based on a robust, multi-stage, and detailed evaluation process:

• After a thorough review of all public submissions by a formal committee, a number of ideas and their champions receive an invitation to attend the Reinventing Delaware event and showcase in front of key members of the Delaware business and leadership communities.
• Event attendees examine the ideas and then vote to select their choices as top ideas. After the event, a committee reviews all 100 ideas presented at the event until the top ideas are selected to move to the next stages.
• These next stages include a “scoping workshop” that further evaluates the ideas for their innovation, sustainability, and potential benefit, a process that results in a smaller, select number of ideas qualifying for a thorough, six-month development process.
• Ideas that make it to the development process stage receive coaching, mentorship and assistance with formulating a plan for actualization of the ideas, as well as other valuable resources; the development process lasts six months because of its rigor and comprehensiveness, as ideas are studied and further challenged. Ideas and their champions are also featured in the media, including The Delaware Business Times, and following the development process, the finalists are chosen by Foundation’s Board.
• The final round includes the production of videos – to ultimately be shown in front of Delaware’s leaders at that year’s Pete du Pont Freedom Award dinner – for each idea that makes it this far, and after a final presentation of each idea to the Foundation’s Board, the selection of the top idea(s).
• The top idea(s) are celebrated at the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation Award event.
• And, because Delawareans never run out of great ideas, the following year’s process kicks off almost immediately.