Search Through Corporate Grants for Nonprofits in the U.S.

Catalytic Funding for Design and Engineering Solutions

We provide nonprofits and startups with catalytic capital to scale solutions that transform Autodesk industries to be more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient. 

Impact Opportunity Areas

We fund organizations for whom Autodesk’s unique expertise, technology, talent, and position within industry can accelerate growth across three impact opportunity areas.

Energy & Materials

We invest in innovators scaling early‑stage technologies that have the potential to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition to a decarbonized economy. We focus our investments on sectors where Autodesk’s design and engineering expertise is particularly beneficial, such as renewable energy, electrification of transportation, building and industrial energy efficiency, materials innovation, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

Health & Resilience

We invest in innovators scaling technology‑based solutions that improve resilience in low-resource communities most vulnerable to climate change. We focus our investments on the built environment, agriculture, energy access, and water and sanitation, where design and engineering based solutions are critical levers for building community well-being and economic prosperity.

Work & Prosperity

We invest in innovators preparing workers to thrive in the era of automation. We focus our investment on programs, research, and technologies that consider access and inclusion, deliver in demand skills, and lead to quality jobs, especially in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

Funding Criteria

We evaluate funding opportunities based on the impact potential of the solution, the viability of the organization, model and market, and the value of the Autodesk Foundation’s additionality.

Impact

• Alignment with impact goals
  • We take a thesis-driven approach and therefore only consider organizations working within one of our impact opportunity areas.
• Scalability
  • We fund organizations that have a viable, resource-efficient pathway to scale and an intention to do so on a meaningful timeline.
• Impact measurement
  • We fund organizations that commit to measuring impact to establish accountability, inform decision-making, and evidence impact.

Viability

• Team
  • We look for teams that demonstrate technical and sector expertise, and share our commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for all.
• Technology
  • We aim to catalyze innovation, scalability, and accessibility of technology for good. We emphasize solutions relevant to our expertise in design and engineering.
• Market and business model
  • We look for evidence that the solution is valued by the target customer, and that there is a cost-effective and scalable model for delivering impact.

Autodesk Additionality

• Financial Additionality
  • We focus on solutions where our flexible, risk-tolerant, and patient capital can be most catalytic at the organization-level and in the innovation ecosystem.
• In-kind Resources
  • We fund organizations for whom we can add significant value beyond financial capital, most commonly through our Autodesk technology and talent programs.
• Ecosystem Engagement
  • As a corporate philanthropy, we evaluate how our position within industry can spark connections to key stakeholders and accelerate large-scale adoption of innovation.

Funding

Our funding ranges from $100,000 to $1,000,000, with most commitments falling between $250,000 and $500,000.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Environmental Conservation: Special Projects

Supporting breakthrough innovations in environmental conservation. We support innovative new approaches to addressing conservation challenges.

New ideas come from many directions. In conservation work, we have seen solutions emerge from technological innovation, unprecedented partnerships or collaborations, and fresh perspectives from other disciplines including economics and behavioral science.

As our annual budget allows, we typically use a small percentage of the Environmental Conservation Program’s grantmaking for a handful of special one-time opportunities that arise outside the large-scale, long-term, targeted initiatives, which represent the vast majority of our funding.

Our special projects in environmental conservation have addressed a diverse array of issues but are united by a common thread. In every case, these special projects connect the dots in new ways.

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What We Fund

We support community-informed, data-driven programs that strengthen healthcare infrastructures and provide education and financial support to the most vulnerable communities around the world. Our corporate giving programs focus support where the need is greatest and we prioritize applications that demonstrate a strong capability to deliver the specific outcomes the grant would support.

We welcome funding requests for innovative, high-impact projects that relate to at least one of our core therapeutic areas:

• HIV
• Liver disease
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis D
  • Primary biliary cholangitis
• Oncology
  • Hematology
  • Solid tumors
• Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Gilead Medical Education Grants

We support high-impact continuing medical education programs that expand the knowledge and skills of healthcare providers. There are two funding pathways: Independent Medical Education (IMED) and Medical-Scientific.

Independent Medical Education Funding

We support medical education programs that are independent of Gilead’s influence and aligned to our therapeutic areas of interest and educational priorities, including:

• Education targeting HCPs
• Conference support and coverage
• Satellite symposia
• Online, live and multimode educational programs
• Quality improvement programs
• Patient education

Open Philanthropy Project Focus Areas

So far, the focus areas we have selected fall into one of two broad categories: Global Health and Wellbeing (GHW) and Global Catastrophic Risks (GCR). We summarize the key differences between these portfolios as follows: 

• While GCR grants tend to be evaluated based on something like “How much this grant reduces the chance of a catastrophic event that endangers billions of people”, GHW grants tend to be evaluated based on something like “How much this grant increases health (denominated in e.g. life-years) and/or wellbeing, worldwide.”
• The GHW team places greater weight on evidence, precedent, and track record in its giving; the GCR team tends to focus on problems and interventions where evidence and track records are often comparatively thin. (That said, the GHW team does support a significant amount of low-probability but high-upside work like policy advocacy and scientific research.)
• The GCR team’s work could be hugely important, but it’s very hard to answer questions like “How will we know whether this work is on track to have an impact?” We can track intermediate impacts and learn to some degree, but some key premises likely won’t become very clear for decades or more. (Our primary goal is for catastrophic events not to happen, and to the extent we succeed, it can be hard to learn from the absence of events.) By contrast, we generally expect the work of the GHW team to be more likely to result in recognizable impact on a given ~10-year time frame, and to be more amenable to learning and changing course as we go.

Global Health and Wellbeing focus areas

Effective Altruism (Global Health and Wellbeing) - Many people want to help others, and seek out ways to do so effectively.

We empower people to use their careers and donations to help others as much as possible.

We believe that individuals can have a huge positive impact on the world by being thoughtful about how they can best use their resources to help others.

We support organizations and projects that enable people to use their careers and donations to improve the lives of humans and animals around the world.

Our work is guided primarily by two observations:

• First, there is large variation in the impact that different charitable organizations can achieve. By focusing on important, neglected problems and relying on evidence-based solutions, top charities, such as those recommended by GiveWell, can achieve much more than others with the same donation. GiveWell estimates that the funding it has directed since inception will save at least 200,000 lives.
• Second, the career a person chooses is one of the most important decisions they can make — and a career focused on important and neglected problems is likely to achieve much more impact. Today, however, there is a lack of quality resources and guidance that can help people find and pursue these kinds of careers.

Farm Animal Welfare - Tens of billions of animals are kept in factory farms globally, usually in harsh and inhumane conditions. 

We support efforts to improve the lives of animals confined on factory farms, and to end factory farming.

We support reforms to phase out the worst factory farm practices on land and sea. Through our cage-free work, we seek to end the use of cruel battery cages, used to confine about seven billion hens globally. Our broiler welfare initiative supports better welfare for the roughly 15 billion broiler chickens alive globally. And our fish welfare work supports the establishment of minimum standards for the world’s over 70 billion farmed fish.

We also fund scientific research to find new ways to help farm animals. This includes the development of innovative technologies (like in ovo sexing to end the killing of male chicks in the egg industry) and research into chronic welfare problems (like keel bone fractures in layer hens) in the hope of finding ways to reduce pain and suffering. We want to expand the global farm animal welfare movement, especially in emerging economies where the majority of the world’s farmed animals live. We’re especially focused on expanding advocacy in East and Southeast Asia.

Global Aid Policy - International aid improves millions of people’s health and wellbeing. We think it can do even more.

We’re working to create a future where wealthy countries give more aid to other countries in ways that help more people survive and thrive. 

International aid has helped save millions of lives, reduce poverty, and increase prosperity for millions of people throughout the past century. But there is still more to do. At the end of 2022, more than 8% of the world’s population — as many as 670 million people — were thought to be living on less than $2.15 per person per day. If trends continue, we will not achieve the global goals of ending global poverty and significantly improving health and well-being by 2030.

We launched our Global Aid Policy program in early 2022 to support efforts to increase government aid and guide it toward more cost-effective approaches that can improve people’s health and well-being.We focus our new, relatively small resources in ways we believe complement other donors and can go especially far:

• Increasing aid budgets, especially for multilateral health organizations operating in low-income countries.
• Improving existing aid programs by helping leaders draw on evaluations and technical analysis.
• Using our flexible resources creatively to accelerate progress.

Global Health & Development - We believe that every life has value — and that philanthropic dollars can go particularly far by helping those who are living in poverty by global standards.

We support work to save and improve lives in low- and middle-income countries.

Most of our giving in this category is to organizations recommended by GiveWell, with whom we have a close relationship. We are excited to support cost-effective interventions to save and improve lives in low- and middle-income countries. An additional subset of our giving supports scientific research we believe can help address diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor.

Global Health R&D - Improving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the most neglected diseases could save and improve the lives of millions of people..

We seek to support the development of new vaccines, drugs, and other tools to improve global health.

Historically, health technologies like vaccines and drugs have saved millions of lives around the world. However, diseases primarily affecting the world’s poorest people, such as tuberculosis, malaria, diarrheal diseases, rheumatic heart disease, and sickle cell disease receive much less research and development spending relative to their health burdens than diseases affecting the wealthy. Further investments could prevent millions of deaths and illnesses caused by neglected diseases.

Open Philanthropy has supported scientific research for human health since 2016. Over time we have learned that there are many excellent opportunities in global health R&D that we could support with increased resources and specialized staff. As a result, we launched this new program in 2023, substantially increasing our total funding in the area.

The Global Health R&D team works in parallel and in collaboration with our Scientific Research team, but with a greater focus on supporting tools and treatments through the development life cycle, including those requiring early proof of concept studies, human efficacy trials or implementation research. We are interested in funding research and development for new vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and vector control tools for diseases with a large global health burden, as well as efforts to make these products more affordable and accessible.

Global Public Health Policy - Some of the world’s worst health issues can be addressed through public policy.

We support work on policies that cost-effectively address major public health issues.

Policies like air quality regulations, tobacco and alcohol taxes, and the elimination of leaded gasoline have saved and improved millions of lives.

These policies typically improve public health by addressing risk factors to alleviate the burden of non-communicable disease, which comprises a growing share of the health burden but receives relatively few resources. Policy interventions affect entire populations and are often cost-effective for governments to implement. We think philanthropy can have an outsized impact by helping governments design, implement, and enforce more effective public health policies. Because the benefits are diffuse, and responsibility for addressing them can cut across government departments and disease categories, many problems that are addressable through public health policy are currently neglected.

Innovation Policy - Scientific discovery and technological innovation are key contributors to economic growth and material progress.

We hope to safely accelerate scientific and technological progress to make life better for billions of people.

Historically, economic growth and scientific innovation have created enormous social benefits, lifting billions of people out of poverty and improving health outcomes around the world. At the same time, innovation carries risk; some technologies have the potential to do far more harm than good.

Our goal is to accelerate growth and innovation, without unduly increasing risks from emerging technology. Even small changes to the annual growth rate can compound to great effect over time, which gives us the opportunity to make high-leverage grants.

We’re interested in pursuing a wide range of strategies. Our current interests include:

• Helping build a scientific ecosystem that experiments with new ways of doing things, learns from those experiments, and adopts evidence-based practices.
• Supporting early-stage development of general technologies with the potential to accelerate scientific progress across many disciplines.
• Investigating programs and policy reform to help more migrants, especially highly-skilled migrants, move to countries operating on the scientific and technological frontier.
• Providing financial support for individuals to write “living literature reviews” that rigorously synthesize research and communicate it to a non-specialist audience. (See our call for pre-proposals at right!)
• Funding programs and research to help identify and minimize potential catastrophic risks from new scientific and technological capabilities.

Land Use Reform - Excessively restrictive local land use regulations push people away from centers of economic activity, inhibit innovation, and raise costs for renters.

We seek to reduce the harms caused by excessively restrictive local land use regulations.

These price increases ( see diagram)  are pronounced in large, high-wage metro areas (e.g., New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington D.C.). More permissive policy which enabled a greater supply of housing in those areas could unlock value by:

• Encouraging economic growth through greater innovation and agglomeration.
• Increasing the earnings of individuals moving to high-wage jobs in those areas.
• Enabling more people to live in denser areas, which have lower carbon emissions.
• Redistributing wealth and income to lower-income households and supporting access to housing for lower earners.

Scientific Research - We believe scientific progress has been, and will continue to be, one of the biggest contributors to improvements in human wellbeing, and we hope to play a part in this

We aim to support research that could affect a large number of people.

We primarily support biomedical research but our interests are not limited to any particular field, disease, condition, or population. Instead, we seek to identify scientific research that has the potential for high impact and is under-supported by other funders. We are excited to support high-risk and unconventional science when the potential impact is sufficiently large.

We are broadly interested in research that may lead to improved understanding of topics related to human health. We are most interested in research that could affect a large number of people. We typically start by looking for metrics related to the number of lives affected (often starting with the World Health Organization’s Global Health Estimates and IHME’s Global Burden of Disease Study). We begin with landscaping exercises to identify important research topics that could have the greatest impact in a given area.

Once we understand the research gaps in these fields, we assess which gaps are underfunded and seem most amenable to progress if funded. Often as part of this process, we will attend scientific conferences and interview scientists as advisors, peer reviewers, or potential grantees.

Some aspects of the following topics are currently of particular interest:

• broad-spectrum antiviral drugs,
• vaccine development,
• basic immunology,
• some aspects of cardiovascular disease,
• Alzheimer’s disease, predicting mouse-to-human translation, control of inflammation,
• epigenetics,
• novel scientific tools and methods,
• malaria, and
• research on how biomedical research may be improved. 

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

NEO Action Fund

NEO Philanthropy Action Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(4) entity, was established in 2009. Its mission is to promote social welfare and the common good, advance social justice, and advocate for policy reforms. NEO Action Fund works to achieve these goals through a variety of strategies, including supporting efforts to inform policymakers, engaging in direct advocacy, organizing and training members of the public to become active participants on issues of societal concern, and supporting capacity building and strategic direction for advocacy organizations.

NEO Action Fund’s Four Key Strengths

Experience & Expertise

NEO Action Fund brings deep experience and expertise to philanthropy, grantees, and partners. With a decade of experience, NEO Action Fund has longstanding relationships with hundreds of funders, ranging from individual donors to institutions that support 501(c)(4) organizations.

Quick Acting

The movements for social justice can operate at a fast – sometimes frenetic – pace and the NEO Action Fund helps donors keep up. NEO Action Fund can respond quickly to emerging needs while upholding time-tested and diligent grant-making processes. This includes rapid response support and helping fill unexpected funding gaps and crisis management.

Access to Experts

NEO Action Fund helps organizations do their work. NEO Action Fund provides donors and fiscally sponsored projects with access to experts in the field and an array of services provided at a lower cost or more flexible cost than would be possible for these projects on their own. NEO Action Fund offers expertise in financial management and accounting, including regular and transparent financial reporting, so projects can make informed programmatic decisions.

Support & Connections

Through NEO Action Fund, funders can break out of silos and support intersectional work that helps bridge a wide variety of issues. Additionally, the NEO Action Fund helps social justice partners make connections across sectors necessary for deep change.

What We Support

The Rauch Foundation takes an entrepreneurial approach to promoting change by investing in areas where we can have a fundamental impact.

Our mission has two main priorities:

• To promote a healthy planet through research into global food systems.
• To promote the financial preparedness of rising generations of students by supporting schools in the delivery of financial literacy programs

Building on the Rauch Foundation’s long history of providing evidence-based research and data to inform policy, our work in food systems is centered on exploring the nexus between the food we consume and the systems involved in its financing, sourcing, production and delivery. Using the island of Poros, Greece and its efforts to stop the expansion of open net pen industrial fish farming as a case study, we have been laying out a case for how global, national, and regional actions can impact the health of a community, its economy, and the local environment.

Our school-based work in financial literacy acknowledges growing national support for a curriculum that helps young people develop the skills to navigate a successful future for themselves and their families.

Working for systemic change.

The Rauch Foundation invests in ideas and organizations that spark positive systemic change.

We are not afraid of controversial ideas, original approaches, or new ways to tackle old problems. However, we do look for sound data, leadership, other grant partners, strong management skills, and a focus on evidence-based outcomes. Once we invest in the work of an organization, our involvement may include a long-term partnership or assistance with capacity building and leadership.

We are committed to partnering with nonprofits and NGOs, the private sector, labor, research institutions, universities, the media, and other funders to help achieve shared goals and work through common issues.

About Takeda

Takeda is a patient-focused, values-based, R&D-driven global biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to people worldwide. Our passion and pursuit of potentially life-changing treatments for patients are deeply rooted in over 230 years of distinguished history in Japan.

Commitment to Community

Takeda has a long history of supporting nonprofit organizations through corporate giving, employee volunteerism and employee giving. Our Growing Communities program enables us to engage our employees and make meaningful contributions to support the communities where we live and work in the U.S., aiming to build deep, impactful relationships with our community partners.

Philanthropic Giving

Takeda’s purpose of “better health for people, brighter future for the world” serves as the inspiration for our corporate giving efforts. We seek to reduce the social disparities affecting communities in need by supporting meaningful programs in two focus areas: Food is Health and Building STEM Foundations.

Food is Health

• Access to nutritional food
• Medically tailored meals
• Elimination of swamps and deserts
• Urban farming

Eating a healthy diet is essential for maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases. By providing access to healthy food and promoting education and awareness around healthy eating habits, we can help support communities in need and take an active role in improving healthcare and overall well-being. This is why we support programs that focus on the role of food in improving health.

The lack of good, healthy food burdens the U.S. health care system with an estimated $53 billion in avoidable expenses each year, says Feeding America. The pandemic further increased the demand for nutritious food and inflation put affordable healthy food out of reach for many working families. Yet good nutrition is essential for people to stay healthy.

We work with partners to provide the right nutrition to those who need it the most. Incorporating healthy foods into diets can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer. In addition, a healthy diet can improve mental health, boost energy levels and promote healthy aging.

Building STEM Foundations

• K-8 math
• High school STEM enrichment
• College success

To solve many of the most pressing challenges facing the world, like climate change and population health, we need diverse perspectives in science and technology. By investing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, we can prepare the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers to drive progress and shape the future. We support programs in the areas of K-8 math, high school STEM enrichment and college success.

Building a strong foundation in STEM subjects is critical for students who aspire to pursue careers in science. STEM education provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to solve complex problems, think critically, and innovate. By developing a strong understanding of STEM fundamentals, students can pursue careers of tremendous impact.

STEM education can also help students develop important life skills such as teamwork, communication, and adaptability, which are essential for success in any career. By investing in STEM education, we can prepare the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers who will drive progress and shape the future. We focus on supporting programs in the areas of K-8 math, high school STEM enrichment and college success.

Are We a Match?

Do you envision a world where every child and family sees the road to success? Where a community’s future is determined by the people who live there?A world where:

• All kids receive nurturing early care and education.
• Health care for mothers, birthing people and babies is readily available where they live.
• Good food is a given, along with support for the people who grow it.
• Parents and caregivers land career pathways that sustain their family
•   And where everyone can heal from the harms of racism and contribute to a more equitable world.

That’s the world we want to see, too!

Where We Fund

Across the United States, with generational commitments in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans. We also fund in Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and in central and southwest Haiti.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Visionary Resistance

The emergent fund supports the work of communities under threat to build their own reality: the one that would emerge on the other side of crisis; the work that not only reacts to crisis, but uses the energy of the moment to build powerful new visions for what comes next.

Movements have long relied on creative collective responses to crises as strategic opportunities for visionary organizing. Emergent Fund resources rapid response and emergent organizing led by frontline Black, Indigenous, and people of color with trust-based, no strings attached grants. We explicitly fund work grounded in movement values, power-building and organizing in Black, Indigenous and people of color communities. 

A nationally recognized philanthropy culture disruptor and praxis leader, Emergent Fund challenges power in who we fund as well as with how we fund. Emergent Fund is a queer women of color-led, movement-aligned participatory grantmaker with intersectional, collective liberation values co-created in 2016 by Women Donors Network, Solidaire Network and others. Our grant decision-makers—all women of color and Indigenous organizers—come from directly impacted communities committed to building movement and transforming crisis into change. From family separation to Muslim bans to uprisings against state violence against Black communities, our grantees drive forth change under extraordinary conditions and work to build new worlds where we all thrive.

Grant Criteria For Emergent Rapid Response Organizing

Movements have long relied on creative collective responses to crises as strategic opportunities for visionary organizing. All rapid response work we typically fund is explicitly grounded in movement values, power-building and organizing and represent meaningful investments in movement infrastructure. 

Emergent Fund Rapid Response Grants Support…

• Organizing that supports emergent strategies that help communities respond to time-sensitive, rapidly changing conditions. This includes resisting new or amplified threats, building power to move a proactive agenda, and creating communities and cultures of care
• Organizing that leverages “moveable” or “pivotable” moments to disrupt, heal, and build towards long-term social justice and economic justice in a political and social climate that seeks to dismantle such efforts.
• Organizing that explicitly seeks to dismantle, abolish, and replace systems of oppression and harm, driven by a clear intersectional power analysis and vision for collective liberation

Vision

An elevated place for species in the global conservation debate and a thriving global community of well-resourced species conservationists.

Mission

Elevate the importance of species in the conservation debate by:

• Providing timely support for grass-roots initiatives which make a real difference to species survival.
• Supporting those whose passion, dedication and knowledge is the key to saving species.
• Assisting the  conservation of species  in their natural habitats.
• Heightening awareness of species conservation.
• Stimulating renewed interest among young people in natural sciences.
• Attracting further contributions to species conservation from across the globe.

Grants

During 2023 the Fund will be trialing a process whereby the Fund awards grants for the conservation of threatened soil species. This is in addition to the usual grants awarded.

The Fund has been established to provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives, recognize leaders in the field and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate. Its focus is global and eligibility for grants will extend to all plant, animal and fungi species conservation efforts, without discrimination on the basis of region or selected species.

The Fund was established to support species conservation work, and so if your project is not about an endangered species it is probably not worth your while submitting an application.

The Fund will use the IUCN Redlist as the primary guide to the conservation status of a given species, although documented variations for sub-species, distinct populations and sub-populations will be taken into account. For those species not assessed through the IUCN Redlist we welcome other methods of assessment and the submission of quantative data to confirm a species status.

ABOUT THE TRUST

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is a state corporation that administers the Alaska Mental Health Trust, a perpetual trust, to improve the lives of beneficiaries. The Trust operates much like a private foundation, using its resources to provide leadership in advocacy, planning, implementing, and funding of a Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program.

Beneficiaries of the Trust include the following broad groups of Alaskans with:

• mental illness
• developmental disabilities
• chronic alcoholism and other substance related disorders
• Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia
• traumatic brain injuries

The Trust also works in prevention and early intervention services for individuals at risk of becoming beneficiaries. The Trust considers prevention of these conditions, where possible, to be part of its mandate.

Conference Sponsorship

The Trust sponsors conferences, seminars and training partnership grants to organizations that serve Trust beneficiaries for a specific purpose or need that aligns with the Trust’s mission and priorities.

About the Fred Morgan Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact

The Fred Morgan Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact is an annual global prize of USD $150,000 in unrestricted funds that amplifies and accelerates the work of an enterprise working to scale its impact on social or environmental problems around the world.

The Kirby Prize recognizes enterprises pursuing strategic pathways to impact at scale, who are close to the challenges at hand, who center the voice and experience of the populations they serve, who have demonstrated traction, and who embody courageous and collaborative leadership. This prize is open to any legal form, geographic location, and any social or environmental impact area. 

Our Vision

We envision an education system that keeps its promise to all students. That’s why we invest in the ideas and energy of education leaders and entrepreneurs who are advancing innovative solutions that expand the definition of what works. 

There’s a better way to advance education through philanthropy — one that is more equitable, more collaborative, and more courageous–and we’re proving it every day.

Learning Solutions Grant Program

Overview

Empowering students to read and write is fundamental to their ability to learn across subject areas and communicate with others. Building students’ math abilities, from early math skills through algebraic thinking, enables them to make sense of the world around them, analyze complex topics, and solve problems. Together, literacy and numeracy reinforce each other and create a foundation for students to build success in and beyond school – preparing young people to achieve their goals, participate in society, and live happy, healthy lives. 

Foundational literacy and numeracy are especially important now, as students are faced not just with higher expectations, but also unprecedented levels of unfinished learning caused by pandemic-related school closures and the resulting life and mental health challenges that followed. There is a critical need for innovation to increase student access to inspiring and effective K-8 reading and math experiences.

What We’re Looking For

NewSchools will invest in learning solutions that accelerate K-8 reading and math growth by unlocking the power of research and instructional expertise. We will invest in tools, content, and models that address the following critical opportunities:

• Engaging and empowering students to build critical skills, such as reading comprehension and algebraic thinking, that set a foundation for learning and success 
• Supporting teachers and families to deliver grade-level and differentiated instruction that meet a range of student needs
• Leveraging generative AI to increase access to research-based instruction and personalized learning

Cross-Cutting Priorities

Across our portfolios, we seek solutions that:

• Leverage generative artificial intelligence to improve teaching and learning
• Embrace learning that happens outside of school, and support students in achieving college and career success
• Enhance teaching and learning for students with learning differences within and beyond our three main focus areas

Walnut Creek Rotary Club Programs of Scale

Programs of Scale provides Rotary members with longer-term resources to implement large-scale, high-impact programs in our areas of focus. Together, we seek to increase our impact by measuring our progress and sharing the learning generated from our programs throughout the Rotary world.

What is Programs of Scale?

Programs of Scale supports longer-term, high-impact programs led by Rotary members. These programs are:

• Evidence-based interventions that must have already demonstrated success in affecting change;
• Locally relevant to the needs, priorities, and institutional structures of the setting and participating communities;
• Ready to grow by having the right stakeholders and systems engaged to bring the intended benefits to new settings, such as a different community or group of people;
• Implemented according to a strong theory of change and have integrated monitoring, evaluation, and collaborative learning systems; and
• Guided by Rotary members in partnership with others, leveraging the unique strengths of Rotary.

Funding

Each year, Programs of Scale supports a competitive grant process resulting in at least one award of US$2 million from The Rotary Foundation that is distributed over a three- to five-year period to a club- or district-sponsored program showing success and readiness to expand to help more people in more places.

Driving real-time impact

We believe visionary creators are the catalyst for a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. The Unity for Humanity program uplifts, supports, and connects changemakers using real-time 3D to build a brighter future.

What is Unity for Humanity?

The Unity for Humanity program empowers real-time 3D creators to make the world a better place by helping bring their visions to life and amplifying their impact.

The Unity for Humanity Grant is an open call for impact-driven project submissions. Through this annual grant we award funding, technical support, marketing, and other resources. Although we only grant to a limited number of projects through this call, we add all submissions to a database which we utilize throughout the year to award other opportunities.

What type of projects are eligible to apply?

Impact driven projects of any genre (i.e., game, XR, film, solution) created using any RT3D platform (Unity, Unreal, Quill, etc.) are eligible to apply. Impact is defined as supporting any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Projects must be in production beyond conceptualization with a prototype or demo.

Unity for Humanity’s Guiding Principles

• Empathy, respect, and opportunity
  • We celebrate and support creators with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• Positive global change
  • We provide opportunities for creators to realize a more sustainable and inclusive world.
• Uplifting community
  • We foster a social impact creator community grounded in inclusion to empower changemakers.

YAMT's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Grant

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem grant is to strengthen the survivor and sex worker community by providing safe employment opportunities and increased economic stability for underrepresented survivor-led and sex worker small businesses (BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals).

The catalyst for YAMT’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Program originated from the organization’s survivor community, which saw a significant need for additional entrepreneurial opportunities for trafficking survivors and sex workers than the ones that already existed.

Currently, YAMT’s Economic Empowerment Program directly invests in survivor-led small businesses through community building, mentorship, financial capital, and professional development as they embark on pathways to financial freedom. This grant will match a survivor-leader or sex worker in the community (as a consultant) to a small business, nonprofit, or community group to work on a capacity-building project that will be implemented over the course of 12 weeks and support the small business or nonprofit in increasing revenue streams for their business.

Two small businesses or nonprofit organizations across all sectors and U.S. geographies will be selected for this grant.

Project Goals

• Work closely with underrepresented small businesses owned by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ trafficking survivors and provide training, mentoring, financial support, and networking to help them attain long-term financial stability.
• Provide BIPOC and LGBTQ+ trafficking survivors with employment skills, mentoring, and job opportunities.
• Enhance economic stability and upward mobility for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ survivors.

Grantees will Receive

• 10 hours of training and technical assistance provided by You Are More Than Inc.
• Operating grant of $5,250.00 to improve their small businesses over a 12-week project timeline.

Our Organization

Our mission is to foster the science and art of natural resource conservation.

The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society.

Who We Are

Our community of more than 2,000 conservation leaders represents nearly every academic discipline and many different public, private, and nonprofit institutions around the world. Our skilled members include researchers, administrators, planners, policymakers, technical advisors, teachers, students, farmers, and ranchers, all who share the common goal of building a more sustainable future.

SWCS members lead at the chapter level to tackle critical conservation issues of regional and local significance. Chapter events and initiatives engage members in field tours and other learning opportunities, provide a network of experts in the area, and educate local leaders regarding environmental issues in their communities. Members of student chapters on university campuses participate in activities that foster their interests in natural resource management and prepare them for successful professional careers.

Conservation Innovation Award

The Conservation Innovation Award recognizes an outstanding activity, product, or service by a group, business firm, corporation, or organization that promotes the conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources.

Criteria:

• The effort or activity is in line with the SWCS mission
• The effort or activity contributed to bringing about better conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources and/or better understanding of natural resource conservation issues
• The effort or activity is a result of an organized program and may include the activity of an agency or government
• The effort or activity had an effect over a large area, at least a large part of a state or province, or parts of several states or provinces
• The principal effect of the effort or activity was directed to other than professional conservationists

Grand Challenges: Innovations for Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery

Background

Bacterial AMR is now the 3rd-leading cause of death globally, behind ischemic heart disease and stroke. The WHO has classified life-threatening community- and hospital-acquired infections due to Gram-negative bacteria, highlighting carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) (including K. pneumoniae and E. coli) and Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) as the most critical AMR global health threats.

The Challenge

The ultimate objective of Gr-ADI will be to enable discovery of safe and simple first-line broad-spectrum drugs for syndromic management, through:

• Development of novel and emerging biological, chemical, and AI tools that could be applied broadly for antibiotic discovery to identify new antibiotic targets.
• Application of these innovative approaches to generate chemical starting points for project-based drug discovery.
• Fostering a collective mindset to address gaps in knowledge, solve problems, and manage a portfolio of targets and hits.

This Grand Challenges RFP will identify and select the first projects within the consortium. The focus of this RFP will be on the discovery of antibiotics with broad spectrum activity against Enterobacteriaceae, using Klebsiella spp. as the pathogen to initiate a discovery program. This provides a common focus point on Klebsiella spp. for all projects in the consortium and facilitates sharing of knowledge and data for mutual benefit. As such, proposals must have a primary focus on Klebsiella spp. but can also include investigation of other Enterobacteriaceae.

Proposals must address at least one of the following themes:

• Development of genome-scale tools or other innovative technologies to identify new chemical starting points linked to targets as well as assessment of potential drug target vulnerability, singly or in combination.
• Development of innovative technologies to select targets and chemical leads with a very high bar to resistance.
• Gaining a better understanding of the chemistry underlying penetration of compounds to different compartments of the bacterial cell to build a platform to rapidly test whether compounds reach and accumulate at their target.
• Development of novel and coordinated approaches to identifying new chemical leads for clinically or in vivo validated drug targets, for which there is currently no agent in Phase 3.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

Program Description

Jazz Road Creative Residencies is one component of the larger program, Jazz Road. Jazz Road is a 4-year national jazz initiative directed by South Arts, funded by the Doris Duke Foundation with additional support from the Mellon Foundation. Jazz Road features a coordinated partnership with the other five Regional Arts Organizations. All work together to deliver technical assistance and grants that enhance jazz artists’ livelihoods through residencies in communities across the country. 

Purpose

To remove the financial barriers that keep professional jazz artists from investing deeply in their creative practice, attending to their artistic and professional growth, and experimenting across a wide range of artistic and community engagement possibilities throughout the US.

Background

Jazz Road Creative Residencies is an artist-centric program that responds to what artists have called for while promoting flexibility for how “residency” can be defined.

Artists have expressed their need for time and resources to drive new creative visions, explore collaborations; and connect their music to communities in socially relevant and lasting ways. Support in these areas is viewed as crucial for musicians to reach new artistic and professional heights while building jazz partnerships and audiences throughout the US.

Program Goal

To provide financial support for professional jazz artists from across the US in self-defined residency activities that advance their artistry, creative exploration, community engagement, and lifework in jazz.

Residency project examples include, but are not limited to:

• Create/compose, revisit/rehearse existing and/or new music independently or with partner organizations; in isolation or with additional artistic personnel and/or new collaborating artists
• Utilize site resources, equipment and materials for creative development and production either for purchase or as provided by host organizations
• Promote, produce, and perform live and/or virtual public and/or community engagements.  
• Record new work (via sound, video or other)  
• Document (via video or other) residency creative and/or community engagement outcomes and/or residency-in-process
• Introducing Jazz to new audiences at conferences, festivals etc.
• Produce an extended engagement residency at commercial and/or nonprofit clubs and lofts to showcase new work and artistic collaborations
• Create opportunities to connect with communities which impact the artist’s creativity, foster new points of entry for artist-community cultural exchange, and potentially build jazz audiences
• Plan community engagement work that will encompass apprenticeships or creative collaborations with elder musicians and prioritize a pursuit for communal/cultural knowledge  
• Self-produce in conventional venues (i.e., artist studio/black box theatre) and/or alternative spaces (i.e., sidewalks to warehouses; parks to corner stores) to enhance diverse performance and audience experiences
• Partner with host organizations that provide a comprehensive pool of resources for a larger scale of co-production required to: commission and/or develop new multi-disciplinary work, foster artistic collaboration and community engagement, and/or present public performances
• Reside and perform in chosen locations that personally resonate for the artist (such as a return to home or creative partnership) and/or remote areas of the country rarely exposed to live jazz performance
• Explore imaginative performance strategies in re-purposed spaces, the outdoors, and other environments.

Challenge Overview

Climate change is an omnipresent issue with the hottest recorded year, continuous extreme weather, and long-term impacts that will be determined by near-term choices. While driven by emissions from energy, industry, and agriculture in a concentrated set of economies, climate change disproportionately impacts the up to 3.6 billion people living in contexts that are highly vulnerable to impacts including extreme heat, flooding, and droughts. The climate crisis requires dramatic action, including rapid technology deployment alongside bold policies, financial commitments from governments, private capital, and philanthropy, and global market shifts.

Technology and innovation have an important role to play in contending with the effects of climate change. Technology exists to replace or mitigate all major areas of current emissions but often has minimal adoption due to high costs, a lack of engagement with communities, and the need for design at scale. Innovation can offer new business models, decreased costs, and approaches to scaling impact alongside or in place of new technologies that can help meet mitigation and adaptation goals at the speed of the crisis.

MIT Solve seeks exceptional solutions that leverage technology to address the causes and impacts of the climate crisis. While we are excited to select and support innovators across any climate area, we have a particular interest in solutions that: 

• Adapt cities to more extreme weather, including through climate-smart buildings, incorporating climate risk in infrastructure planning, and restoring regional ecosystems.
• Enable a low-carbon and nutritious global food system, across large and small-scale producers plus supply chains that reduce food loss.
• Strengthen coastal and marine ecosystems and communities through the broader blue economy, including fisheries, clean energy, and monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV).

Special Call: Black & Brown Innovators in the US Program

Black and Latine communities in the US are structurally the most vulnerable to climate-fueled hazards and the least likely to have access to healthy and affordable food. As part of Solve’s ongoing work on US racial equity, we encourage those working to address racial disparities in climate action across US communities to apply for the Challenge and receive additional support through our Black & Brown Innovators in the US Program.

Prizes

MIT Solve - Solver Award

All Solver teams selected for Solve’s Global Challenges and the Indigenous Communities Fellowship will receive a $10,000 grant funded by Solve.

The Seeding The Future Food Systems Prize

The Seeding the Future Food Systems Prize is open to high impact innovations focusing on transforming food systems to be more sustainable, and to enable equitable access to safe and nutritious food that is affordable and trusted. Solutions benefitting underserved communities, countries or regions are encouraged to apply. Up to $150,000 will be awarded to two or more high-impact solutions selected for any of Solve’s 2025 Global Challenges. This prize is supported by the Seeding The Future Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that seeds and supports innovative solutions to help improve the global food system.

The E Ink Innovation Prize

The E Ink Innovation Prize is open to solutions that currently utilize or propose to utilize ePaper materials, technology, or displays to address problems of global importance in any of Solve’s areas of impact, including topics such as architecture, education, or intercultural understanding. The prize is funded by E Ink, a corporation that advances healthy solutions and a sustainable future using ultra-low power, daylight readable displays. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to up to four Solver teams selected for any of the 2025 Global Challenges or Solve’s existing portfolio of alumni teams. E Ink may also opt to provide materials and technical support to its prize recipients.

The AI for Humanity Prize

The AI for Humanity Prize is open to solutions leveraging data science, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning to benefit humanity. The prize is made possible by The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy committed to advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Up to $150,000 will be awarded across several Solver teams from any of the 2025 Global Challenges.

The GM Prize

The GM Prize is open to solutions that help create smart, safe, and sustainable communities around the world. The Prize is funded by General Motors, which is working toward becoming the most inclusive company in the world and is dedicated to making STEM education more accessible and equitable. Up to $150,000 will be awarded across up to six Solver teams from the 2025 Global Learning Challenge, the 2025 Global Climate Challenge, and the 2025 Indigenous Communities Fellowship.

The Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize

The Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize seeks to accelerate the development of solutions that will prepare people for today’s opportunities and the workplace of the future, advance new ways of working, and drive economic impact within communities. Funded by Citizens, the prize furthers the company’s commitment to helping communities meet today’s demands while positioning themselves well for the future. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to up to four Solver teams across all 2025 Global Challenges or Solve's portfolio of alumni teams. Preference will be given to solutions that can be implemented to address workforce development challenges in Boston, MA and New York, NY that also have scaling potential to other geographies.

The Crescent Enterprises ‘AI for Social Innovation’ Prize

The Crescent Enterprises ‘AI for Social Innovation’ Prize supports groundbreaking solutions that leverage data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to tackle critical global social challenges. Sponsored by Crescent Enterprises - a diversified conglomerate spanning industries such as ports and logistics, power and engineering, food and beverage, life sciences and business aviation - the prize reflects the company’s dedication to innovation, sustainability, and meaningful global impact.

Up to $100,000 will be awarded to as many as four Solver teams addressing the 2025 Global Challenges or selected from Solve’s portfolio of alumni teams. This prize aims to recognise and accelerate the growth of transformative solutions, driving positive change for a better future.

Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Ocean Innovation Prize

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Ocean Innovation Prize is open to solutions supporting innovation for coasts, oceans, and the broader blue economy. The prize is funded by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which is committed to protecting and progressing planetary health. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to one Solver team.

The Community Innovation Prize

The Community Innovation Prize is open to innovative solutions for communities by communities. Up to $200,000, as well as custom workshops addressing innovator needs will be awarded to up to four Solver teams who are current or past Solvers across Solve's US Equity portfolio. Preference will be given to innovator teams based in or implementing/planning to implement in Chicago, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Houston, New York City, and/or Philadelphia in the areas of Health, Economic Prosperity, Climate, or Indigenous Communities.

Challenge Overview

Peace and stability are baseline conditions for economic prosperity and a thriving society, and both are at risk with escalating conflicts and economic shocks. Instability and conflict can severely erode economic prospects, reverse years of development gains, and exacerbate vulnerabilities. Poverty and lack of quality jobs contribute to conflict. With 114 million people forcibly displaced due to war, violence, and climate-related disasters, two billion workers worldwide in informal, precarious jobs, and disruptions from AI and other tech, the stakes are high.

Technology and innovation can be powerful tools to promote peace and prosperity. Social media has increased misinformation and polarization, but when well-designed, it also improved cohesion and civic participation and reduced the odds of violent conflict. Similarly, while technology can lead to more precarity, it can also facilitate more inclusive financial systems, new job opportunities, and more resilience. Ethically designing and implementing technology is a key component of building and maintaining more peaceful communities and inclusive economies. 

MIT Solve seeks exceptional solutions leveraging technology to increase peace and prosperity. Our focus centers on solutions that: 

• Promote and sustain peace by increasing community dialogue, civic participation, reconciliation, and justice efforts; strengthening cyber security, and monitoring or preventing violence, misinformation, and polarization.
• Foster financial and digital inclusion by supporting access to credit, digital identity tools, and insurance while securing privacy and personal data.
• Generate new economic opportunities and buffer against economic shocks for workers, including good job creation, workforce development, and inclusive and attainable asset ownership.

Special Call: Black & Brown Innovators in the US Program

Systemic inequities and institutional failures contribute to Black and Brown families in the US owning just 24 cents for every $1 of white family wealth. As part of Solve’s ongoing work on US racial equity, we encourage those from the US working to address these disparities to apply for the Challenge and receive additional support through our Black & Brown Innovators in the US Program.

Prizes

MIT Solve - Solver Award

All Solver teams selected for Solve’s Global Challenges and the Indigenous Communities Fellowship will receive a $10,000 grant funded by Solve.

The Seeding The Future Food Systems Prize

The Seeding the Future Food Systems Prize is open to high impact innovations focusing on transforming food systems to be more sustainable, and to enable equitable access to safe and nutritious food that is affordable and trusted. Solutions benefitting underserved communities, countries or regions are encouraged to apply. Up to $150,000 will be awarded to two or more high-impact solutions selected for any of Solve’s 2025 Global Challenges. This prize is supported by the Seeding The Future Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that seeds and supports innovative solutions to help improve the global food system.

The E Ink Innovation Prize

The E Ink Innovation Prize is open to solutions that currently utilize or propose to utilize ePaper materials, technology, or displays to address problems of global importance in any of Solve’s areas of impact, including topics such as architecture, education, or intercultural understanding. The prize is funded by E Ink, a corporation that advances healthy solutions and a sustainable future using ultra-low power, daylight readable displays. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to up to four Solver teams selected for any of the 2025 Global Challenges or Solve’s existing portfolio of alumni teams. E Ink may also opt to provide materials and technical support to its prize recipients.

The AI for Humanity Prize

The AI for Humanity Prize is open to solutions leveraging data science, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning to benefit humanity. The prize is made possible by The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy committed to advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Up to $150,000 will be awarded across several Solver teams from any of the 2025 Global Challenges.

The GM Prize

The GM Prize is open to solutions that help create smart, safe, and sustainable communities around the world. The Prize is funded by General Motors, which is working toward becoming the most inclusive company in the world and is dedicated to making STEM education more accessible and equitable. Up to $150,000 will be awarded across up to six Solver teams from the 2025 Global Learning Challenge, the 2025 Global Climate Challenge, and the 2025 Indigenous Communities Fellowship.

The Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize

The Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize seeks to accelerate the development of solutions that will prepare people for today’s opportunities and the workplace of the future, advance new ways of working, and drive economic impact within communities. Funded by Citizens, the prize furthers the company’s commitment to helping communities meet today’s demands while positioning themselves well for the future. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to up to four Solver teams across all 2025 Global Challenges or Solve's portfolio of alumni teams. Preference will be given to solutions that can be implemented to address workforce development challenges in Boston, MA and New York, NY that also have scaling potential to other geographies.

The Crescent Enterprises ‘AI for Social Innovation’ Prize

The Crescent Enterprises ‘AI for Social Innovation’ Prize supports groundbreaking solutions that leverage data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to tackle critical global social challenges. Sponsored by Crescent Enterprises - a diversified conglomerate spanning industries such as ports and logistics, power and engineering, food and beverage, life sciences and business aviation - the prize reflects the company’s dedication to innovation, sustainability, and meaningful global impact.

Up to $100,000 will be awarded to as many as four Solver teams addressing the 2025 Global Challenges or selected from Solve’s portfolio of alumni teams. This prize aims to recognise and accelerate the growth of transformative solutions, driving positive change for a better future.

Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Ocean Innovation Prize

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Ocean Innovation Prize is open to solutions supporting innovation for coasts, oceans, and the broader blue economy. The prize is funded by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which is committed to protecting and progressing planetary health. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to one Solver team.

The Community Innovation Prize

The Community Innovation Prize is open to innovative solutions for communities by communities. Up to $200,000, as well as custom workshops addressing innovator needs will be awarded to up to four Solver teams who are current or past Solvers across Solve's US Equity portfolio. Preference will be given to innovator teams based in or implementing/planning to implement in Chicago, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Houston, New York City, and/or Philadelphia in the areas of Health, Economic Prosperity, Climate, or Indigenous Communities.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

We are a nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world.

About Grand Challenges

Grand Challenges is a family of initiatives fostering innovation to solve key global health and development problems.

A Family of Initiatives with One Purpose

Grand Challenges initiatives use challenges to focus attention and effort on specific problems, and they can be traced back to the mathematician David Hilbert, who over a century ago defined a set of unsolved problems to spark progress in the field of mathematics. Grand Challenges initiatives launch challenges as open requests for grant proposals, refining the process of sourcing innovation over time. Each challenge is an experiment in focusing innovation on making an impact. Each addresses some of the same problems, but from differing perspectives. Each builds a grant program that fosters collaboration across projects to speed impact.

Innovations for Exceptionally Low-Cost Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Manufacturing

Background

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine, offering a highly specific and effective treatment for a range of conditions - from infectious diseases like COVID-19 to chronic illnesses such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. These biologic therapies provide targeted interventions that can save lives and improve the quality of life for millions of patients globally. Yet, the high production costs associated with mAbs limit access to these lifesaving treatments for patients in low- and middle-income settings.

With efforts to improve technology and affordability, mAb costs have decreased significantly in the last 30 years and have stagnated at around $50-100 per gram. These high costs are driven by the complexity of the manufacturing process, which involves sophisticated methods, strict regulatory compliance, expensive raw materials, and significant infrastructure investments. Reducing production costs is critical, as many applications of anti-infective antibodies may require doses on the order of hundreds of milligrams (as seen for the antibodies that achieved emergency use authorization and/or approvals for COVID-19). In order to improve mAb affordability in low- and middle-income countries, we will need to reach a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram - a goal long championed by our late colleague, Dr. Steve Hadley, former Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation.

To reach our goal, we will need to draw on innovation and novel approaches from a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines. While those in the biopharmaceutical field are already deeply engaged in the challenge of reducing mAb manufacturing costs, there is tremendous potential for breakthroughs as we incorporate learnings from adjacent industries, such as dewatering and filtration, blood fractionation, industrial enzymes, and food and beverages. By bringing together diverse expertise and encouraging out-of-the-box thinking, we believe it is possible to achieve this ambitious goal.

The Grand Challenges family of initiatives seeks to source and seed innovations and accelerate the development of transformational solutions. The Gates Foundation, in collaboration with LifeArc, a self-funded medical research charity in the UK, is calling on innovators, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs- whether they are seasoned experts in biologics or pioneers in related fields- to join us in this Grand Challenge. Together, we can unlock new pathways to reduce costs, enhance production efficiency, and ultimately expand access to life-saving treatments for all.

This Grand Challenge is calling for proposals that are bold in their vision and approach, offering clear pathways to achieving the $10 per gram target. This is not just a technical challenge; it is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of millions of people worldwide. We invite you to bring your expertise, creativity, and passion to this effort and help shape a future where the best medical treatments are available to everyone, everywhere.

The Challenge

The Gates Foundation and LifeArc are soliciting proposals to develop proof-of-concept for manufacturing platforms that produce monoclonal antibodies at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram (Option A). The goal is to catalyze and accelerate multiple, diverse, innovative bioprocessing approaches that hold the promise of low cost-of-goods mAbs.

Additionally, the Gates Foundation is interested in hearing from organizations that have already completed proof-of-concept work that could result in cost-of-goods of $10 per gram and may be interested in additional support (Option B).

Applicants can apply with solutions meeting the criteria for either Option A or Option B but should not submit entries to both options.

Objectives of the Challenge (both Option A and Option B)

• Advance innovative and bold ideas that enhance production efficiency and improve overall process economics for mAb production, resulting in a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram.
  • This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Alternative hosts to mammalian cell culture
    • Alternative to standard downstream purification methods
    • Reduction in material costs
• Push the boundaries of current technology by harnessing disruptive innovations, possibly from parallel industries, and identify process improvements to reduce manufacturing costs
• Rethink existing methods of working such as release testing process and costs, high-quality and affordable raw materials and critical reagents

Option B: Operationalization and Economic Viability

Independent of the Proof-of-Concept (Option A), the Gates Foundation recognizes that some organizations may already have proof-of-concept data that could support a final drug substance cost of-goods of $10 per gram and would like to partner for further development funding. If you have existing data meeting Technical Readiness Level 3-5 (POC Defined, Lab Scale Demonstrated, or Pilot Scale Demonstrated) please share a solution with additional information listed below, as well as any non-confidential data demonstrating Technical Readiness Level 3-5 for production of a monoclonal antibody at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram. The proposal review committee will evaluate this information and reach out to you if there is interest in exploring further.

Option B: Funding Level

Potential funding and grant terms will be evaluated on a per-project basis. The funding and timeline are intentionally open given that the work is exploratory at this time. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work being proposed.

New Rising Ventures

Mission

New Rising Ventures is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of New Media Ventures. New Rising Ventures supports early-stage, nonpartisan entrepreneurs and activists transforming our democracy through innovation and bridges a critical gap not fulfilled by traditional grantmakers or venture capital. Our signature four activities include investments and grantmaking, portfolio support, field building, and convenings.

What We Do

New Rising Ventures finds, funds, and supports social impact entrepreneurs who are growing new organizations that serve the public interest. Social entrepreneurs working on mission-oriented projects face unique barriers to funding and scaling their organizations: access to capital, introductions and networking opportunities, experienced advice, and peer-to-peer relationships that serve as a critical layer of support. Likewise, many funders lack the reach and deep industry expertise to find and evaluate great mission-oriented startup opportunities. New Rising Ventures brings founders and funders together and provides charitable and educational support to increase the scalability of companies providing opportunities to better lives for Americans. 

Democracy is more than casting a vote—it is the daily engagement with the structures that impact the majority. To build a truly equitable democracy, we must create social power in places where political interventions fall short. This means addressing the day-to-day realities that people face, like climate, education, women’s healthcare, the economy, incarceration, and cultural change—issues that remain critical regardless of electoral outcomes. 

By investing to build social power through innovation, we can create more avenues for people to have agency in their lives. As such, New Rising Ventures proudly supports brilliant, experienced individuals thinking of and building new ways to make life easier for the most marginalized across all demographics. 

The Rising Fund

With the launch of The Rising Fund, New Rising Ventures is making a bold, multi-year commitment to back the builders, dreamers, and innovators who are stepping into the gaps—those reimagining democracy not just as a political system, but as a foundation for shared power and collective infrastructure.

At NRV, we believe we’re living through a rare and urgent moment—one where transformation isn’t just possible, it’s essential. The systems we’ve inherited aren’t enough—and they were never built for all of us. We’re here to back those bold enough to rethink what’s possible and build toward something better.

In the years ahead, our investments and programming will be anchored in three core principles:

• Catalyzing Inflection Points: Identifying and investing in key moments where change is possible, accelerating movements that turn disruption into transformation.
• Radical Reconstruction: Dismantling inequitable systems and building new models rooted in justice and collective power.
• Amplifying Ownership: Shifting control over resources, technology, and narratives in bold ways.

Responsible AI Funding Cycle

AI is rapidly shaping our democracy, economy, and daily lives, but who is it serving? As we begin to phase in these core principles, we’re seeking innovators building AI-driven solutions that protect communities, advance equity, and shift power away from extractive systems.

We’re especially interested in solutions that:

• Strengthen trustworthy media ecosystems:
  • AI-powered tools or platforms that counter disinformation, democratize information access, amplify trusted sources, challenge corporate influence over media and culture in new and unexpected ways, etc.
• Reimagine civic engagement:
  • AI applications that foster democratic participation, make institutions more accessible, bolster community organizing or create new pathways for community-led decision-making, etc.
• Enhance civic life and public interest technology:
  • AI innovations that strengthen community infrastructure, or improve access to essential resources in areas like worker and immigrant rights, climate resilience, reproductive and LGBTQ+ protections, and beyond.

Additionally, we are looking for:

• Early-stage organizations with bold ideas and community-rooted leadership
• Solutions with strong potential to scale
• Organizations where a $50K grant/investment would be truly catalytic
• Teams based in the U.S. or working toward national impact

Award Information

$50K in unrestricted grants. Additionally, NRV supports the portfolio through:

• A network of founders where leaders ask questions, identify problems, and surface solutions in community.
• Webinars and one-on-one coaching to help new leaders navigate organizational and operational challenges, like setting goals and managing cash on hand.
• Catalyzing additional funding by connecting them to donors at our events and at other times of the year when possible.
• Virtual and in-person events