The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation is a venture philanthropy firm that invests in new, but potentially transformational, social enterprises. They support organizations in Africa, Europe, India, Latin America, and the United States who are addressing urgent social and environmental problems.

Applications are accepted on a continual basis for $300,000 investments disbursed over three years.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to:

• 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
• International organizations with their country’s equivalent of a 501(c)3
• B corporations
• C corporations
• Hybrid organizations

Organizations with fiscal sponsors will be accepted in select cases.

Priorities

• Organizations that are capable of making a large scale impact
• Projects based on data to achieve social change
• Leaders who know their communities and are continuously learning to be able to serve those communities better
• Newer organizations, 3-5 years old

Timeline

Submission (8-10 weeks)

A member of the Foundation staff will review applications on a rolling basis. Approximately 25% of submissions will advance to the next phase of the process.

First Interview (1-2 Months)

Interviews are conducted either in person or by phone to discuss the applicant organization and the proposed project. Approximately 25% of interviewees will advance.

Due Diligence (1-2 Months)

This phase involves research on the proposed project as well as the market and contacting people in the applicant’s network. Additional interviews may be required. Approximately 15% of submissions will advance.

Planning and Scheduling (1-2 Months)

During this phase, the applicant and staff member will establish guidelines for measuring the organization’s ability to succeed with the proposed project. These standards will also be used to assess progress over the three year funding period.

Grant Awarded (3-6 Months)

Payments are disbursed twice a year over the three year funding period. A Foundation staff member will also join the organization’s Board of Directors to provide more hands on support.

Development Innovation Ventures from the U.S. Agency for International Development invests in original solutions to problems anywhere they operate in the world. Projects should focus on what USAID refers to as the ‘base of the pyramid,’ or people earning less than $2 a day.

Applications are accepted on a continual basis for 4 stages of funding. There is no matching requirement, but applicants are encouraged to develop other support, whether cash or in-kind.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to applicants from anywhere in the world, including:

• Individuals
• Nonprofit and non-governmental organizations
• For profit businesses
• Government entities*

*Foreign government entities may only receive funding through a sub-grant arrangement with a non-governmental organization as the lead applicant.

Core Principles

All projects are expected to adhere to USAID’s core principles:

• Rigorous evidence of impact
• Cost-effectiveness
• A viable pathway to scale and sustainability

Funding Stages

Projects should apply for the funding stage most appropriate for the current phase of their program. Recipients of one stage do not automatically receive funding for subsequent stages. They must apply for each stage separately.

Stage 1: Pilot

Stage 1 projects may request up to $200,000 to conduct a pilot program to assess demand, impact, and viability. Projects at this stage should be past the idea and protype phase and ready to test.

Stage 2: Test and Position for Scale

Stage 2 projects may request up to $1.5 million to perform more intense analysis. The public sector should generate compelling evidence of cost-effectiveness; businesses should perform market analysis and expand operations to scale efforts.

Stage 3: Transition to Scale

Stage 3 projects may request up to $15 million to expand operations into new contexts and/or locations.

Stage 4: Evidence Generation

Stage 4 projects may request up to $1.5 million for research into common development approaches that lack persuasive evidence of their impact and/or cost-effectiveness. This could include randomized control trials.

One Day’s Wages is a grassroots movement dedicated to eliminating extreme global poverty. Through their Matching Grant program, they support projects in countries ranked as Low or Medium* on the United Nations Human Development Index.

Applicants may request $5,000 – $30,000; they are responsible for raising 50% of the request amount through ODW’s fundraising platform. Letters of Interest are due by November 15, 2023.

*Low = <0.550 and Medium = 0.550 – 0.699

Eligibility

This grant is open to organizations who:

• Are registered nongovernmental/nonprofit organizations, except religious institutions
• Have been in operation for at least 3 years
• Propose a project in a country with a Low or Medium HDI**
• Propose a project within one or more of ODW’s focus areas (see below)
• Propose a project that will start at least 6 months from the time of submission and can be completed within 12 months
• Align with ODW’s core values of dignity, empowerment, mutuality, transparency, and impact
• Have an active website and social media account(s)

**Exceptions are anti-trafficking projects in Southeast Asia and relief projects in Ukraine

Focus Areas

Eligible projects must be within one or more of ODW’s focus areas.

• Children’s Education
• Climate Impact
• Gender-Based Violence
• Girls’ Empowerment
• Global Hunger
• Human Trafficking
• Jobs & Skills
• Maternal & Child Health
• Preventable Disease
• Refugee Relief
• Water & Sanitation

Fundraising Campaign

Half of the requested funds must be raised by the applicant through a fundraising campaign on ODW’s online fundraising platform. From the start of the campaign, applicants will have 90 days to direct donors to this platform and raise the necessary funds. Only money raised during this time period will count toward the match.

If the campaign does not raise the required amount, a reduced scope of work will be agreed on and ODW will match the amount raised. If the campaign exceeds its goal, the applicant will receive all those funds, but ODW will only match the original goal amount.

ODW does not take any percentage of funds raised, but a 3-6% transaction fee will be charged for credit card payments.