Welcome to our blog series updates on Lever for Change's 2021 Swift Grants. In May 2021, Lever for Change introduced this Award to provide small grants to members of the Bold Solutions Network for collaborative projects. These grants allow some of the world's top problem solvers to leverage their expertise and work together to find innovative solutions in their respective fields. We are excited to share updates on the progress and impact of these projects as they unfold. Stay tuned for more information on the 2021 Swift Grants and the work being done by the Bold Solutions Network.

Five years ago, a plan to help children cope with the distress of the Syrian war received $100 million. Today, the program has supported over 23 million children and parents across the Middle East and North Africa with healthy development and early learning toward a resilient and thriving future.

Five years ago on a snowy Chicago day, the International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop made a pitch for the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change award. The competition would provide a historic $100 million to a project striving for measurable progress against solving a critical problem of our time: the impact of the war in Syria on children’s futures.

This was a big year for Lever for Change, capped off by our announcement that we exceeded our goal of driving $1 billion in funding to outstanding organizations with inspiring ideas. Since our launch in 2019, we have helped more than 145 organizations accelerate social impact. As we celebrated this milestone, we met many amazing people, virtually and in person, and, not surprisingly, the question we were asked most is, “How did you do it?”

Selected from over 600 applications, the LEGO Foundation’s Build a World of Play Challenge will fund five ground-breaking projects that will ensure children globally reach their full potential through play.

In March 2022, over 350 colleges, universities, high schools, primary schools, and other institutions in more than 60 countries – and over 50,000 people – participated in the WorldWide Teach-in on Climate and Justice led by Bard College and the University of Waterloo.

Changing The Way We Care was a finalist in the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change challenge. Five years later, it’s sparking global momentum to reform institutionalized childcare.

Sesame Workshop was the recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change challenge in December 2017 for its collaboration with the International Rescue Committee to create Ahlan Simsim, a show for a rising generation of children affected by conflict and displacement across the Middle East and North Africa. René Celaya of Sesame Workshop and Marianne Stone of International Rescue Committee share lessons learned from Ahlan Simsim's fourth year.

Following the 2022 midterm elections, Lever for Change is highlighting outstanding projects in our Bold Solutions Network that aim to increase civic engagement and strengthen democracy. We invite you to support one or more of the rigorously-evaluated projects featured in the collection below.

In 2021, Lever for Change introduced the Swift Grants fund, to provide small grants to Bold Solutions Network members for collaborative projects. This fund provided an outlet for the world’s top problem solvers to leverage expertise and join forces to find creative solutions in their fields.