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Lever for Change is committed to openness and transparency in its competitions as well as providing value to each participant. We do this by publicly sharing information about the competition process, including the timeline, evaluation criteria, and judges. We also ensure that as many applicants as possible receive feedback on their proposals. During Lever for Change competitions, all valid proposals move through a process of increasing levels of review, feedback, and diligence. Explore current and upcoming competitions below and learn more about our Competition Process.
Launched on March 21, 2023, the $250 million Yield Giving Open Call is an initiative focused on elevating organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States: communities, individuals, and families with access to the fewest foundational resources and opportunities. The registration period is now closed.
Launched on International Women’s Day 2022, the Maternal & Infant Health Award–sponsored by The Patchwork Collective, ICONIQ Impact, and Lever for Change–is a $10 million grant competition that will support innovative solutions to improve maternal and infant health outcomes across the globe, with a special focus on locally led, community-based programs and projects.
On December 6, 2022, the LEGO Foundation announced five awardees for its Build a World of Play Challenge, which aims to fund bold and impactful solutions focused on early childhood. The Challenge is awarding a total of DKK 900 million (approximately $117 Million) to support substantial contributions to the lives of children from birth to six years old and spark a global movement to prioritize early childhood development.
On July 7, 2022, Additional Ventures, The Patchwork Collective, philanthropists Cipora and Vlado Herman, ICONIQ Impact, and Lever for Change announced three recipients for the $22 million Stronger Democracy Award. The Award was launched in 2021 to drive structural reforms to help improve political representation and increase the participation of all citizens in the United States democratic process.
On October 11, 2022, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation announced $80 million to five awardees for its Racial Equity 2030 challenge, an open call for bold solutions to drive an equitable future for children, families, and communities around the world. The challenge was launched in 2020 to help build and scale actionable ideas for transformative change in the systems and institutions that uphold racial inequities.
On July 29, 2021, the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge announced four projects that will be awarded a total of $40 million to support their bold ideas to expand women’s power and influence in the United States by 2030: Building Women’s Equality through Strengthening the Care Infrastructure, Ada Developers Academy’s Changing the Face of Tech, Girls Inc.’s Project Accelerate, and The Future is Indigenous Women.
On June 22, 2021, Lever for Change announced the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) as the recipient of the $10 million 2030 Climate Challenge, an award sponsored by an anonymous donor to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. RTC is jointly managed by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, David Gardiner and Associates, and World Wildlife Fund. This funding will help RTC slash industrial thermal emissions 30% over the next decade.
On June 15, 2021, Lever for Change and Lyda Hill Philanthropies announced that Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute was selected as the $10 million recipient of the Lone Star Prize, a Texas-based competition launched in early 2020 to improve the lives of Texans and their communities. The Meadows Institute’s “Lone Star Depression Challenge” will improve quality of life and mental health care access for communities across the state.
On May 4, 2021, Lever for Change and ICONIQ Impact announced that Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative was selected as the $10 million recipient of the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award, a competition to secure a brighter, more durable future for refugees globally. The Award sponsors successfully raised a total of $24.25 million in funding to distribute to all five finalist organizations dedicated to improving the lives of refugees around the world.
On December 15, 2020, premier technology workforce development organization Per Scholas was announced as the awardee of the $10 million Economic Opportunity Challenge. The “Proven Pathways to Transformative Careers in Tech” project will improve economic opportunities for low-income individuals within the United States.
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