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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.

Homepage of the Yield Giving Open Call
Closed; Awarded
Yield Giving Open Call

The Yield Giving Open Call was focused on elevating organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. On March 19, 2024, Yield Giving and Lever for Change announced 361 awardees.

MIHA - Lwala Photo (No Logo)
Closed; Awarded
Maternal & Infant Health Award

The Maternal & Infant Health Award was created to support community-led projects and programs working to reduce maternal and infant mortality around the world. On October 10, 2023, The Patchwork Collective, ICONIQ Impact, and Lever for Change, announced three awardees.

Health
Celebrating the Build a World of Play Challenge with this image of a young girl with curly wet hair smiling at the camera. She is leaning on a blue swing and wearing a yellow dress with blue dots. In the blurry background is a playground.
Closed; Awarded
Build A World Of Play Challenge

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.

Youth Development
Stronger Democracy Award Homepage Image
Closed; Awarded
Stronger Democracy Award

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.

Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy
Man holds child in the air joyfully
Closed; Awarded
Racial Equity 2030

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.

Racial Equity
A group of five women
Closed; Awarded
Equality Can't Wait Challenge

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.

Gender Equality
Image displaying busy highways intersecting
Closed; Awarded
2030 Climate Challenge

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.

Environment
Aerial drone view above Lady Bird Lake showing kayakers on the water and the Austin, Texas skyline in the distance.
Closed; Awarded
Lone Star Prize

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.

Health
Workforce
Environment
Young girl with her hair in braids and wearing a red, white and grey sweatshirt smiles at the camera, while running, with her mother in the background wearing a pink dress and dark headscarf, talking on the phone.
Closed; Awarded
Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award

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.

Refugee Support
An African-American man stands at the front of a room, teaching a technology class. Dressed in a green shirt and grey slacks, he is pointing at a screen.
Closed; Awarded
Economic Opportunity Challenge

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.

Employment/Jobs
Economic Opportunity/Mobility

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