This has been a big year for Lever for Change! We started off having reached our initial goal of driving $1 billion in funding to outstanding organizations, ahead of schedule. This was an important milestone for us, as money is now flowing to people and communities with big ideas to tackle the issues they are facing, and because it proves that our reimagined model of large-scale grantmaking works. As we enter the final stretch of 2023, I find myself looking back at our growing impact and forward to a new year with lots of developments in the pipeline.

In 2021, Lever for Change introduced the Swift Grants fund, to provide small grants to Bold Solutions Network members for collaborative projects. Since its inception, Bold Solutions Network members have leveraged nearly $300K and their diverse expertise to push bold solutions around the world.

To date, Lever for Change has unlocked over $1.6 billion in funding for high-impact solutions and strengthened dozens of top organizations.

The Ahlan Simsim initiative has transformed the lives of children and families through early childhood development services in its fifth year.

The past year has tested the resilience of women worldwide. Half of our global population continues to grapple with unequal access to opportunities, an injustice that persists even in nations like America, where women secured the right to vote just a century ago. We recognize that the path ahead is steep, but we remain steadfast in our determination to build a more equitable world for all.

Unconscious bias is a powerful, subtle force shaping our lives, from daily choices to life-changing decisions. It stems from our brain's need for rapid information processing. It affects everything from restaurant choices, to hiring decisions, to friendships, trust, and so much more. While bias can't be entirely eliminated, awareness and conscious decision-making can help us make higher-quality choices. In this interview between Chicago Beyond and Lever for Change, we explore how to combat unconscious bias in decision-making and a tool developed to help in the philanthropic funding process.

Today, we are delighted to celebrate the three awardees of the Maternal & Infant Health Award, an initiative we launched last year in partnership with The Patchwork Collective and ICONIQ Impact (ICONIQ Capital’s platform for collaborative philanthropy). The award was designed to aid innovative, community-led organizations in providing women with access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal healthcare, with the goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality worldwide.

Lwala Community Alliance is recognized for its pioneering, community-led health model in rural Kenya. Babies and Mothers Alive Foundation and Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq also receive grant funding for their work to support maternal and infant health.

Many donors find giving away money effectively to be difficult. As a result, the wealthiest Americans are sitting on $4.5 trillion. Although individual wealth has increased, donations have dropped sharply (by 60%) since the height of the pandemic. Most of this money remains on the sidelines despite the urgency of local, national, and global social and economic challenges because would-be donors have no accessible, trusted, and reliable way to choose with confidence among charitable causes, organizations, and projects.

The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York was not just a gathering of diplomats and world leaders; it was a powerful testament to the collaborative spirit of those working diligently to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the key stakeholders driving progress towards these global objectives, philanthropy played a prominent role, and Lever for Change was there to represent its bold network and ideas.