The Lone Star Prize Seeks Solutions in the Areas of Health, Workforce and the Environment
DALLAS – Tuesday, March 31, 2020 – Lyda Hill Philanthropies today announced the launch of the Lone Star Prize, a Texas-based competition for a $10 million grant to improve the lives of Texans, adding that in these new, unprecedented times, finding long-term solutions to improve the lives of Texans is more critical than ever. The competition, sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies and managed by Lever for Change, will focus on three key issue areas fundamental to improving the quality of life for Texans: improving health outcomes, boosting the workforce and protecting the environment. Applicants must register online by Tuesday, June 23, 2020, and applications are due Wednesday, July 22, 2020. A final grant recipient will be announced in the summer of 2021.
"Our great state of Texas has a rich history of responding to challenges with ingenuity and bold solutions. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, the Lone Star Prize is an opportunity to put good ideas into action – especially around critical statewide issues like access to healthcare and shoring up our health system’s capacity, redeploying our workforce, and protecting our environment. We must ensure Texas remains the best place to live and work for the next generation of Texans."
Lyda Hill, founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies
The Lone Star Prize is open to non-profit organizations, for-profit teams and social enterprises. Teams and ideas from outside of Texas may apply, but proposals must focus on Texas-specific needs and context. Competitive proposals will offer solutions that are feasible, scalable, evidence-based and transformative.
“Texas is a special place – famously rich in diversity, natural resources and culture, which is why those of us from Texas are so proud to call it home,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “Like every state, it faces challenges in providing opportunities for all of its residents, and so we are excited to assist Lyda Hill Philanthropies in finding solutions that improve Texans’ healthcare options, protect its environment and boost residents’ workforce opportunities.”
Lyda Hill Philanthropies is partnering with Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Advance Together, an initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas 2036, and The Texas Tribune. Partners are providing a variety of strategic support and additional promotional platforms for the competition. Lone Star Prize is also seeking funders interested in providing additional financial support to promising solutions sourced through the competition.
“The times we are living in require out-of-the-box solutions to meet an ever-growing set of challenges in a world that knows no boundaries and where the issues anywhere can affect us everywhere,” said Jim Bildner, CEO of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. “Texas has always risen to the occasion. And now, even as we face today’s new challenges, we must do it again.”
In addition to managing the Lone Star Prize, Lever for Change is also managing the Pritzker Traubert Foundation's $10 million Chicago Prize, the second round of the MacArthur Foundation’s $100 million 100&Change, the $10 million Economic Opportunity Challenge, and the $12 million Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award to secure a durable future for refugees. The highest-ranked proposals from each of these and future competitions run by Lever for Change will be included in the newly-launched Bold Solutions Network.
For more information, visit www.lonestarprize.org.
Media contacts:
Jill Geiger, 312-307-9688, [email protected]
Jeanne Culver, 214-352-5980, [email protected]
Becky Mayad, 214-697-7745, [email protected]