Our Model

Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change provides expertise and advice to help donors—no matter their philanthropic experience, staffing levels, or interests:

Photo of Lever for Change Staff in Action: our Philanthropy team discusses their work in our offices.

- We develop and manage customized philanthropic grant challenges that award a minimum of $10 million in funding (payable over five years) and provide other tailored opportunities to help donors to find and fund bold solutions capable of accelerating social change.

- We invite all Lever for Change challenge finalists to become members of our Bold Solutions Network, a growing global network that helps members secure additional funding and amplify their impact.

- For funders seeking to make immediate and/or smaller-scale investments, our team curates and actively shares relevant solutions within our public and private collaborations with funders.

Since our launch, we have developed and managed customized challenges on behalf of a variety of funders and their advisors—from high-profile donors including Pivotal Ventures (Melinda French Gates’ investment and incubation company) to institutional funders like the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, corporate funders such as the LEGO Foundation, and philanthropic advisors like ICONIQ Impact, as well as new and anonymous donors.

Our challenges have focused on issues including racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change, influencing over $1.25 billion in grants and providing support to more than 145 organizations. Our goal is to unlock $2.5 billion in funding for bold solutions by the end of 2025, thereby accelerating social change.

Help Fund Bold Solutions

Join us and help fund bold, effective solutions that accelerate social change.

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