We seed new organizations
distributing proven poverty solutions,
all aiming to scale.
Are you next?
How to Apply
We award startup grants of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs launching new organizations. We believe the world needs more social impact organizations, and we seed for-profit ventures, NGOs, and charities. We support organizations in any low-or-middle income country where extreme poverty still exists.
We believe social impact organizations are uniquely positioned to distribute an existing product or service known to improve lives where need still exists. View the D-Prize Challenges below and select one of the high-impact products or services in need of greater global access.
Our seed support is meant to be the launching point for your organization that grows to large-scale. Follow our Application Process to design an initial test pilot of your larger vision. Submit your concept to our twice-annual competition. If selected, you will receive seed support to launch.
D-Prize Challenges
Expand the categories below to view high-impact products and services in need of greater global distribution.
+ Health
Self-Injectable Contraceptive Challenge:
Can you distribute a self-injectable contraceptive, Sayana® Press, to underserved women through a private health network?
Download the Self-Injectable Contraceptive Challenge
Oxygen Challenge
Can you develop a team of technicians to service and repair existing oxygen concentrators to improve access to medical oxygen?
Patient Identification Challenge:
Can you develop a way to identify patients needing treatment for either obstetric fistula, cervical cancer, club foot, or cataracts, then connect them with existing treatment services in your area?
Download the Patient Identification Challenge
Maternal Health Challenge:
Can you train birth attendants to administer misoprostol to prevent maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhaging?
Download the Maternal Health Challenge
Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Challenge:
Can you identify candidates for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) and connect those that opt in to existing health facilities to reduce the risk of HIV acquisition?
Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Challenge:
Can you counsel and motivate HIV-positive pregnant women to adhere to their ART regimen, and thus prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission?
Child Immunization Challenge:
Can you direct caregivers to bring their infants to health facilities for routine immunizations that would otherwise not occur?
Download the Immunizations Challenge
Sugar Daddy Awareness Challenge:
Can you teach “sugar daddy awareness” to 8th grade classes to reduce unwanted teen pregnancies and HIV infections?
Download the Sugar Daddy Awareness Challenge
+ Water
Clean Access to water Challenge
Can you sell ceramic water filters to people in areas without access to clean water?
Download the Clean Access to Water Challenge
+ AGRICULTURE
Quality Inputs Challenge:
Can you provide smallholder farmers high-quality inputs and training proven to increase their harvests?
Download the Quality Inputs Challenge
Post-Harvest Support Challenge:
Can you provide smallholder farmers post-harvest loans and storage technology proven to increase their incomes?
Download the Post-Harvest Support Challenge
Propose Your Own Agriculture Challenge:
D-Prize is specifically interested in distributing proven agriculture interventions to smallholder farmers. If you know of a highly-effective intervention that is backed by credible evidence, we want to hear what it is and see your plan to increase its distribution.
Download the Custom Agriculture Challenge
Propose Your Own Livestock Challenge:
D-Prize is interested in distributing proven livestock interventions to smallholder farmers. If you know of a highly-effective intervention backed by credible evidence, we want to hear what it is and see your plan to increase its distribution.
Download the Custom Livestock Challenge
+ Livelihoods
Reading Glasses Challenge:
Can you distribute non-prescription reading/ working glasses to those in need?
Download the Reading Glasses Challenge
Poverty Graduation Challenge:
Can you provide business coaching, capital, and social support to lift people out of ultra poverty?
Download the Poverty Graduation Challenge
Propose Your Own Financial Inclusion Challenge:
D-Prize is specifically interested in distributing proven financial inclusion interventions to those in need. If you know of a highly-effective intervention backed by credible evidence, we want to hear what it is and see your plan to increase its distribution.
Download the Custom Financial Inclusion Challenge
+ ENERGY
Solar Lamp Challenge:
Can you sell pico solar lamps to rural or slum-dwelling households without regular access to electricity?
Download the Solar Lamp Challenge
+ Public Services
Government Transparency Challenge:
Can you monitor and report data to reduce corruption and improve public service?
Download the Government Transparency Challenge
Road Safety Challenge:
Can you reduce road fatalities by mobilizing the public with a proven public transportation safety campaign?
Download the Road Safety Challenge
+ Education
Teaching at the Right Level Challenge:
In many resource-limited countries, over 50% of Grade 2 students are unable to read a single word of a short text or perform two-digit subtraction. Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) is an education program that tailors instruction to the learning level of the child, rather than their age. The result is that basic literacy and numeracy are achieved by students before they finish primary school. Can you implement an effective TaRL program to teach students in a resource-limited classroom?
Download the Teaching at the Right Level Challenge
+ Custom
Propose your own challenge:
D-Prize is specifically interested in distributing proven poverty interventions to those in need. If you know of a highly-effective intervention that is backed by credible evidence, we want to hear what it is and see your plan to increase its distribution.
Application Process
ELIGIBILITY
D-Prize is for new organizations. Most of our awardees are first-time entrepreneurs. Most have not yet launched their organization, nor have they raised other funding. We especially encourage those from low-and-middle income countries to apply. See who we recently seeded.
We will consider applications from existing organizations only if your core focus is distributing an existing and evidence-based poverty intervention. We typically will not support organizations with more than 18 months of full time operations or that have raised more than $30,000 USD in outside funding.
TIMELINE
The Global Competition launches in Spring 2025.
Sign up for our email list and be the first to know the day we launch!
evaluation process
Round 1
Submit your two-page concept note and resume(s). We receive 2500+ submissions per competition.
Round 2
Top 5% of entrepreneurs are invited to answer short written questions. You will have two weeks to draft and submit.
Final round
Top entrepreneurs have phone and email interviews. The top 1% receive up to $20,000 to launch.
Award & Launch
Spend the next few months piloting your idea and building an organization that soon grows to a large scale.
Get Alerted when we launch the Next Global Competition
We only email when a competition goes live, about twice per year. We never share your data.
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