The world has already invented products and services to end poverty. Yet we have found many proven interventions with large delivery gaps. Millions of people still don’t have access to basic poverty-fighting tools.
Can you design a new business or NGO that delivers a proven poverty intervention at scale? Submit your design for a new organization that solves one of our Distribution Challenges below. We will award the most promising teams with up to USD 20,000 to launch their new organization wherever extreme poverty exists,
Who should apply?:
You should have enormous ambition and can imagine yourself as a successful entrepreneur. You are ready to launch your new venture, and if a pilot proves successful you are excited to grow it into a world-changing organization.
If you are still a student or have existing commitments, you should have a clear idea of how to transition into a full-time founder.
D-Prize is exclusively interested in ventures that will scale the distribution of an already proven poverty intervention in the developing world. We do not fund prototypes of promising new interventions. Please respond to one of our distribution challenges found at this link
Eligibility:
D-Prize challenges are open to anyone or any team. The sole restriction is that individuals and their immediate families on the judging panel may not participate as a contestant.
D-Prize is also open to any business model (for-profit, non-profit, and everything in between).
All winners will be awarded up to $20,000. The award is offered in the form of a convertible grant.
You are not competing against other applicants. We typically fund at least 15 proposals per competition, regardless of which challenge track was selected
Deadlines & Processes:
Round 1: First Round proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis, using the following deadlines. We strive to send decisions out within three weeks. Judges may request additional information via email before making a decision.
Early decision deadline: May 15, 2022, at midnight PT (Pacific Time). Early decision proposals are more likely to advance to the next round.
Regular deadline: June 5, 2022, at midnight PT.
Extension deadline: June 26, 2022, at midnight PT. Extensions are limited to the first people who register at: www.d-prize.org/extension
Round 2 :Top entrepreneurs invited to participate in Round 2 will be asked to respond to short written questions – roughly based on a business plan. These questions ask for more details about your operations, budget, milestones, and other items.
Participants will receive a Round 2 Proposal Packet with full instructions. Those invited to the Second Round will have about two weeks to submit.
Final Round: Entrepreneurs invited to the Final Round will be interviewed by judges over email and on the phone. Depending on the promise and cost-effectiveness of a proposal, judges may award up to $20,000 in funding. The average D-Prize award size is $15,000.
Piloting Winning Ventures
Besides direct funding, D-Prize can assist in helping your venture attract future funding if the pilot proves successful. We will also provide you access to the D-Prize network of past winners and will do our best to support you in other ways.
