About the D-Prize Awards
The D-Prize Awards provide startup grants of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs who are launching new social impact organizations. D-Prize aims to support the creation of more organizations that address extreme poverty, by seeding for-profit ventures, NGOs, and charities in low- and middle-income countries.
Program Summary
- Award Value: Up to $20,000
- Type: Contest, Entrepreneurship
- Sponsor: D-Prize
- Deadline: November 3, 2024
Eligibility Requirements
- D-Prize is designed for new organizations, with most awardees being first-time entrepreneurs who have not yet launched their organization or secured funding.
- Applicants from low- and middle-income countries are especially encouraged to apply.
- Existing organizations may apply if their core focus is on distributing an existing, evidence-based poverty intervention.
- Generally, D-Prize does not support organizations with more than 18 months of full-time operations or that have raised more than $30,000 USD in outside funding.
Benefits
- Successful applicants receive startup grants of up to $20,000 to launch their new social impact organizations.
- The program supports ventures in any low- or middle-income country where extreme poverty persists, including for-profit, NGO, and charity models.
Selection Process
- Round 1: Submit a two-page concept note and resume(s). The competition typically receives over 2,500 submissions per round.
- Round 2: The top 5% of entrepreneurs are invited to respond to additional written questions within two weeks.
- Final Round: The top applicants are interviewed via phone and email, and the top 1% are awarded up to $20,000 to launch their ventures.
Important Deadlines:
- Global Competition Launch: September 2, 2024
- Early Submission Deadline: October 13, 2024, at midnight PT
- Regular Submission Deadline: November 3, 2024, at midnight PT
- Extension Deadline: November 24, 2024, at midnight PT
How to Apply
Submission Policies:
- Proposals must be written in English; however, perfect grammar is not required, and errors will not be penalized. The focus is on understanding your idea.
- Follow the instructions provided in the application packet. Extra materials or revisions after submission will not be considered.
- Only one proposal per individual or partnership will be accepted.
Proposal Instructions:
- Prepare your concept note and resume(s), ensuring they are clearly named and saved as PDF files (maximum 4MB each).
- Submit your contact details and documents at www.d-prize.org/submit.
- Follow the application process to design an initial test pilot of your larger vision. If selected, you will receive seed support to launch.
Application Deadline: November 3, 2024