The Draper Richards Foundation provides selected social entrepreneurs with funding of $100,000 annually for three years. The funds are specifically and solely for entrepreneurs starting new non-profit organizations. The Draper Richards Fellowships are highly selective. We only award six fellowships per year so we can fully engage with our portfolio of grantee organizations.
Draper select will demonstrate innovative ways to solve existing social problems. The Foundation accepts proposals for a variety of public service areas, including, but not limited to, education, youth and families, the environment, arts, health, and community and economic development. We seek organizations that are or plan to be national or global in scope.
Eligibility: Experienced, dedicated social entrepreneurs with a developed idea for a non-profit organization based in the United States are invited to apply for the Draper Richards Fellowship.
The Draper Richards Fellowship funds:
- organizations by providing unrestricted dollars,
- organizations at the beginning of their development, with the Draper Richards Fellowship providing the organization’s first major investment,
- organizations based in the United States only,
- organizations that are national or global in reach and social issues
The Draper Richards Fellowship does not fund:
- Local community-based organizations
- Research
- Scholarships
- Think tanks
- Conferences or one-time events
- Organizations planning to influence policy through lobbying
- Programs promoting religious doctrine
Some reasons for ineligibility for funding include:
- Organization is no longer at the early stages of its development. We define early stage as between inception and having a 501c3 for 3 years or less. In addition, we seek to fund organizations with current annual budgets of less than, on average, $300,000.
- Organization does not plan to be a 501c3.
- Idea is unfocused. The organization is trying to solve too many problems or is using too many models and programs to achieve its goals.
- Organization is local, rather than national or international, in scope. A local organization is one that focuses on a defined region or location and does not plan to expand its reach or service area.
- Organization is a program of a larger organization, rather than a stand-alone entity.
Award Amount: The Draper Richards Foundation provides selected social entrepreneurs with funding of $100,000 annually for three years.
How to Apply: Please submit a brief proposal of no more than 3 pages, plus an attached resume, as described in detail below.
- The following information should be covered in one page of your proposal:
- The mission and objectives of the organization
- Your articulated theory for social change. Explain how your organization will improve on existing efforts and how your approach is systemic and unique. Be sure to describe existing programs and how yours will differ.
- The following information should be covered in two additional pages of your proposal:
- A description of the organization’s program design and implementation plan for its first three years.
- An indication of the organization’s tangible results to date, as well as an explanation of how you plan to measure organizational outcomes and success in the future.
- An explanation of how the organization will reach national or global scale.
- An explanation of the main sources of financial support that your organization will use to sustain your work over time.
- In addition, please attach a standard resume for the entrepreneur (not simply a text bio).
Once they have reviewed your proposal, they will invite qualified applicants to submit a more formal plan and begin an in-depth review process.
Contact:
Please submit your proposal to:
Jenny Shilling Stein
Executive Director
Draper Richards Foundation
50 California Street, Suite 2925
San Francisco, CA 94111
Or via email as a Word document attachment to: proposals@draperrichards.org
Please put the name of your organization in the Subject line of the email.
They will send you an acknowledgment of receipt of your proposal within 14 business days.
Deadline: The Draper Richards Foundation receives and reviews applications throughout the year and award grants throughout the year. Given the unique nature of their funding process, there is no deadlines for submitting materials.
For more detailed information: Please visit the Draper Richards Foundation website for more information on the application process, criteria for Draper Richards Fellows, and fellowship guidelines.
Note: Please do not contact the Green Economy Post regarding this opportunity. We are not affiliated with the sponsoring organizations, and therefore have no additional information. Sometimes the link is changed for the opportunities. When this happens, go to the home page of the organizers to locate information on the opportunity or contact the organization directly.
