Call for Applications: D-Prize Challenges Global Competition (startup grants of up to $20,000 awarded)
Closing Date: 23 November 2025
Call for Applications: D-Prize Challenges Global Competition (startup grants of up to $20,000 awarded)
About
D-Prize is a grant-funded nonprofit targeting extreme poverty. D-Prize seed social impact organizations that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Most founders in low-and-middle income countries don’t have access to startup capital, and D-Prize provide philanthropic seed support so their ventures, NGOs, & charities can launch.
D-Prize care about evidence-based impact. The world already has cost-effective products & services targeting poverty, and D-Prize specifically seed organizations to distribute these at scale where there is still need. D-Prize vision is to see existing high-impact poverty interventions made universally accessible.
D-Prize seed new organizations distributing proven poverty solutions, all aiming to scale.
How to Apply
D-Prize award startup grants of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs launching new organizations. D-Prize believes the world needs more social impact organizations, and therefore D-Prize seed for-profit ventures, NGOs, and charities. D-Prize support organizations in any low-or-middle income country where extreme poverty still exists.
D-Prize believes 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.
D-Prize seed support is meant to be the launching point for your organization that grows to large-scale. Follow the Application Process to design an initial test pilot of your larger vision. Submit your concept to D-Prize twice-annual competition. If selected, you will receive seed support to launch.
D-Prize Challenges
The high-impact products and services in need of greater global distribution include:
- Health
- Water
- Agriculture
- Livelihoods
- Energy
- Public Services
- Education
- Custom
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.
D-Prize challenges are open to anyone or any team. The sole restriction is that individuals and their immediate family on the judging panel may not participate as contestants.
Eligibility
D-Prize is for new organizations. Most of its awardees are first-time entrepreneurs. Most have not yet launched their organization, nor have they raised other funding. D-Prize especially encourage those from low-and-middle income countries to apply.
D-Prize will consider applications from existing organizations only if your core focus is distributing an existing and evidence-based poverty intervention. D-Prize 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
Select a challenge above and be prepared for the following deadlines:
- The Global Competition launches on 13 October 2025
- Early Submission Deadline: 23 November 2025 at midnight PT (pacific time)
- Regular Submission Deadline: 14 December 2025 at midnight PT (pacific time)
- Extension Deadline: 4 January 2026 at midnight PT (pacific time)
Evaluation process
Round 1
Submit your two-page concept note and resume(s). D-Prize receive 3000+ 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.
Click Here To Apply
Follow Opportunities For Everyone on Social Media
