D-Prize Challenge 2027 for Social Entrepreneurs to Fight Poverty (US$20,000)

09Sep

By JosephSeptember 21, 20260Competition, Funding

D-Prize Challenge 2027 for Social Entrepreneurs to Fight Poverty (US$20,000)

Applications are now open for the 2026/2027 D-Prize Challenge. D-Prize seed new organizations distributing proven poverty solutions, all aiming to scale.

D-Prize Interventions

Childhood Diarrhea Treatment: Can you get free ORS and zinc into homes before a child gets sick and prevent one of the leading killers of children under five?
DMPA-SC: Reach Underserved Populations: Can you distribute DMPA-SC to underserved population?

DMPA-SC: Improve Provider Training: Can you improve mandatory provider training for DMPA-SC?
DMPA-SC: Last Mile Inventory Management: Can you improve last mile inventory management of DMPA-SC?
DMPA-SC: Medical Waste Management: Can you increase safe disposal of DMPA-SC needles?
Reading Glasses: Can you distribute non-prescription reading/ working glasses to those in need?
Childcare: Can you help low-income families access quality childcare services?
ConnectEd Phone-based Tutoring: Can you distribute a phone-based intervention to improve learning?

Teaching at the Right Level: Can you improve foundational literacy and numeracy in resource-limited classrooms?
Road Safety: Can you reduce road deaths by replicating a proven public transport safety campaign?
Government Transparency: Can you monitor and report data to reduce corruption and improve public service?
Poverty Graduation: Can you provide coaching, capital, and social support to lift people out of ultra poverty?
Agriculture: Propose Your Own: Propose distribution of an evidence-based agriculture intervention not on our list.
Post-Harvest Support: Can you provide post-harvest loans and storage technology proven to smallholders?
Quality Inputs: Can you provide smallholders quality inputs and training to increase their harvests?
Water Filters: Can you sell ceramic water filters to people in areas without access to clean water?
Kangaroo Care: Can you provide access to Kangaroo Care (KC), a proven but underused intervention for infants born too soon or too small?
Oxygen: Can you develop a team of technicians to service and repair existing oxygen concentrators to improve access to medical oxygen?

Patient Identification: 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?
Maternal Health: Can you train birth attendants to administer misoprostol to prevent maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhaging?
Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission: 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: Can you direct caregivers to bring children to health facilities for routine immunizations that would otherwise not occur?
Sugar Daddy Awareness: Can you teach Sugar Daddy Awareness to 8th grade classes to reduce unwanted teen pregnancies and HIV infections?
Propose your own: Pitch distribution of an intervention backed by credible evidence and not on our list.

Eligibility

New organizations only. Most awardees are first-time entrepreneurs who have not yet launched or raised outside funding.

We especially encourage applicants from low- and middle-income countries.
Orgs with more than 18 months of full-time operations or more than $30,000 USD raised typically not supported.

Existing organizations considered only if your core focus is distributing an existing, evidence-based poverty intervention.

Evaluation Process

Round 1: Submit your two-page concept note and resume(s). We 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 la

Timeline

Select an intervention above and be prepared for the following deadlines: