Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Grants for Entrepreneurs and NGOs

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK) Grants provide early-stage funding and support to social impact organizations addressing critical social and environmental problems with bold, scalable solutions. The program aims to empower entrepreneurs and NGOs that directly benefit underserved populations through innovative approaches.

Objectives:

• Support organizations solving urgent social/environmental issues.
• Fund scalable solutions that can impact at least 10,000 lives within five years.
• Foster systemic change by leveraging existing systems and stakeholders.
• Build financially sustainable organizations with measurable impact.

Target Beneficiaries:

• Early-stage organizations (post-pilot, pre-scale) typically 2-5 years old.
• Independent nonprofits or mission-driven for-profits, including US 501(c)3 and equivalents.
• Organizations operating primarily in Africa, Europe, India, the US, and selectively in Latin America.
• Teams with full-time founders who are innovative, collaborative, proximate to the problem, and committed to learning and iteration.

Application Process:

• Applications accepted year-round with no deadline.
• Selection based on problem urgency, scalability, evidence of impact, team attributes, and geographic alignment.
• DRK reviews about 2,225 applications annually and funds around 20 organizations each year.

Key Features:

• Funding up to $300,000 USD over three years, in grants or investments.
• Extensive operational and technical support including board service, leadership development, fundraising, and scaling strategy.
• Capacity-building support valued up to $500,000 USD in-kind.
• Community engagement through annual retreats and networking.
• Focus on measurable impact and financial sustainability.
• No reinvestment after the initial three-year funding period.
• Not eligible: idea-stage, post-Series A, advocacy-only, research-only, religious promotion, or certain organizational types (e.g., LLCs, S-Corps).

This program is designed to accelerate the growth and impact of innovative social ventures with a strong commitment to underserved communities and systemic change.