Up to $20,000 D-Prize Seed Grant

D-Prize gives seed funding of up to US$20,000 to people launching a new organisation that distributes a proven poverty solution, such as oral rehydration salts, water filters, reading glasses or farm inputs, to people who still cannot reach it. The money pays for a three-month pilot in a developing country, and founders pick one of D-Prize's published distribution challenges or propose their own evidence-backed intervention. The first round asks only for a two-page concept note and a CV, and you do not need a registered company or NGO to apply.

What you get:

• Up to US$20,000 to run a three-month pilot of your new organisation; the average award is US$16,000
• The award is made as a convertible grant
• Help attracting further funding if the pilot succeeds
• Access to the D-Prize network of past winners
• Full written feedback for anyone who submits a Round 2 proposal, funded or not

What you'll do:

• Choose one D-Prize distribution challenge, or propose a custom evidence-based intervention
• Write a two-page concept note (three pages for a custom intervention) and a one-page CV per team member
• If invited, answer Round 2 written questions on operations, budget and milestones within about two weeks
• If invited to the final round, interview with judges by email and phone
• If funded, live in your chosen country and personally run a three-month pilot on the ground

Key dates:

• Competition launched September 2026
• Early decision deadline: October 25, 2026 at 23:59 Pacific Time
• Regular deadline: November 15, 2026 at 23:59 Pacific Time
• Extension deadline: December 6, 2026 at 23:59 Pacific Time, only for applicants who register for an extension in advance at d-prize.org/extension (places limited)
• Decisions aimed for within about four months of submission

More information:

• Round 1 application packet: https://d-prize.org/Round1Packet
• FAQs: https://d-prize.org/faqs
• Past winners: https://d-prize.org/winners

• Open to anyone aged 18 or over, from any country, applying alone or as a team
• You must be launching a new organisation, or run a young one whose only focus is distributing one proven intervention
• Organisations with more than 18 months of full-time operations, or more than US$30,000 raised in outside funding, are typically not eligible
• You do not need a registered company or NGO to apply
• The pilot must run in a developing country where extreme poverty exists; you do not need to be a citizen, but you must plan to live and work there during and after the pilot
• You must be able to commit full-time and personally manage the launch on the ground for three months if selected
• The intervention must be proven: pick a listed D-Prize challenge, or for a custom idea cite credible outside evidence (for example J-PAL, IPA, GiveWell, WHO, the World Bank)
• D-Prize does not fund new inventions, prototypes, manufacturing, scholarships or general community projects
• One proposal per person or partnership, written in English (grammar is not judged); files must be PDF under 4MB
• Judging panel members and their immediate family cannot apply