$150,000 Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact

About this opportunity

CASE at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business runs this annual global prize with the F. M. Kirby Foundation. One impact enterprise, nonprofit, for-profit or hybrid, wins $150,000 in unrestricted funding to accelerate a proven solution to a social or environmental problem. It suits organisations with at least three years of impact data and a clear plan to grow their impact over the next three to five years.

What you get:

$150,000 in unrestricted funding for one winning organisation, paid in one lump sum
A $1,000 award for each finalist, in recognition of the time spent on the process
Individual feedback from the selection committee for every organisation that reaches Phase 2
A CASE profile for every finalist and a professional multimedia feature for the winner

What you'll do:

Phase 1: answer short reporting questions and upload an organisation deck, or written responses as a PDF
Phase 2, if invited: a deeper review of your operating model, finances, scaling plans and team
Finalists: a final review including a 60 minute virtual interview with the selection committee
Winner: a follow-up call one year after the award

Key dates:

Phase 1 application opens October 22, 2026
Phase 1 closes December 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern, or earlier once 250 applications are received
All Phase 1 applicants notified by January 8, 2027; Phase 2 opens for invited applicants the same day
Phase 2 closes January 25, 2027
Finalist interviews March 29 to April 8, 2027
Winner notified May 2027, announced publicly June 2027

More information:

Eligibility, timeline and evaluation criteria on the CASE at Duke prize page
FAQ document linked from the CASE prize page
Slides and recording from the October 15, 2026 information session

Who can apply

Nonprofit, for-profit or hybrid organisation with a social or environmental mission or explicit impact objectives
Minimum annual operating budget of USD $250,000, based on last year's actuals, not projections
At least three consecutive years of KPI data, on at least three KPIs, showing both the impact and the reach of the solution you want to scale
Evidence of meaningful outcomes, not only activities, outputs, reach or satisfaction
A clear strategy to substantially increase the breadth or depth of your impact over the next 3 to 5 years
Organisations outside the US must be US taxpayers with a federal taxpayer identification number, for example through 501(c)(3) status or a formal US fiscal sponsorship agreement; an NGO Equivalency Determination does not count
A fiscal sponsor still being arranged is acceptable at Phase 1, but the agreement must be in place before the finalist round
Any geography and any impact area; organisations with budgets above $10 million are usually beyond the prize's target stage

About this opportunity

What you get:

$150,000 in unrestricted funding for one winning organisation, paid in one lump sum
A $1,000 award for each finalist, in recognition of the time spent on the process
Individual feedback from the selection committee for every organisation that reaches Phase 2
A CASE profile for every finalist and a professional multimedia feature for the winner

What you'll do:

Phase 1: answer short reporting questions and upload an organisation deck, or written responses as a PDF
Phase 2, if invited: a deeper review of your operating model, finances, scaling plans and team
Finalists: a final review including a 60 minute virtual interview with the selection committee
Winner: a follow-up call one year after the award

Key dates:

Phase 1 application opens October 22, 2026
Phase 1 closes December 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern, or earlier once 250 applications are received
All Phase 1 applicants notified by January 8, 2027; Phase 2 opens for invited applicants the same day
Phase 2 closes January 25, 2027
Finalist interviews March 29 to April 8, 2027
Winner notified May 2027, announced publicly June 2027

More information:

Eligibility, timeline and evaluation criteria on the CASE at Duke prize page
FAQ document linked from the CASE prize page
Slides and recording from the October 15, 2026 information session

Who can apply

Nonprofit, for-profit or hybrid organisation with a social or environmental mission or explicit impact objectives
Minimum annual operating budget of USD $250,000, based on last year's actuals, not projections
At least three consecutive years of KPI data, on at least three KPIs, showing both the impact and the reach of the solution you want to scale
Evidence of meaningful outcomes, not only activities, outputs, reach or satisfaction
A clear strategy to substantially increase the breadth or depth of your impact over the next 3 to 5 years
Organisations outside the US must be US taxpayers with a federal taxpayer identification number, for example through 501(c)(3) status or a formal US fiscal sponsorship agreement; an NGO Equivalency Determination does not count
A fiscal sponsor still being arranged is acceptable at Phase 1, but the agreement must be in place before the finalist round
Any geography and any impact area; organisations with budgets above $10 million are usually beyond the prize's target stage

$150,000 Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact

About this opportunity

Who can apply

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$150,000 Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact

About this opportunity

Who can apply

AI Verification

Good to know

Worth checking yourself

Sources checked