100&Change
Competition 2024
Seven years ago, we set out to do something bold and different, launching the first round of 100&Change. Now, we are launching the third cycle to help address another of the world’s most critical issues.
By funding 100&Change at a level far above what is typical in philanthropy, we seek to address problems and support solutions that are radically different in scale, scope, and complexity. We believe $100 million can enable real progress toward a meaningful and lasting solution to a critical problem of our time.
The first and second rounds of 100&Change offered opportunities for learning. An evaluation of the selection process from the inaugural competition informed changes to the selection process for the 2020 award recipient.
In the second round, we created an organizational readiness tool to help potential applicants determine their readiness to compete in 100&Change. We added a participatory review process, where applicants within the same domain scored and provided feedback on each other’s proposals.
Proposals experienced a drop in the number of applications compared to the inaugural competition, 755 in 2021 vs. 1,904 in 2017 due to the introduction of the organizational readiness tool and a peer-to-peer review before the Wise Head Panel review. We believe that the new organizational readiness tool helped eliminate projects that were not a good fit for 100&Change, and we will continue to use it.
For the third round of the competition, we revisited the application criteria to align with MacArthur’s Just Imperative rooted in the value of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
As a result, we have added “just” as a criterion. In doing so, we sought to frame the five criteria as a whole so that any applicant can see their project reflected. We ask applicants to demonstrate a commitment to equity, inclusion, and accessibility and provide a solution that benefits different populations equitably. We believe there is no topic that is exempt or excluded from these commitments, and so this criterion is not a barrier to entry.
These changes are intended to provide an enhanced level of feedback and ensure that all applicants benefit at each stage of the competition.
We are open to ideas that identify a single problem and its proposed solution. We welcome applications from around the world as well as from both nonprofit and for-profit organizations (subject to the rules that govern private foundations). We hope to inspire a wide range of applications that propose real, measurable solutions to significant problems from any field or sector.
Use the organizational readiness tool to find out. We created this tool to help potential applicants determine their readiness to compete in 100&Change.
Any organization or legal entity, except for government agencies and individuals, can apply, subject to eligibility rules. All projects must further a charitable purpose. A 501(c)4 organization is not eligible to participate as a lead applicant. A 501(c)4 organization may participate in or collaborate on a project advanced by an eligible entity such as a 501(c)3 organization provided the following conditions are met: (i) the project must have a clearly articulated charitable purpose, (ii) the eligible organization will have the legal responsibility and authority for the use of and reporting on any grant funds, and would exercise in fact and law direction, control and supervision of the proposed project; (iii) none of the funds would be used by the 501(c)4 organization other than for the identified charitable purpose, and (iv) the 501(c)4 organization would not engage in any political activities, including participating in or contributing to a political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any political candidate, or lobby any legislative entity as part of or with respect to the project.
We welcome applicants of any size but have generally found that larger organizations are more likely to effectively absorb and deploy very large grants. While this is not true for all organizations, we encourage you to think critically about whether your organization would be able to take on such a large amount of capital over only a few years, particularly if a $100 million (USD) grant would dramatically increase your annual operating budget.
