DRK Foundation – Early-Stage Social Impact Funding (Global, Year-Round)

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK Foundation) provides early-stage capital and intensive capacity-building support to bold social enterprises tackling the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

DRK funds mission-driven organisations that serve vulnerable, marginalized, or underserved communities through scalable, systems-oriented solutions. The Foundation invests in entrepreneurs building innovative models that can grow exponentially and directly impact at least 10,000 lives within five years with ambitions to reach far beyond that.

Applications are accepted year-round, with no fixed deadline.

Funding & Support Model

DRK provides a combination of capital, capacity, and community support over a structured three-year engagement.

Capital Support

• Up to USD $300,000 over three years
• Provided as either:
  • Unrestricted grant funding (for nonprofits), or
  • Investment capital (for for-profit, impact-first entities)
• Typically disbursed in multiple tranches

Capacity Support

• A dedicated DRK senior team member joins the organization’s board for three years
• Weekly or regular strategic engagement
• Specialist support in:
  • Leadership and board development
  • Fundraising capacity
  • Financial sustainability
  • Scaling strategy

The in-kind operational support may equate to approximately USD $500,000 in added value.

Community

• Annual convenings (in-person and digital)
• Portfolio-wide peer engagement
• Access to a global network of social entrepreneurs

Geographic Scope

• Country-specific: Global
• Priority Geographies: Africa, Europe, India, United States
• Select opportunities may be considered in Latin America

There are no province/state restrictions within eligible geographies.

Eligibility Criteria

Stage of Organisation

DRK supports early-stage organisations, defined as:

• Post-pilot, pre-scale
• Product, programme, or service already in use
• Demonstrated early evidence of impact
• Typically 2–5 years old (flexible)

For-profit ventures are generally supported at Seed to Series A stage and typically below a USD $15M post-money valuation.

Organisational Attributes Required

Applicants must demonstrate:

Problem-first orientation – addressing urgent social or environmental challenges
Systems-thinking – working within existing systems and stakeholders
Scalability – exponential growth potential
Financial sustainability – existing or near-term earned income stream
Measurable impact – clear data-driven evidence of outcomes

Eligible entity types include:

• Independent nonprofits (e.g., US 501(c)(3) or equivalents)
• Mission-driven C-Corps or B-Corps
• Hybrid structures
• Fiscally sponsored projects with a near-term spin-out plan

Team Requirements

DRK prioritises leadership teams that are:

• Full-time or prepared to commit full-time
• Deeply knowledgeable about the problem space
• Proximate to the communities they serve
• Innovative and systems-oriented
• Open to hands-on collaboration
• Committed to continuous learning and iteration

A CV/resume for founders or key leadership is required.

Not Eligible

DRK does not fund:

• Idea-stage or pre-pilot ventures
• Post-Series A companies
• Advocacy-only or policy-only initiatives
• Research-only organisations without direct intervention
• Religious doctrine–focused programs
• US 501(c)(4)s, S-Corps, LPs, LLPs, LLCs, or investment funds
• Place-based models without exponential scaling plans

Application Process

Applications are submitted online and typically take 30–60 minutes to complete.

Process Stages:

Initial Application Review (8–10 weeks)
Early Interviews (~20% advance)
Formal Diligence (2–4 months; <10% advance)
Investment Committee Review
Closing & Board Appointment

Approximately 2,225 applications are reviewed annually.
Approximately 20 organisations are funded each year.

Re-applications are permitted up to two times, no sooner than one year after a decline decision.

Click HERE to visit the official website.