Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation 2025

The Draper Richards Kaplan (DRK) Foundation funds bold, early-stage social impact organisations solving urgent global problems with scalable and sustainable approaches.

They are looking for innovative, systems-focused solutions that directly benefit underserved communities.

What They Fund:

? Early-stage, post-pilot & pre-scale organisations (2–5 years old)

? Scalable models with potential to impact 10,000+ lives within 5 years

? Ventures with earned income streams (or clear plans to develop them)

Priority regions: Africa, Europe, India, U.S. (select LATAM cases considered)

Independent nonprofits or mission-driven for-profits (fiscal sponsorship allowed with spin-out plan)

? Team Attributes They Value:

• Founders fully committed (or going full-time soon)
• Deep understanding of the problem & system context
• Proximity to the problem being solved
• Learning mindset & collaborative approach

? Support Package:

Capacity: Up to $500,000 USD in-kind (3-year board service, hands-on weekly mentorship, strategy support)
Capital: Up to $300,000 USD (unrestricted grants or investment capital over 3 years)
Community: Annual convenings & peer network across global portfolio

? Application & Selection Process:

Online application (30–60 minutes, upload exec summary/pitch deck)
Rolling review (year-round, ~8–10 weeks to first response)
20% reach interviews → <10% enter diligence (2–4 months) → final team & investment committee review