Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK Foundation) operates a year-round application process for early-stage social enterprises seeking funding and support to scale their impact. The program welcomes eligible organizations operating in Africa, Europe, India, and the United States, with opportunities in Latin America considered in select cases. Completing the online application is the first step in the selection process and allows the foundation to assess each organization's alignment with its funding priorities.
Application Overview
- Application cycle: Year-round, with no fixed deadline.
- Eligible regions: Africa, Europe, India, and the United States. Organizations operating in Latin America may be considered in select circumstances.
- Target organizations: Early-stage, impact-driven nonprofits and mission-driven for-profit social enterprises, typically at the post-pilot, pre-scale stage.
- First step: Complete the online application to begin the assessment of organizational alignment with the foundation's funding criteria.
- Application design: Relatively simple and minimally burdensome.
- Estimated completion time: Approximately 30–60 minutes.
- Progress saving: Check the box at the top of the online form to save progress and resume later.
Geographic Eligibility
- Organizations operating in Africa, Europe, India, and the United States are eligible to apply.
- Organizations operating in Latin America may be considered on a selective, case-by-case basis.
- Organizations operating exclusively outside these eligible regions should not apply.
- Geographic eligibility is based on where the organization operates and delivers impact, rather than an unrestricted global application policy.
Required Application Materials and Optional Additions
- Upload a written executive summary, pitch deck, or business plan addressing the foundation's specified topics.
- Existing materials may be reused or adapted if they adequately address the application requirements.
- Additional supporting documents, including financial statements and impact reports, are welcome but entirely optional.
Problem and Solution
- Succinctly describe the organization's mission and objectives.
- Explain the social or environmental problem the organization addresses.
- Describe the solution, product, or service developed to address the identified problem.
Impact
- Explain how the organization's solution addresses the identified problem and improves upon existing approaches.
- Describe how the solution benefits underserved populations, including measurable improvements or outcomes demonstrated through pilot initiatives.
- Highlight the uniqueness of the organization's approach, including comparisons with other initiatives or organizations addressing similar challenges where relevant.
- Present tangible results achieved to date and describe how organizational outcomes, effectiveness, and long-term impact will be measured.
Scale
- Explain the organization's strategy for scaling its operations and impact over time.
- Describe the primary sources of earned income or revenue that will support the organization's long-term financial sustainability.
Leadership Team Requirements
- Attach a standard resume or CV for the entrepreneur or entrepreneurs and/or key leadership team members, such as the CEO, COO, or Executive Director.
- Applications containing only written biographies instead of formal resumes or CVs will not be considered.
Application Submission and Reapplication Policy
- Submit the completed application through the foundation's official online application form.
- Applications submitted by email will not be reviewed or considered.
- Organizations are generally discouraged from reapplying unless specifically instructed to do so by a DRK Foundation team member.
- Organizations may reapply up to two times, provided at least one year has passed since the previous decline notification.
- Reapplicants must indicate that their submission is a reapplication in the organization name field of the online form.
Template and Document Creation Guidance
- Applicants without existing application materials may prepare a simple two-to-three-page document addressing the required prompts.
- Bullet-point responses are acceptable.
- Applicants are encouraged to reuse existing materials rather than prepare entirely new documents when those materials sufficiently address the requirements.
- An application template is available on the foundation's official application page.
Prospective applicants should confirm that their organizations operate within the eligible regions, demonstrate early evidence of social impact, and prepare the requested executive summary, pitch deck, or business plan alongside the required leadership resumes or CVs. Applications are accepted throughout the year, and all materials must be submitted through the official online portal.