Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation — Impact Funding
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK)
Up to $300K over 3 yrs
Researched for this program: 15 rejection traps · 5 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
Venture philanthropy for impact founders
The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK) is a global venture-philanthropy fund that backs early-stage, high-impact social enterprises with up to $300,000 in unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, typically released in multiple tranches. DRK is structure-agnostic: it funds independent nonprofits, mission-driven for-profits, C-corps, B-corps, and hybrid organizations alike, as long as the venture is solving a serious social or environmental problem at scale and has — or is building toward — an earned-income revenue stream. Beyond capital, DRK provides hands-on capacity building valued at up to $500,000 in-kind, including a DRK partner who joins the organization's board, leadership coaching, fundraising support, and a portfolio community. DRK reviews roughly 3,000 applications a year and selects up to ~20 organizations, making it one of the most competitive and prestigious social-impact funders in the United States.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- Up to $300K over 3 yrs
- Realistic amount
- Selected organizations receive the full multi-year commitment of up to $300,000, released in tranches over three years (not a single lump sum). For-profit ventures may receive this as investment capital rather than a grant.
- Deadline
- Rolling — applications accepted year-round, no fixed deadline
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- milestone
Who qualifies
- Early-stage organization: post-pilot and pre-scale, typically 2–5 years old (no exceptions for organizations more than 10 years old)
- For-profit ventures should be seed to Series A stage; DRK never leads rounds and avoids financings exceeding ~$15M post-money valuation
- Any mission-driven legal structure eligible: independent nonprofit / US 501(c)(3) (or non-US equivalent), C-corporation, B-corporation, or hybrid
- Must have an existing growable earned-income revenue stream, or concrete plans to develop one in the immediate future
- Must address a significant social or environmental problem with a scalable, systems-level solution serving underserved populations
- Must operate in an eligible geography — Africa, Europe, India, the United States, and occasionally Latin America
- Does NOT fund: pre-pilot ideas, place-based-only models, awareness/advocacy-only programs, research without an intervention, or programs promoting religious doctrine
Hard requirements
- Must be an incorporated business
Is the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation legit?
Yes. DRK has backed early-stage social enterprises for almost 25 years and lists the organizations it funds. It is for nonprofits and social ventures, not ordinary small businesses.
- Who runs it: The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
- What it gives: Up to $300,000 over three years, as a grant or an investment
- Track record: About 280 organizations funded
- Cost to apply: None mentioned; you apply on DRK's website
Sources: drkfoundation.org · page 2. Last checked at the funder on October 18, 2026.
Past Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation winners
Organizations DRK lists as funded in 2026:
- Digital Public Works · Funded in 2026
- EducationSuperHighway · Funded in 2026
- Energiesprong Global Alliance · Funded in 2026
- Mighty Fin · Funded in 2026
- News Literacy Project · Funded in 2026
- Skills Builder Global · Funded in 2026
Names as published by DRK (source). GrantCompass is not affiliated with DRK.
New grants like this every week: see this week's list or get it by email on Mondays.
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- General operating support (unrestricted)
- Staffing and team hires
- Building and scaling the core program or product
- Working capital and runway
- Capacity building and systems
Ineligible expenses
- Pre-pilot / concept-only activities with no demonstrated traction
- Awareness or advocacy campaigns with no direct intervention
- Research without an associated intervention
- Programs promoting religious doctrine
How to apply
-
1
Confirm stage and fit
Verify your organization is post-pilot, pre-scale, under 10 years old, has (or is building) earned-income revenue, and pursues a scalable solution to a serious social/environmental problem. DRK funds the organization and its leader, not a single project.
~3 hrs
-
2
Complete the online application
Submit through DRK's online form only — email submissions are not reviewed. Cover the problem, your solution, evidence of early traction/impact, your business/revenue model, leadership team, and scale strategy.
~12 hrs
-
3
Multi-stage diligence
Strong applicants advance through screening calls, deeper diligence, reference checks, and meetings with DRK partners. This is a relationship-driven, venture-style process that can take several months.
~20 hrs
-
4
Closing and structuring
If selected, DRK works with you to structure the up-to-$300K commitment (grant or investment), the tranche/disbursement schedule, and the board-level engagement of a DRK partner.
~8 hrs
DRK is funding a leader and an organization, not a project — they place a partner on your board and stay for three years, so they screen hard for coachable founders and genuine scalability. Demonstrate that you are already past the pilot stage with real impact data and a credible path to an earned-income revenue model; vague 'idea-stage' applications are filtered out immediately. The unrestricted, multi-year nature is the prize — it's rare patient capital.
Deadline & timing
DRK accepts applications year-round through its online form only (email submissions are not reviewed). There is no application deadline. Review is a multi-stage diligence process; organizations are selected and closed throughout the year.
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Last updated October 22, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.