DRK Foundation Funding: Up to $300,000 Plus Deep Capacity Support for Early-Stage Social Impact Organizations

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK Foundation) provides long-term, hands-on funding and operational support to early-stage social impact organizations tackling urgent social and environmental challenges with bold, scalable solutions.

DRK backs mission-driven nonprofits and impact-first for-profits that are post-pilot and pre-scale, pairing flexible capital with intensive capacity building over a three-year partnership. The Foundation accepts applications year-round, with no fixed deadline.

What DRK Foundation Funds

DRK invests in organizations that demonstrate:

• Problem-first impact: Solutions addressing urgent social or environmental problems that directly benefit underserved populations.

• Systems thinking: Models that integrate with existing stakeholders, infrastructure, and incentives to scale impact.

• Scalability: Clear pathways to reach at least 10,000 people within five years, with ambition to grow beyond.

• Financial sustainability: Earned-revenue streams or credible plans to develop them.

• Evidence-driven impact: Early proof that the model works and can measure outcomes effectively.

Priority geographies: Africa, Europe, India, and the United States (with selective consideration in Latin America).

Why Apply to DRK Foundation

DRK is known for going beyond capital. The Foundation becomes a true partner—embedding capacity, governance support, and strategic guidance to help early-stage organizations cross the hardest scaling inflection point and build durable impact.

Funding, Capacity, and Community Support

Capital

• Up to USD $300,000 per organization over three years

• Delivered as unrestricted grants (for nonprofits) or investment capital (for impact-first for-profits)

• Disbursed in tranches aligned to milestones

Capacity (In-Kind)

• Up to USD $500,000 in in-kind operational and technical support

• A senior DRK team member serves in a hands-on board role for three years

• Weekly or regular working sessions on leadership, fundraising, financial sustainability, and scaling strategy

Community

• Access to a global portfolio and alumni network

• Annual convenings and ongoing peer learning

Stage and Organization Types

Typical stage:

• Early stage (post-pilot, pre-scale)

• For-profits: Seed to Series A (DRK does not lead rounds and generally avoids financings above a $15M post-money valuation)

Eligible structures include:

• Nonprofits (US 501(c)(3) and non-US equivalents)

• Mission-driven for-profits (C-corps, B-corps, hybrids)

• Fiscally sponsored projects with a clear plan to spin out

What DRK Does Not Fund

• Idea-stage or pre-pilot initiatives

• Post-Series A companies

• Place-based models without credible plans to scale exponentially

• Programs focused primarily on awareness, advocacy, or policy change

• Think tanks or research without direct intervention

• Programs promoting religious doctrine

• US 501(c)(4)s, S-corps, LLCs, partnerships, or investment funds

Application Process and Deadline

• Deadline: None. Applications are accepted year-round.

• Volume: ~2,200+ applications reviewed annually

• Awards: ~20 organizations funded per year

How to apply (official links):

• Apply for funding: https://www.drkfoundation.org/apply-for-funding

• What DRK funds & FAQs: https://www.drkfoundation.org/what-we-fund

• About DRK Foundation: https://www.drkfoundation.org

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