Solutions

The Bold Solutions Network includes proposals that received top ratings in one of our open calls. However, inclusion in our Network does not represent an endorsement of an applicant or their proposal by either the MacArthur Foundation or Lever for Change.

Each organization in our public-facing online Bold Solutions Network contains an overview, a 90-second video, key information, and a link to the organization’s website to learn more about their work. Visitors can search by subject, location, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), or beneficiary population to view top organizations and/or solutions in their interest area. To view the organizations in our Network, navigate to “Organizations” under the Solutions menu item. From here, you can use the search box or the filters to sort the organizations.

Lever for Change was created following the success of 100&Change, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s breakthrough $100 million competition, to address a significant social challenge anywhere in the world. 

In addition to the $100 million award recipient and the three $15 million awards provided to finalists, MacArthur, Lever for Change, and the organizations were able to leverage an additional $511 million from additional donors in support of top 100&Change applicants. 

This experience inspired the creation of the Bold Solutions Network to continue to connect philanthropists with the top solutions from our open calls. Lever for Change encourages participating organizations to actively leverage the learning and networking opportunities offered as part of the Network in order to attract additional funding.

Proposals in the Bold Solutions Network are chosen from the top-ranked applications submitted to Lever for Change open calls. 

Each open call has unique criteria and eligibility requirements which are made publicly available after launch. 

The number of top proposals selected for inclusion varies with each open call. Each proposal has been reviewed by administrative staff, by individuals with broad expertise, subject experts, and in most open calls, by peers as well. 

Only top-performing applicants of our open calls are eligible to become Bold Solutions Network members.

Lever for Change supports Bold Solutions Network members in three ways: 

1. Matchmaking with potential funders,
2. Providing learning and technical support opportunities, and
3. Offering networking opportunities to help raise the visibility of member organizations. 

We actively promote and provide opportunities for our Network members to connect with philanthropists looking to increase their giving to social impact. Our members can access learning and technical support opportunities in the form of webinars, pro bono services, coaching, workshops, cohort support and peer networking. The focus of these opportunities is to continue to help strengthen members’ project design and plans, as well as to increase the impact of their work. Lever for Change communicates these opportunities to the members’ main point of contact.

We value the work that organizations put into proposal writing and the feedback that they receive from reviewers during the open call process. We do not want these efforts to be considered “sunk costs.” Instead, we seek to leverage these efforts by using feedback to strengthen projects through the provision of ongoing learning opportunities, pro bono services, and networking opportunities. Our mission is to help build a pipeline of organizations ready to accelerate social change and to match those organizations with philanthropists ready to achieve their ambitions.

Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change connects donors—no matter their philanthropic experience, staffing levels, or interests—with changemakers selected via open calls. Taken together, these activities move or influence more than $400 million per year in charitable funding, leverage additional donor funds, and help de-risk donor decisions.

Lever for Change is willing to share select due diligence materials or conduct deeper due diligence activities for donors who are serious about making a significant investment in a Bold Solutions Network member. For more information, please contact Karen Minkel, Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships.

In order to be featured on the Bold Solutions Network, you must apply to one of our open calls and be selected as a top applicant. Sign up for updates on our upcoming open calls.

Lever for Change, a MacArthur Foundation affiliate, aims to unlock significant philanthropic capital and accelerate social change around the world’s biggest problems. Lever for Change helps philanthropists find and fund vetted, high-impact philanthropic opportunities either through the design and management of customized open calls, or by identifying philanthropic investment opportunities from our Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. 

Our Network allows interested donors to search for projects in their interest area(s) on their own, or with the support of Lever for Change, which can help them refine their philanthropic interests and find highly rated organizations which address those problems. 

Lever for Change creates curated lists of proposals based on donors’ philanthropic goals. We also broker connections to organizations and advise on structuring grants. Donors who are interested in sponsoring an open call and/or providing significant financial support to Bold Solutions Network members should contact Karen Minkel, Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships.

The Bold Solutions Network is a vital component of Lever for Change’s mission to accelerate social change and help philanthropists overcome the challenges that often prevent them from achieving their philanthropic ambitions. 

Research shows that while many philanthropists aspire to make “big bets” for social change, they often struggle to find, evaluate, and fund high-impact philanthropic opportunities, in part because they do not have the expertise or dedicated staff these efforts require. This leaves non-profits and other problem solvers under-resourced and unable to scale their programs. 

Our Bold Solutions Network is designed to fill these gaps and aims to unlock significant philanthropic capital by connecting philanthropists with rigorously vetted, highly rated proposals that emerge from open calls. 

For participating organizations, the Bold Solutions Network offers ongoing learning and networking opportunities to strengthen the impact of their work, raise their visibility, and increase their potential to secure additional funding.