
What We Fund
DRK’s hope is to support outsized impact through entrepreneurs and enterprises that create a transformational paradigm shift to meaningfully address a pressing societal problem affecting people’s lives.
DRK Funds:
- Organizations addressing a critical social or environmental issue as the focus of their work.
- Founders who intend to expand their impact significantly over time.
- Organizations operating in Africa, Europe, India, Latin America, and the United States.
- Independent nonprofit and impact first, mission-driven for-profit entities, including US 501(c)3 and its non-US equivalents, C corporations, B corporations, and hybrid organizations.
- Fiscally sponsored organizations in select cases where there is a plan to spin out (in our experience, independence creates stronger enabling conditions for growth).
- Post-pilot, pre-scale organizations. This typically means:
—Your program, product or service is already in the market or in the field.
—You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact.
—Your organization is 3-5 years old (this is not a rule, but a guidepost). - Organizations with one or more founders who are full-time or intend to be.
—We believe that full-time leadership from the organization’s founder(s) is critical to an early stage organization’s growth.
—We recognize that going full-time requires resources that you may still be putting together, and if that is the case we are happy to start a conversation with you in the meantime. - We value diversity of people proximate to the problem at hand and a commitment to foster justice, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices.
DRK Prioritizes:
- Evidence of focused alignment, systemic social change, data-based decision making.
- Leaders who are continually learning and iterating and welcome a deep working relationship with DRK for 3 years. Leaders who intimately understand the opportunity and the communities they serve. Leaders committed to advancing justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging for all.
- Organizations who are designed to realize their impact at scale.
DRK Does Not Fund:
- Idea or pre-pilot stage organizations.
- Organizations that do not plan to expand or scale their impact to achieve their mission.
- Projects housed within an established, mature organization (unless there is a plan to spin out).
- Awareness or field building campaigns.
- Organizations whose sole focus is the development of research.
- Programs promoting religious doctrine.
- US 501(c)4 organizations.
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DRK is thrilled to welcome @fundjournalism to the portfolio; thru innovative technology + tools, they build the fin… https://t.co/GKk7JzzGLK
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“If we’re going to build a Detroit that includes everybody, where everybody belongs, then we have to address the im… https://t.co/wSIh07drz0
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During #COVID19, Healthy Learners scaled its model to reach 250k children across 105 public primary schools in Zamb… https://t.co/gDl7dQ3pYr
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In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, grantee @buildanest has partnered with @Etsy & @SoulsGrownDeep to launch indi… https://t.co/U3j3hNcTXT
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Temple flowers, used daily by Hindu worshippers, are often discarded into the Ganges, polluting a river that’s a li… https://t.co/pOzZHC94oy
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DRK Managing Director Nathalie Kylander joins @BlueStarFamily & @NationSwell for a virtual conversation on how chan… https://t.co/Lw4cSN93w2
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DRK is excited to join @BlueStarFamily & @NationSwell for their event tomorrow, Connected Communities: Building Blo… https://t.co/bO8GBQqUZu
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In partnership w @SSIReview & @blackrock, join us for a free webinar on 3/10. Social entrepreneurs from… https://t.co/QMB8p4qyxz
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In partnership with @SSIReview & @blackrock, join us for a free webinar on 3/10. Social entrepreneurs from… https://t.co/pxn2mdEUa0
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DRK is thrilled to welcome @WorthRises to the portfolio; using research & innovative data analysis, they create tra… https://t.co/hXqeNKgvkP
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.@barefootlawUG has empowered more than 663,309 people in Africa—including thousands of women in remote parts of Ug… https://t.co/GegaZlX6g8
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DRK is thrilled to partner with @SSIReview & @blackrock for this free webinar on 3/10! Social entrepreneurs from… https://t.co/4EPmkziLXc
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While #COVID19 has people feeling isolated & anxious, @DixonChibanda shares how @friendshipbench adapted their ment… https://t.co/hOQeO29asN
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A great conversation feat. @jeffdenby, co-founder of @renewalworkshop, on how the org is challenging the apparel in… https://t.co/mGpVq2u23z
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.@nickoceanmind, co-founder & CEO of @OceanMindGlobal, has successfully deployed AI to identify illegal fishing act… https://t.co/ZJruLnmZh2
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Looking for a career that makes an impact? Our incredible portfolio organizations are hiring! Check out a full list… https://t.co/3v1qbWAMCi
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Have you heard? In their first jobs out of college, 49% of @BeBraven graduates are out-earning their parents’ combi… https://t.co/ezJ4LyuYPw
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DRK is thrilled to welcome @Energy_4Peace to the portfolio; they are creating climate + finance solutions to promot… https://t.co/HDiRnTIx1I
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As digital education needs skyrocket due to #COVID19, tech companies have found new ways to collaborate w schools &… https://t.co/J9H4vapRbP
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Congratulations, @rajpanjabi, on your appointment as @POTUS' Malaria Coordinator @PMIgov! Your continued commitment… https://t.co/afIeXvecPr