Pre-Application Questions

Thank you for your interest in the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK)!  We are excited about the opportunity to learn about your work. DRK funds social impact organizations focused on addressing the world’s biggest and most pressing problems. We recognize that applying for funding is a significant time investment. 


We have developed the following questions to help applicants decide whether and when to apply for DRK funding. 


Please start by reviewing what we do not fund. If your organization can be described by any of the following, your organization does not meet the basic aspect of our mission. 


Specifically, if you are:

  • A project(s) that is part of an established, mature organization (unless there is a plan to spin out).
  • An organization whose sole focus is the development of research.
  • A Program(s) promoting religious doctrine.
  • A U.S. 501(c)(4) organization.
  • An idea or pre-pilot stage organization. 
  • An awareness or field building campaign.
  • A for-profit where your investors are primarily focused on investment returns.
  • An organization in the following countries (list based on U.S. non-profit law restrictions).
  • An organization that does not plan to significantly expand or scale your impact to achieve your mission.

Thank you for your interest.


Based on your response, your organization does not meet the basic aspect of our mission, and we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.


To learn more about DRK Foundation’s current investment thesis, please visit our website.



Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.

Why? DRK funds organizations addressing a critical social or environmental problem in a way that directly benefits underserved populations. We do not fund solutions that do not primarily focus on supporting an underserved community or the environment. 


Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.

Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.

Why? DRK funds solutions that work within existing systems — leveraging existing stakeholders, infrastructure, and incentives to grow their impact. DRK does not fund innovations that do not integrate with or otherwise seek to align with established stakeholders or distribution channels in the targeted sector.


Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.

Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.
Why? DRK funds organizations that are early-stage, typically between two and five years old. Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.

Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.

Why? DRK funds solutions that can scale significantly, growing exponentially over time to directly impact at least 10,000 lives within the next five years, with ambitions to grow well beyond that. We do not fund place-based models or organizations that do not plan to expand or scale their impact exponentially to achieve their mission.


Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.

Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.

Why? DRK funds organizations that are developing data-driven solutions grounded in clear evidence of what works and, through their pilot(s), have a demonstrated ability to measure their impact on underserved populations clearly and effectively. 


Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.

6 of 7. Organizational Structure: Is your organization one of the following or in the process of being registered as one of the following structures? 

  • Independent nonprofit, including US 501(c)(3) and its non-US equivalent.
  • Impact first, mission-driven for-profit entity, including C corporation, B corporation, or a hybrid organization. 
  • Fiscally sponsored organization with a plan to spin out in the next year.

Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.

Why? DRK funds organizations structured as independent nonprofit or impact-first, mission-driven for-profit entities, including US 501(c)3 and its non-US equivalents, C corporations, B corporations, hybrid organizations, and fiscally sponsored organizations where there is a plan to spin out. We do not fund US 501(c)4 organizations, S-Corps, Partnerships (LPs or LLPs), LLCs, investment funds, or projects or programs housed within another organization, unless there is an explicit plan to spin out as a standalone entity in the immediate or near-term future.


Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.


7 of 7. Geographic Impact: Is your impact focused in one of the following regions of the world?

  • Africa (Sub-Saharan)
  • Europe
  • India 
  • Latin America [considered in select situations]
  • United States

Based on your response, we do not recommend submitting an application at this time.

Why? DRK funds organizations operating in our priority geographies: Africa, Europe, India, the United States, and Latin America (in select situations).


Thank you for your interest. To learn more about what we fund, please visit our FAQ.


Thank you for taking the time to respond to our pre-application questions. 


Good news! Your responses indicate that your organization meets the minimum criteria to be considered for DRK support, including high level alignment with our mission to support social impact organizations focused on addressing the world’s biggest and most pressing problems.


We encourage you to submit an application (click "Submit Response" to be redirected to the application form).


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