A Roadmap for

Catalytic
Grantmaking
Lessons in designing open innovation challenges
Grantmaking—whether by
a foundation, corporation,
or multilateral organization
—has the potential to be a
driver of innovation.

It should be about finding and supporting the

best solutions, spurring innovation and new
approaches, and taking risks on under-
resourced and underserved innovators to
push the field forward.

To do this well, you need a process that is

transparent, inclusive, and supportive of
applicants. This is much easier said than done,
with roadblocks that can prevent even the
most well-intentioned grantmakers from
achieving this goal.

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The Problem
Common barriers to more catalytic grantmaking

Limited reach
When staff capacity is limited, funders may resort to an invite-only Request For Proposal (RFP) in which only those organizations already
within their network are invited to apply. This can result in funding flowing primarily to known, established organizations making it more
difficult for new, innovative ideas to gain traction.

Opaque design and feedback

Vague details about selection criteria, the review committee, and prize expectations can decrease applicant trust. Once the grant cycle has
concluded, limited feedback on unsuccessful proposals is also a missed opportunity to build trust by helping applicants learn, grow, and
improve their chances of raising funds in the future.

Minimal selection input

Grant review processes look different depending on the funder, but many operate with only internal staff assigned to review submissions, and
they may or may not provide opportunities to hear directly from shortlisted applicants via interviews. As a result, proposals selected reflect the
opinions of only a small fraction of the many stakeholders who care about and have expertise in the issue area.

No wraparound support
Zach Rieken
Without a doubt, funding is critical for innovations to scale. But without access to networks, outside expertise, and other non-financial
resources, innovators miss out on game-changing capacity-building support that could unlock pathways to scale and drive lasting impact on the
CEO, Living Proof issue.

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While traditional grantmaking
models can face persistent
challenges in fostering
innovation and inclusivity, a
promising solution emerges––
open innovation challenges.

An open innovation challenge is when a

company or organization presents a specific
problem to the public—locally or globally—
and invites diverse participants to collaborate
and propose innovative solutions. In contrast
to conventional grantmaking, open innovation
challenges prioritize approaches that expand
the reach of where solutions come from and
can more easily lead to learning and
improvement through the competition.

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The solution
Solve’s formula for creating an influential and impactful open innovation challenge.

1 A specific question with an open mind for various results

Organizations initiating challenges must identify tangible issues and welcome diverse solutions from a wide network. We utilize the expertise of
our diverse community, including innovators, judges, MIT leaders, and local communities, to craft an actionable challenge addressing the core
problem. This call for solutions is then shared with an expanding network of innovators.

2 Transparency leads to better solutions

Though not all applicants secure funding, access to funding details, winners' submissions, reviewer information, and brief feedback offers
valuable insights to strengthen future endeavors.

3 Bringing fresh perspectives to the selection process

Just as we engage a diverse stakeholder community in challenge design, Solve also welcomes experts from various sectors to review and select
solutions. Our methodology, blending quantitative and qualitative feedback from an array of perspectives, ensures a fair and comprehensive
evaluation, elevating top solutions.

4 Diversifying portfolios—and amplifying impact—by creating a cohort

Building a cohort of winners fosters idea-sharing, inspiration, and connections among innovators. By selecting multiple winners, we enable
Zachacross
progress Rieken
various geographies and approaches and nurture supportive networks that can often outlast the prize funding. This cohort
approach allows us to build wraparound support programs that, when coupled with prize funding, catalyze learning and scalability for
CEO,innovators.
Living Proof

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 How Solve supported three
clients to build their own
innovation challenges

The Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation

Open United Nations

Innovation
Population Fund
(UNFPA)

Challenges Truist Foundation

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Case Study
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
SINCE 2022, SOLVE AND THE BILL & MELINDA GATES
FOUNDATION HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER TO DRIVE
MEANINGFUL CHANGE ACROSS A VARIETY OF FIELDS.

The Novel Measurement for Performance Improvement Challenge sought

new ways to measure primary health care performance improvement in
low- and middle-income countries. By focusing on solutions that use
unconventional data sources, are low-cost, and provide actionable insights,
the challenge unearthed solutions that combat barriers to quality health
care. Over $500,000 was deployed to six winners to help their innovations
scale.

In 2024, Solve and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborated again,
with the focus of work shifting towards leveraging AI to enhance
assessment experiences for Pre-K to Grade 8 learners in the United States.
By harnessing the power of new technology, the Learner//Meets//Future: AI-
Enabled Assessments Challenge aims to address educational disparities and
improve outcomes for students across diverse backgrounds.

RESULTS INCLUDE:

Six winners chosen for the Novel Measurement for Performance Improvement Challenge went on to work with the World Food
Programme to accelerate their solutions

Given the rapid pace of AI technology development, the Learner//Meets//Future Challenge was designed to accept solutions from all
stages of development including early, concept-stage solutions

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Case Study Unlocking trillions of economic
growth is unattainable without
United Nations Population Fund investing in sexual and
(UNFPA) reproductive health and
empowerment of women and girls.
MIT SOLVE AND UNFPA JOINED FORCES TO UNCOVER YOUTH-DRIVEN Our experience shows that
SOLUTIONS TRANSFORMING SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND
RIGHTS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES.
innovation challenges are really
effective in sourcing and
UNFPA, Organon, and MIT Solve launched the 4HerPower Challenge to find, fund, and support
innovative solutions that improve access to sexual and reproductive health. The challenge
accelerating community-driven
prioritized the unique needs of adolescent girls and young women in low- and middle-income solutions in emerging economies.
countries. Dr. Nigina Muntean,
Chief of Innovation,
Tapping into Solve’s highly engaged network of young innovators, the 4HerPower Challenge UNFPA
sought solutions designed for young people, by young people between the ages of 18-35. After
an initial screening by Solve staff and reviewers in late 2023, a judging panel of experts from
across the global health sector interviewed, scored, and selected 14 winners to receive
funding and six months of wraparound support from Solve, UNFPA, and Organon.

HIGHLIGHT:
One of the winners, HERA AI: Predictive Care Navigator, is now able to expand its work from
Türkiye to Latin America with the support of regional UNFPA offices. The team has 6,000 current
HERA app users, affecting 100,000 beneficiaries and their families.

RESULTS INCLUDE:
375 applications submitted, with 283 solutions led by women
14 winners selected from 14 different low- or middle-income countries
$280,000 in prizes and wraparound support granted to finalists and winners

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Case Study
Truist Foundation
MIT SOLVE AND TRUIST UNITED TO UNLOCK INNOVATIONS SUPPORTING
SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE UNITED STATES.

The Truist Foundation and MIT Solve first launched the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards to
find and fund innovative solutions that support women and BIPOC-owned businesses in the
United States.

The first year of the challenge kicked off in February 2022. Solve leveraged our award-winning
platform to promote the challenge and our multi-phase methodology to vet and narrow to the
most promising solutions. A cross-industry team of judges selected a cohort of seven finalists
who received funding and engaged in a five-month capacity-building support program Small businesses are the fabric of
facilitated by Solve and the Truist Foundation. In October 2023, two winners were awarded this economy. Solve not only
prizes of up to $250,000 each to advance their work during the annual Inspire Awards event. helped those micro-businesses
Year two of the Inspire Awards saught tech-based solutions from nonprofit organizations that
become scalable, but also build
support small business owners in the United States. resiliency, so when disruptions
HIGHLIGHT:
happen in our economy, they will
know how to rebound, survive, and
In addition to the winners of the challenge, Truist chose to include finalists in their support
thrive.
program to provide the most impact and scale.
Lynette Bell, President,
FIRST YEAR RESULTS INCLUDE: Truist Foundation

Applications were submitted from 32 states across the US

$10,000 was awarded to each of 15 semi-finalists
The seven finalist teams were highlighted at the Inspire Awards Event in Charlotte,
North Carolina, where two winners were announced and awarded prize funding up to
$250,000 each.

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Our impact
80+ challenges
run on our award-winning
platform $70M+
mobilized to innovators
Whether the focus is on inequitable education, poor
health care access, climate change, or any other
critical issue, we want to help organizations
maximize their social impact. We have run 40+
custom challenges with clients like the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, ServiceNow, the Inter-American
Development Bank, and more.

Running a challenge with Solve unlocks access to

our years of experience running open innovation
challenges, a global network of new voices and ideas,
and the ecosystem of MIT and our community.

Solve’s platform, which has 335,000+ active users, is

built specifically for hosting open innovation
challenges. We work with clients every step of the
way.
20,000+
solutions submitted to Solve
challenges from 180+ countries
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How to launch your
own innovation challenge

1 Design expertise
We turn social impact goals into a clear call to action that will
attract high-quality applicants. Leveraging our expert network,
community members, and Solve’s content area specialists, we’ll
uncover the areas of a given problem where innovation can make

2
the most impact.

Reach
At Solve, we believe that those closest to the world’s most pressing
issues are best poised to solve them. Since 2015, 20,000+ solutions
have been collectively submitted to Solve challenges from 180+
countries. In the most recent cycles of Solve’s Global Challenges,
nearly 62% of applicants came from the Global South.

3 Marketing support
We have a wide innovator network eager for the opportunity to
apply to challenges. Based on a client’s needs, we can reach tailored
audiences by promoting a challenge in our various newsletters
(220,000+ subscribers), with curated social media promotion
(60,000+ subscribers), and to innovation hubs around the world
that align with the challenge topic.

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4 Winner selection
Solve relies on a rigorous multi-step process to determine winners,
which includes tapping into our cross-sector expert judging pool.
We engage clients throughout the entire process to ensure we’re in
lockstep with goals and expectations while giving our reviewers and
judging panels a clear voice to help equitably select the most
promising solutions.

5 World-class program support

At the heart of our program is our expertise in selecting and
nurturing the innovators in our network. With a wealth of
experience and a deep understanding of entrepreneurial needs, our
team at Solve and our extended network (including MIT) provide
unparalleled support tailored to each individual's journey.

6 Covening power
Clients can engage deeper in the Solve and MIT ecosystem by
attending or featuring their custom challenge at our flagship events.
Solve at MIT is held each spring on MIT’s campus, and Solve
Challenge Finals convenes during the UN General Assembly Week
each fall in New York City. We leverage these gatherings, each with
a curated audience of over 250 industry leaders, to announce
challenges, spotlight finalists and winners, and convene like-
minded individuals committed to social impact.

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 Launch your own open
innovation challenge
For more information, please visit our launch a challenge page
or contact partnerships@solve.mit.edu

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