A new model to inspire change
Housed at TED, The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative that is unlocking social impact on a grand scale. Every year we select and nurture a group of big, bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges, and with the support of an inspiring group of donors and supporters come together to get them launched.
COVID-19 Response
These unprecedented times require innovative solutions that can deliver relief to communities in need today. In record time, we’ve identified and channeled funding to an additional cohort of COVID-19 related ideas. From scaling up contact tracing to empowering healthcare workers and providing food aid, these solutions are much-needed contributions to the global recovery and response effort. Learn more
The Big Ideas
Each year, The Audacious Project identifies jaw-dropping ideas for global change. Learn more about our latest projects or view all Audacious Projects.
What if science could eliminate racial bias in policing?
Center for Policing Equity
In the US today, Black people are two to four times more likely to be targets of police force than White people. Center for Policing Equity works with police departments and communities one city at a time, using smart data capture to fuel measurable behavior change.
What if we could empower more than one million girls to enter the classroom?
Educate Girls
When girls get an education, their lives improve — as do the lives of their families and communities. Educate Girls has a bold plan to get 1.6 million girls in India into school, by going door-to-door in 35,000 villages and working to change collective mindsets.
What if we could harness the power of proteins to create the next generation of medicines and materials?
Institute for Protein Design
Until now, human beings have been unable to design new proteins. The Institute for Protein Design will lead the protein design revolution, becoming the “Bell Labs” of the field and taking on five grand challenges that could change how drugs, vaccines and materials are made.
What if plants can help slow climate change?
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Plants naturally remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, converting it into oxygen and biomass. Salk Institute believes it can train plants to be even more productive, storing massive amounts of carbon for longer — and keeping atmospheric temperatures from rising.
What if we could massively reduce disease from parasitic worms in Africa?
The END Fund
More than 1.5 billion people in the world are currently at risk for parasitic worms, stymying their health and potential. The END Fund has a bold plan to disrupt worms’ hold on families, communities and economies — by amplifying a movement already in progress.
What if island nations’ debt could be restructured to protect vast areas of ocean?
The Nature Conservancy
Even if a country wants to protect its ocean, it doesn’t necessarily have the funding to do so. The Nature Conservancy has a brilliant idea that stands to protect 4 million square kilometers of ocean over the next five years.
What if every child came to school on day one ready to learn?
UPSTART Project
Kids without access to early education may start kindergarten already years behind their peers. Waterford’s UPSTART project will break through existing barriers, by coaching parents and providing personalized learning tools for every child.
Partner Organizations
The Audacious Project brings together some of the most trusted names in philanthropy.
Let’s change the way we change the world.
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