TED Stage with speakers from Audacious Project Session 4

About

A collaborative Approach to funding big ideas

Introducing the Audacious Project

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The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative catalyzing 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.

Housed at TED, the nonprofit with a long track record of surfacing ideas worth spreading, and with support from leading social impact advisor The Bridgespan Group, the funding collective is comprised of several respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy.

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Our goal is to match bold ideas with catalytic resources.

We encourage the world’s inspirational changemakers to dream bigger than ever before.

Help shape their best ideas into viable multi-year plans.

Present those solutions in a compelling way to potential supporters.

The Process

Every year, we work with proven changemakers to surface their boldest ideas for tackling global problems.

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Sourcing & review

Projects are sourced from public applications and a global network of partners and donors. They are narrowed down to a group of finalists whose ideas are representative of a broad range of geographies and issue areas while elevating leaders with proximity to the communities they serve.

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Idea shaping & investment support

Each finalist project goes through a rigorous due diligence, ideation and investment support process, to ensure their proposal is achievable and compelling.

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Funding & launch

Finalist projects are presented privately to groups of donors and are then publicly unveiled at TED. Funded projects then pursue their plans and share regular updates on key milestones reached with donors and the public.

Partners & Individuals

We would like to recognize the many parties who have come together to make The Audacious Project possible. They have contributed in various roles: as donors, thought partners, in project sourcing, due diligence, as catalysts, and more.

Acton Family Giving
Additional Ventures
Anne Wojcicki Foundation
Ballmer Group
Barbara and Amos Hostetter
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam
Climate Leadership Initiative
Craig and Susan McCaw
Crankstart
Dalio Philanthropies
Delta Philanthropies
ELMA Philanthropies
Emerson Collective
Hansjörg Wyss and Rosamund Zander
James Family Charitable Foundation
Joe Gebbia
Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation
Laura & John Arnold
Laura and Gary Lauder and Family
Lyda Hill Philanthropies
MacArthur Foundation
MacKenzie Scott
Mike and Sukey Novogratz
Nat Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons
Nathan and Elizabeth Blecharczyk
Oak Foundation
Overdeck Family Foundation
Pivotal Ventures
Quadrature Climate Foundation
Rippleworks Foundation
Robertson Foundation
Science Philanthropy Alliance
Sea Grape Foundation
Seadream Family Foundation
Skoll Foundation
Someland Foundation
Steve and Genevieve Jurvetson
The Bridgespan Group
The Samueli Foundation
UBS Optimus Foundation
Valhalla Foundation
Virgin Unite

Team

Contact us
Adrienne DiCasparro

Adrienne DiCasparro

Managing Director, Donor Community
Angelina Njoku

Angelina Njoku

Associate Director, Discovery & Insight
Anna Verghese

Anna Verghese

Executive Director
Diana Reynoso

Diana Reynoso

Project Coordinator, Portfolio Impact
Eshanthi Ranasinghe

Eshanthi Ranasinghe

Managing Director, Discovery & Insight
Hasiba Haq

Hasiba Haq

Content & Programming Manager, Portfolio Impact
João Martinho

João Martinho

Director of Evaluation & Learning, Portfolio Impact
Khwezi Magwaza

Khwezi Magwaza

Director, Digital & Content Strategy
Lilah Doblin

Lilah Doblin

Associate Producer, Portfolio Impact
Lucien Chan

Lucien Chan

Managing Director, Portfolio Impact
Max Richards

Max Richards

Associate Director, Discovery & Insight
Paula-Raye O'Sullivan

Paula-Raye O'Sullivan

Executive Assistant & Operations Associate
Sabrina Malik

Sabrina Malik

Associate, Donor Community
Sara Bender

Sara Bender

Director, Portfolio Impact

2023 Reviewers

We are deeply appreciative of the many individuals who helped review the bold ideas submitted for this cycle. While the pool of reviewers changes cycle-to-cycle, their diverse array of insights deeply enriches our understanding of the potential of the ideas. Along with continued support from our TED colleagues collaborators and various partners, the perspectives shared by the extended network of experts listed below are invaluable to the process.

David Biello
Chelsea Davis
Julie Cordua
Claudia Miner
Luckson Dullie
Dr Jemimah Muthoni Kariuki
Tony Watima
Pradeep Nair
Passy Ogolla
Jennifer Zhu Scott
Safeena Husain
Elizabeth Mehta
Adrian Haugabrook
Enyi Okebugwu
Cloe Shasha Brooks
Aakash Ganju
Elisabeth Vodicka
Denley Delaney
Sunny Bates
Sara Law
Amanda Rees
Gautam John
Robin Steinberg
Akshay Soni
Teresa Mbagaya
Kiah Williams
Olatunji Idowu
Rebecca Firth
Sneha Shah
Camilo Ramirez
Aurra Fellows
David Gruber
Devin Guillory
Tyler Radford
Tyler Cowen
Gillian Barclay
Chetna Sinha
Diana Benton Schechter
Jim Collins
Johan Roest
Chrystina Russell
Jesús Salas

Get in touch

audacious@ted.com

Want to learn more, or have a question? Check out our FAQs. Not finding what you need? Reach out to us.

Email the Audacious Project

Press and media

audacious@thenumber29.com

For press information, images and media resources, please reach out to No. 29 Communications.

Email No. 29