NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

On August 10, 2020, the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business will start accepting applications for a new annual prize of $100,000 in unrestricted funds. Named the Fred Morgan Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact (F. M. Kirby Impact Prize), the prize will recognize one impact enterprise each year that is working to scale its impact on social and/or environmental problems around the world.

“At CASE, we work to support impact enterprises as they scale solutions to deeply entrenched, complex social problems,” said Erin Worsham, Executive Director of CASE. “We do this in many ways, such as by documenting best practices in our Scaling Pathways series, and, now, we are humbled and honored to have been chosen by the F. M. Kirby Foundation to administer this prize, which will allow us to further support organizations that are looking to scale their impact.”

The F. M. Kirby Impact Prize will be open to nonprofit or for-profit impact enterprises, working anywhere in the world, that meet the following criteria:

• Has strong evidence of impact over at least three years and has a plan for how to use the prize to scale that impact in the next 3-5 years
• Has a robust non-discrimination policy that protects against discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, and disability
• Has exemplary leadership that aligns with the core values of Fred Morgan Kirby that includes integrity, resourcefulness, resilience, meaningful collaboration and diversity

“The F. M. Kirby Impact Prize is truly unique because it addresses many of the challenges that CASE has identified as barriers that impact enterprises face on their journey to scale,” said Worsham. “For example, in addition to addressing the overall lack of funding sources for those looking to scale, the prize offers flexible, unrestricted capital, which is critical at the scaling stage. It also maintains that an enterprise’s legal model does not determine its impact – meaning that both for-profits and nonprofits are eligible. All of these considerations have been incorporated into the prize to ensure that it is the most beneficial to the award winner.”

Applications for the prize open online on the CASE website on August 10, 2020 and close at 11:59 p.m. EST on September 30, 2020. The winner will be notified in December 2020 and will be announced publicly in February 2021 at the Sustainable Business and Social Impact Conference.

For more information about the F. M. Kirby Impact Prize, the application process and upcoming information sessions, visit the CASE website or sign up for our newsletter for ongoing updates.

Photo courtesy of Steven Lilley.