The Five Finalists
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
OCCRP seeks to globally scale its investigative journalism model that connects reporters across borders and gives them resources and skills to report safely and effectively on crime and corruption, facilitating accountability and reform.
Pratham USA
Pratham and partners seek to help 25 million children across Asia, Africa, and Latin America acquire foundational reading and math skills by scaling the Teaching at the Right Level approach in partnership with governments and communities.
Sentinel
Sentinel seeks to transform infectious disease surveillance and response through cutting-edge technology, global collaboration, and local empowerment. Sentinel’s mission is to detect, prevent, and preempt outbreaks to save lives and strengthen global health security.
Texas Children’s Hospital
Texas Children’s Hospital’s project seeks to integrate essential sickle cell disease care into primary health services across Africa and save millions of affected children from relentless pain, disability, and preventable death.
The Wikimedia Foundation
Abstract Wikipedia seeks to remove barriers between 300 Wikipedia language versions and supercharge access to reliable information. As threats like misinformation undermine knowledge integrity, Wikipedia is scaling reliable knowledge to billions globally.
“Now is the time to dream big, collaborate deeply, and develop new solutions to change the world.”
“Now is the time to dream big, collaborate deeply, and develop new solutions to change the world,” said MacArthur President John Palfrey. “Our 100&Change Finalists want to scale ambitious ideas that will help millions of people. Today, we hope the sector finds inspiration in these important projects and joins us in celebrating this milestone in the competition.”
100&Change received 869 valid applications from organizations and collaborations worldwide, with each proposal identifying a problem and presenting a compelling solution that is impactful, evidence-based, feasible, durable, and just. The competition is unique in its unrestricted, flexible funding model and commitment to transparency—every applicant receives feedback from both peers and expert evaluators or ‘Wise Heads’.
Since its inception, 100&Change has leveraged an additional $868 million for participants—including but not limited to the Finalists—demonstrating the potential of high-impact philanthropy to fund systemic change. The 2017 and 2021 competitions influenced the philanthropic sector by encouraging funders to adopt expansive, collaborative approaches to problem solving.
In 2024, MacArthur again partnered with affiliate Lever for Change to manage 100&Change, leveraging its expertise in identifying high-impact solutions. Since its launch in 2019, Lever for Change has influenced over $2.5 billion in funding and supported more than 500 outstanding organizations tackling urgent global problems, including gender equity, economic opportunity, and climate change.
Previous Award Recipients
Past awardees illustrate the profound impact that a single, large-scale investment can have.
2017
Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee received $100 million to launch Ahlan Simsim, the largest early childhood intervention in the history of humanitarian response. The initiative has reached over 27 million children across the Middle East and North Africa with educational programming and services.
2021
Community Solutions was awarded $100 million to accelerate an end to homelessness in 75 U.S. communities. Through Built for Zero, over 60 communities have achieved quality data enabling measurable reductions in homelessness combined with increased access to affordable housing, setting the stage for a future where homelessness is rare and brief.
