Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Incubation Program

DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, usually in multiple tranches. The exact instrument and tranches are decided in conversation with the grantee or investee during the closing process. The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through a dedicated hands-on Board service role and specialist capacity-building resources across leadership and board development, organizational and fundraising capacity building, financial sustainability, and scaling strategy thinking. This involves one of DRK’s senior team members taking a board service role for a three year period and serving as a resource to help the grantee or investee navigate their pathway to scale, often involving weekly conversations on key issues. In total, the capacity support can add up to $500,000 USD worth of in-kind support. Eligible organizations are early-stage, which DRK defines as post-pilot and pre-scale, typically between three and five years old. Solutions should be able to scale significantly to directly impact a minimum of 10,000 lives within five years, with ambitions to grow beyond that. Geographically aligned organizations operating in Africa, Europe, India, and the United States, and occasionally Latin America, are eligible. DRK funds independent nonprofit or impact-first, mission-driven for-profit entities, including US 501(c)3 and its non-US equivalents, C corporations, B corporations, hybrid organizations, and fiscally sponsored organizations where there is a plan to spin out. For for-profits, DRK typically supports Seed to Series A organizations and does not lead rounds or generally participate in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation. DRK does not reinvest in an organization after its three-year investment period ends.