100&Change

The MacArthur Foundation has announced its 100&Change 2024 competition, which will be managed by Lever for Change.

To review and support competitive proposals, the UW Office of Research (OR) is issuing a call for concepts from UW Faculty with scalable $100M proposal ideas. Submitted concepts will receive initial approval and feedback from OR as well as proposal development and project management support from Foundation Relations. Components of the requested pre-proposal submitted to OR can be repurposed for the sponsor application.

Program Description:

Solving society’s biggest problems is not easy, but it can be done. 100&Change is a MacArthur Foundation competition for a $100 million grant to fund a single proposal that will make measurable progress toward solving a significant problem. 100&Change will select a bold proposal that promises real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time. And it will award a $100 million grant to help make that solution a reality. Proposals focused on any critical issue are welcome.

• No single field or problem area is designated – proposals from any sector are encouraged.
• Proposals should articulate both the problem and the proposed solution and must have a charitable purpose.
• Competitive proposals must address five criteria: impactful, evidence-based, feasible, durable, and just. Information on the scoring rubric is available at: https://www.100andchange.org/scoring

Readiness Instructions:

Before submitting a pre-proposal to the Office of Research, please carefully review the 100&Change website, including the FAQ and the application components. Use the provided readiness tool to assess whether your project would be competitive. Please also review past award winners and finalists to learn more about the scale and scope of competitive projects.

Please note that the majority of applicants from 2016 and 2019 reported spending over 40 hours completing the prior 100&Change application. Any Finalists that are selected will be required to complete a range of additional activities, including but not limited to: a detailed revised proposal; in-person meetings and workshops with intermediary organizations; external communications through the MacArthur Foundation (e.g., blog posts); and other activities to be defined. Many Finalists from the previous 100&Change program reported that the process was both time and resource intensive. Consider whether you have the capacity to take on the responsibilities of a Finalist.

Application Instructions

Please submit:
1. A document containing:

a. Project Title (10 words or less) - Provide a descriptive title for your project that sets it apart from other projects. This will make it easy for others to identify and understand your solution.
b. Executive Summary (250 words or less) - Write an overview of your project that answers the following questions:

i. What problem are you seeking to solve? 
ii. How do you plan to solve it? 
iii. What are your intended outcomes? How will your solution impact the lives of the people you aim to serve, including those who have been historically marginalized within that population?

c. Team Overview (100 words or less) – Please describe your lab/center/team and its members’ qualifications and expertise. If applicable, also briefly describe your partner organization(s).
d. Challenge Statement (300 words or less) – Explain the problems/challenges that your solution aims to address, using non-expert language. Focus on providing context for the problem instead of discussing how you plan to solve it. 

i. Who is impacted by the challenge or challenges identified?
ii. Why does the challenge exist in the current environment?
iii. What are the most influential ways to bring about the required change?
iv. How can your solution lead to substantial impact on a large scale?

e. Solution Overview (500 words or less) – Using non-expert language, address the following questions:

i. How does your solution meaningfully contribute to resolving the identified challenge(s)?
ii. Describe the impact that your solution will have on the chosen challenge over a five-year grant period. Will it have broad impact on a large population or geography, or will it have deep and intense impact on a small population or geography?
iii. Describe the communities your solution will serve and the benefits or outcomes of your solution to those communities.
iv. How will you know that you are making progress?

f. Theory of Change (250 words or less) – State your project’s theory of change and the underlying evidence that supports the results you want to achieve. Emphasize the methodologies that you intend to employ and how they create a causal link to your shorter-term, intermediate, and longer-term goals.
g. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement (250 words or less) – Applicants are asked to demonstrate a commitment to equity, inclusion, and accessibility and provide a solution that benefits different populations equitably. Explain how your proposed work will address this criterion.

2. Biosketch of the PI and co-PIs including past grant funding.

to limitedsubs@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Contact Andrew Storms in Foundation Relations at as89@uw.edu if you have questions about this funding opportunity.