Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge

* Regional or location-specific branches of larger organizations, as well as departments, schools, and nonprofits within or based in a college/university, can each register and submit separately as the Lead Organization on one application if the proposed solutions are separate and distinct.

Launched in fall 2025, the Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge is a new initiative led by Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute. Supported by Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, the WIN Challenge aims to discover and scale innovative ideas that will help women thrive and everyone win in a rapidly changing workplace. Because when we remove barriers that women face, we build better workplaces for all — and the benefits will be felt across communities and the economy at large. Each of the following WIN Challenge pillars has $20 million to award up to eight awardees who will receive either $2.5 million or $5 million each.

WIN Challenge Pillars:

1. Culture & Practices: The WIN Culture & Practices Challenge aims to deliver forward-looking innovation in the workplace that helps everyone—especially women—thrive today and into the future. When women succeed in the workplace, we all win. This initiative will source innovations that open opportunities for women’s careers while improving workplaces for everyone and expanding prosperity for communities across the country. The workplace is where life barriers thread together, and it’s quickly transforming. Lifting these barriers and better equipping everyone to thrive in the workplace of the future can have a multiplier effect on women’s lives, their families, their communities, and the overall economy. The WIN Culture & Practices Challenge seeks solutions that lead to lasting impact through workplace policies, practices, and culture. (The WIN Challenge is not focused on government policy.) Solutions will address one or more of the following barriers specific to culture and practice in the workplace: caregiving responsibilities; the broken rung; inflexible workplaces; violence and sexual harassment; bias and toxic workplace culture; and salary discrepancy. Learn more at https://www.culture.winchallenge.org/about.
   
   
2. AI: The WIN AI Challenge is seeking bold solutions that address the impact and potential of AI in quickly evolving workplaces, from AI-powered solutions that help support women at work, to AI skill-building and solutions that mitigate bias in AI. This initiative will source innovations that open opportunities for women’s careers, while improving workplaces for everyone and expanding prosperity for communities across the country. The workplace is where life barriers thread together, and it’s quickly transforming. Lifting these barriers and better equipping everyone to thrive in the workplace of the future can have a multiplier effect on women’s lives, their families, their communities, and the overall economy. Solutions will address one or more of the following barriers: Limited AI tools supporting workers with caregiving responsibilities; low AI adoption rates; limited access to AI training; biases inside AI systems; caregiving responsibilities; the broken rung; inflexible workplaces; violence and sexual harassment; bias and toxic workplace culture; and salary discrepancy.  Learn more at https://www.ai.winchallenge.org/about.
   
   
3. Narrative: The WIN Narrative Challenge aims to develop and promote narratives that help everyone—especially women—thrive as workplaces transform. This initiative will source innovations that open opportunities for women’s careers while improving workplaces for everyone and expanding prosperity for communities across the country. The workplace is where life barriers thread together and it’s quickly transforming. Lifting these barriers and better equipping everyone to thrive in the workplace of the future can have a multiplier effect on women’s lives, their families, their communities, and the overall economy. The WIN Narrative Challenge prioritizes solutions that lead to lasting impact. Proposals should address one or more of the following barriers: Biased attitudes; narrow narratives; limited public awareness; zero-sum assumptions; downplaying harassment; caregiving responsibilities; the broken rung; inflexible workplaces; violence and sexual harassment; bias and toxic workplace culture; and salary discrepancy. Learn more at https://www.narrative.winchallenge.org/about.

Note to Potential Applicants:

Please review the WIN Challenge website carefully. Potential applicants should consider the significant time and resources required to produce a final application for this opportunity if they are selected to apply. A copy of the application can be found on the website for each pillar (example: narrative application). Final applications include two videos – a team video (up to 60 seconds) and a solutions video (up to 90 seconds). The Office of Research does not provide central resources for video production.

Application Instructions

To be considered, please submit as one combined pdf labeled with PI’s Lastname, Firstname:

1. A 2-page pre-proposal including the following information:

a. Pillar you are applying to
b. Barriers your project will address
c. Executive summary of your project
d. A description of the grant team who will conduct the project, their unique capacity to carry out the work, as well as any relevant non-UW organizational partnerships
e. A description of your proposed solution
f. A description of scalability and potential impact

1. CV (not biosketch) of the PI

to limitedsubs@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The registration deadline for the teams selected is December 11 and the final application deadline is January 28. Other open limited submissions opportunities, as well as the limited