Eight bold solutions to critical social problems were named semi-finalists in 100&Change, a global competition for a single $100 million grant from MacArthur. The proposals address challenges ranging from eliminating needless blindness to educating children displaced by conflict, in places from Nigeria to Nepal to the United States. 

“These eight ambitious proposals exemplify the passion, range, and creativity of the hundreds of applications,” said MacArthur President Julia Stasch. “We hope that the competition inspires individuals and organizations to be bold and think big, because solutions are possible.”  

View overview videos and project summaries for the eight semi-finalists. 

• Catholic Relief Services: Changing how society cares for children in orphanages

• HarvestPlus: Eliminating hidden hunger in Africa by fortifying staple crops

• Himalayan Cataract: Eliminating needless blindness in Nepal, Ethiopia, and Ghana

• Human Diagnosis Project: Providing virtual access to specialist medical care for underserved U.S. patients

• Internet Archive: Providing libraries and learners free digital access to four million books

• Rice University: Improving newborn survival in Africa

• Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee: Educating children displaced by conflict and persecution

• The Carter Center: Eliminating river blindness in Nigeria

100&Change is a unique competition for organizations worldwide to submit proposals promising real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time in any field or any location. There was robust participation: 7,069 competition registrants submitted 1,904 proposals. Of those, 801 passed an initial administrative review and were evaluated by a panel of expert judges who each provided ratings on four criteria: meaningfulness, verifiability, durability, and feasibility. Ultimately, MacArthur’s Board of Directors made the final selection. 

“It is our hope that these creative proposals will benefit from expert feedback, technical assistance, and public attention,” said Cecilia Conrad, MacArthur’s Managing Director leading the competition. “And that they attract funding from other sources, even if they do not win 100&Change.”

Each semi-finalist will next work with an expert team to address questions about their technical and organizational capacity. The expert team will provide feedback to the semifinalists to inform proposal revision and will submit an assessment to MacArthur’s Board. The semi-finalists will also be asked to show authentic engagement with their target communities and other relevant stakeholders. 

MacArthur’s Board will select up to five finalists in September. Finalists will present their proposals during a live event on December 11, 2017, before the Board names a single recipient to receive $100 million over up to six years.