Trust in American Institutions Challenge

Overview

_NOTE:_

* _Lever for Change encourages interested parties to complete their Organizational Readiness Tool to determine whether to apply. The information provided through that form will not be collected by challenge administrators and is intended only for guidance.
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* _Applicants must register to apply before Letter of Inquiry deadline above._
* _Once registered, applicants must submit an online application before Full Proposal deadline above._

**Lever for Change
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At Lever for Change, we help donors find and fund bold solutions to the world’s biggest problem —including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, access to economic opportunity, and climate change.

Mission

Lever for Change connects donors with problem solvers to find and fund bold, effective solutions to accelerate social change.

Vision

We envision a world where people with inspiring ideas have the resources they need to tackle the world’s biggest problems.

The Trust in American Institutions Challenge

The Trust in American Institutions Challenge is a $10 million open call designed to scale a bold solution that will build and restore public trust in the core institutions that form the pillars of our society in the United States.

About the Challenge

Data shows that public trust in public schools, government bodies, the media, and the medical system has declined significantly since 2015. This decline in trust has far-reaching ripple effects, both for our present and for our future, particularly in light of the polarized political landscape of the recent U.S. presidential election. It can result in fewer resources being devoted to these institutions—as is the case of many libraries, where budget cuts mean fewer services, including after-school programming and free Wi-Fi, on which our communities rely.

Dwindling trust also undercuts cohesion in our physical and virtual communities, and fosters an environment in which polarization can thrive. Our ties to one another, the health of our communities, and the future of our democracy are dependent on the strength of the institutions that underpin them.

This challenge seeks transformative solutions that are poised to reverse recent trends and significantly increase public trust in core institutions in the United States in the next five years. Applicants best fit for this opportunity will use key leverage points to renew, rebuild, and/or establish trust in core institutions for Americans across the country.

The challenge is open to organizations across the United States, including partnerships and collaborations. Competitive applications will present solutions that are bold, transformative, scalable, and durable.

Funding

Up to five (5) top Applicants may be named as Finalists. Each Finalist will receive an initial project development grant of $200,000 and technical assistance to strengthen the Finalist’s proposal. After submitting a revised proposal, one Finalist will be selected to receive an award of $9 million to implement their solution.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* For the Challenge, organizations eligible to serve as the Lead Organization must be:
* An entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories that has received a tax determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and a publicly supported organization described under section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect.
* An entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and is also classified as a Type I or Type II supporting organization described under section 509(a)(3) of the IRC, and which tax determination letter is in effect.
* A fiscally sponsored project whose fiscal sponsor is an entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories and has received an IRS determination letter that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and a publicly supported organization described under section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect; fiscal sponsors must exercise discretion and control over the grant funds.

* A state, local, or federal governmental entity which includes government units, government instrumentalities, and federally funded institutions.
* A public or private college, junior college, university, or other similar educational entity registered under section 501(c)(3) and section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS and which tax determination letter is in effect.
* A tribal government treated as a State pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 7871.

* A for-profit organization, including limited liability corporations, benefit corporations, or hybrid organizations.
* A private operating foundation based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS.
* Affiliates of national organizations as long as the affiliate is a separate 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or (2) (or foreign equivalent) and has its own board of directors; legal liability rests with the local organization; affiliate’s tax-exempt status was not granted under a group exemption; affiliate makes decisions regarding overall mission, priorities, and strategies of organization and for day-to-day operations; and affiliate does not “fund” general activities of national organization.
* An entity under section 501(c)(4) of the IRC that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS and which tax letter is in effect.
* In addition, the Lead Organization must be based and working in the United States or U.S. Territories.
* The Lead Organization must be in good standing in the jurisdiction under which  it is organized.
* The Lead Organization is a single legal entity that has the legal responsibility, authority for and control of the use of any grant funds, is responsible for the reporting on any grant funds, and must be able to exercise in fact and law direction and supervision of the proposed project and the grant funds.
* Eligible organizations are welcome to partner with for-profit companies, foundations, schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, individuals, and other entities to implement the initiative.

* Award funds must be used for charitable purposes.
* Funds may be subgranted from a Lead Organization to other partners to implement the proposed solution, and not for general funds used for broader purposes.

Ineligibility

* The following are examples of parties that are not eligible to apply as the Lead Organization but can serve as collaborators on an Application and receive a subgrant or contract from the Lead Organization to assist the Lead Organization in implementing the proposed solution:
* Individuals including entities, that from a tax perspective, have the tax status of an individual, such as single member LLCs where the member is an individual
* The following are examples of parties that are not eligible to either apply as the Lead Organization or to serve as a subgrantees, contractors, or collaborators on the Application:
* Employees, Officers, or Board Members of the Challenge Sponsor, Lever for Change, Submittable (the Challenge platform), and any of their subsidiaries and affiliates, and immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, are not eligible to participate.
* Prohibited uses of award funds include:
* For non-charitable purposes.
* To make a grant to an organization not involved in the implementation of the proposed solution.
* To make a grant that could be considered a grant to any individual for travel, study, or other similar purposes.
* To make a grant to any organization, except in compliance with expenditure responsibility requirements, to the extent applicable.
* For the creation of any endowment or for the aggregation of philanthropic capital by organizations that regrant to nonprofit organizations.
* For capital campaigns, including the construction of new sites or new buildings.
* For the creation of a venture capital fund, or pooled funds to invest in or distribute to for-profit organizations.
* To fund general operating support for the Lead Organization and/or any partners.
* To undertake any activity for any purpose other than one specified in Section 170(c (2)(B) of the IRC.