Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation

People always ask us how we measure impact. It’s actually the easiest question to answer because we measure through the only lens that matters — lives impacted. Our newly released 2023 Annual Report showcases example after example of people and communities changed for good and the organizations and leaders who have driven that change. It tells a powerful story of what is possible when people lean into problems, not away from them, and when passion, empathy, and belief in something better drive human focus. This is what impact looks like. We hope you will feel as inspired as we do by these hundreds of organizations and people working day and night to make a difference in the lives of others. Read our 2023 Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/gCBcXDrX

First Place for Youth, a DRK Foundation portfolio organization, is transforming the outcomes of young people aging out of foster care. Through their “My First Place” program, First Place for Youth combines robust housing support with case management, education and employment counseling, and healthy living skills assistance to successfully transition foster youth into self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood. The impact of the program speaks for itself: After their first year in My First Place, 97% of youth have found stable housing, 82% are enrolled in school, and 85% have secured employment.  First Place for Youth recently launched My First Place in Mississippi, signifying an important step forward in their effort to scale the program nationwide. “This is an opportunity for us to really start to transform the lives of young people who experience foster care. This is what every young person deserves across the country,” says Thomas G. Lee, CEO of First Place for Youth, on WDAM 7. Watch the full feature to learn more:

We are pleased to announce Mandy Price will join DRK’s leadership team as a Managing Director based in our Dallas office. With more than 18 years of executive experience, Mandy will play a lead role in sourcing new investments for the DRK portfolio and will work as an operating partner and board member for those organizations, helping them grow, build capacity, and achieve maximum impact. Prior to joining DRK, Mandy served as the co-founder and CEO of Kanarys™, a pioneering social enterprise backed by Google, Morgan Stanley, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest, HubSpot Ventures, and leading venture capital firms. Under her leadership, Kanarys became a market leader in AI-driven workforce analytics, digital transformation, and enterprise solutions, helping Fortune 500 companies leverage technology to create high-performing, inclusive workplaces. “Joining DRK is an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate with an unparalleled team dedicated to scaling transformative solutions,” says Mandy. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to support mission-driven entrepreneurs and help them build scalable, sustainable enterprises that drive meaningful change.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e_Sdwthb

Exciting news! Lisa Hunter Romanelli, Ph.D., CEO of The REACH Institute, is named a winner of the 2025 Elevate Prize. In addition to $300,000 in unrestricted funding, The REACH Institute will receive two years of transformational support focused on increasing their visibility and scaling their impact. The REACH Institute (REsource for Advancing Children’s Health), a DRK Foundation portfolio organization, equips primary care providers (PCPs), therapists, and healthcare institutions with the training to better diagnose, treat, and manage high-incidence mental health disorders — ensuring the most effective, scientifically proven mental health care reaches all children and families. More than 7,500 PCPs have been trained by The REACH Institute, who serve over 2 million children annually. Within the next five years, they plan to train 16,000 PCPs, supporting 5 million children and families every year. Congratulations, Lisa, the entire REACH team, and all of the awardees. Learn more about the winners, and support their work to #MakeGoodFamous: https://lnkd.in/gNPV57-T The Elevate Prize Foundation

In the U.S., over 650,000 people are experiencing homelessness, with an additional 20 million facing housing insecurity. Simultaneously, 3.2 million housing units sit vacant daily. This mismatch, fueled by rental barriers like low credit scores and eviction records, exacerbates homelessness and perpetuates poverty. Housing Connector, a DRK Foundation portfolio organization, has developed a solution to connect individuals experiencing housing insecurity to vacant units through their Zillow-powered marketplace. Using this innovative platform, individuals with rental barriers can quickly secure housing by connecting with properties that have agreed to reduce their screening criteria. Housing Connector then offers rent guarantees and damage mitigation funds to tenants enrolled in their program — ensuring long-term stability and success. Since 2019, Housing Connector has partnered with more than 2,580 properties to house over 8,660 people, and they are on track to serve more than 50,000 people in the next five years. Housing Connector's upstream support has resulted in 85% of residents maintaining housing stability for one year, with only 2% experiencing an eviction. Currently operating in Colorado, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, Housing Connector recently expanded to California, and is partnering with the City of Sacramento and Community HealthWorks to transition Sacramento’s most vulnerable residents into stable housing. Housing Connector will administer $4 million in rent support as part of Sacramento’s Street to Housing program. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gWbWiMG7 Shkëlqim Kelmendi

We’re excited to see Rocket Learning, Jacaranda Health, and Noora Health, three DRK Foundation portfolio organizations, selected for The Agency Fund’s AI for Global Development Accelerator. Launched in partnership with OpenAI and the Center for Global Development, the accelerator aims to fast-track AI solutions that drive meaningful development outcomes and enhance human agency. In addition to funding, each organization will have access to best-in-class engineers, data and behavioral scientists, and expert implementation resources. With this new support: Rocket Learning will leverage AI to equip parents and daycare workers with personalized development coaches and smart teaching assistants via WhatsApp to advance early childhood education for underserved children in India. Jacaranda Health will add an AI-powered voice Q&A functionality to their digital maternal health platform, PROMPTS, to bridge the gaps in care for low-literacy and sight-impaired mothers in Kenya. Noora Health will utilize OpenAI to enhance their Remote Engagement Service to provide patients and caregivers with personalized health support, automated query responses, and urgent assistance for high-risk cases in India. Learn more about The Agency Fund and the AI for Global Development Accelerator:

101 million students with access to a higher quality education. 1.2 million teachers trained or supported to provide quality education and improved learning outcomes. On #InternationalDayofEducation, we’re celebrating this impact — a direct result of the unwavering persistence, ambition, and determination of DRK’s remarkable entrepreneurs who are advancing opportunities for students and teachers around the world. Like Sarah J. Johnson at Teaching Lab, who is shifting the paradigm of teacher-professional learning so all students — especially students traditionally underserved by school systems — meet the academic and social expectations necessary for success. Or Evan Marwell at EducationSuperHighway, who has increased the number of schools connected to broadband internet in the U.S. to 99.3%, because internet access is a necessity for robust teaching and learning. ESH is now closing the nation’s digital divide by providing free internet to unconnected households. Or Kruti Bharucha at Peepul, who is transforming student learning in Indian government schools by empowering teachers to create engaging classrooms, so every child receives a quality, holistic education. Or Lindsay Kruse at All Means All, who is partnering with leaders to create school cultures where students with disabilities are seen for their assets and held to high expectations, fostering inclusive communities and equitable outcomes. Or Rapelang Rabana at Imagine Worldwide, who is empowering children across Sub-Saharan Africa through solar-enabled, tablet-based learning to build the literacy and numeracy skills needed to achieve their full potential. Or Cindy Eggleton at Brilliant Cities, who has created a neighborhood-powered model that guarantees children have what they need to be school-ready and effective learners, and families have the resources to thrive. And so many more who are ensuring that everyone — no matter their circumstances — has access to quality learning. Because when education thrives, so do we.

We’re proud to see Akshay Saxena, co-founder and co-CEO of Avanti Fellows, and the team from CareMessage named recipients of the 2025 Schwab Foundation Award, which celebrates social innovators from around the world who are addressing urgent issues and driving systemic, positive change. The awards ceremony was held this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos. This global recognition is a testament to the exceptional and impactful work of Avanti Fellows and CareMessage, two DRK Foundation portfolio organizations. Through their highly accessible programs, Avanti Fellows has improved the learning outcomes and employability of more than 209,000 disadvantaged students in India — enabling them to significantly increase their household income and break through cycles of poverty. And, through their technology-based platform, CareMessage has empowered over 18 million underserved patients across more than 40 U.S. states with access to essential health information — fostering effective self-care management and improved health outcomes. Congratulations to all the awardees. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eypB7X7D Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Vineet Singal

Utkarsh Saxena, co-founder and CEO of Adalat AI, and Richa Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Labhya, are included in this year’s Earth Company Impact Heroes cohort, supporting changemakers who are reshaping the future of developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Adalat AI and Labhya, two DRK Foundation portfolio organizations, are pioneering transformative solutions to change the lives of the most vulnerable in India: With just one judge for every 1 million citizens, India faces a staggering backlog of 50 million legal cases — a problem that would take more than 300 years to resolve. Powered by artificial intelligence, Adalat AI has created a solution that equips courts with the technology to speed up case resolution time and enable fair justice. Adalat has rapidly scaled, and has been deployed in 2,000 courts across seven Indian states. 190 million children are enrolled in Indian public schools, with most children living on a household income of less than $2 per day. In partnership with state governments, Labhya has led the creation of the world’s largest — and India’s first — at-scale school well-being program for vulnerable children. As a result of Labhya’s work, 2.4 million students across 22,000 public schools experience a daily, state-mandated well-being class to cope with poverty and become effective learners. Learn more about Earth Company's Impact Heroes Class of 2025: https://lnkd.in/gTssVhar

We’re excited to see this new partnership between DRK portfolio organizations CatchLight and Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. This partnership comes at a critical time, following decades of job loss in the journalism industry, which has disproportionately affected visual professionals. This spring, local news outlets across the United States will become part of a national visual journalism initiative led by CatchLight and Report for America to provide inclusive, accurate, and locally contextualized information to the public through accessible, high-quality visual journalism. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gBK9PEVy Elodie Mailliet Storm Rob Zeaske