Applications Invited for 2026 Lipman Family Prize

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About the Organization

The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize takes its place in a rich tradition of innovative leadership and service at Penn — a tradition rooted in the founding visions of both the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School.

In 1740, Benjamin Franklin founded the College of Philadelphia, which subsequently became the University of Pennsylvania, as an institution dedicated to education for citizenship and service. The development, “of an inclination joined with an ability to serve” was, for Franklin “the great aim of an end of all learning,” as well as the mission he set for Penn.

In 1881, Joseph Wharton founded the world’s first collegiate school of business at Penn with a similar focus. Graduates of the Wharton School would become “pillars of the state, whether in public or private life.”

Both Ben Franklin and Joseph Wharton also believed that knowledge was to be useful and produce, in Wharton’s words, “solutions to the social problems inherent to our civilization.”

Through the Lipman Family Prize, the University of Pennsylvania continues to realize its potential to promote dialogue and discovery across disciplines and to “bring the benefits of Penn’s research, teaching, and service to individuals and communities at home and around the world.

About the Grant  

The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize at the University of Pennsylvania is an annual global prize that celebrates leadership and innovation in the social sector with an emphasis on impact and transferability of practices.

The Lipman Family Prize recognizes and supports these organizations — providing a service to the broader social sector by connecting organizations across service areas to the broader Penn community. The University of Pennsylvania is home to a dynamic, diverse community of faculty, staff, administration, students and alumni committed to drawing on their knowledge and expertise to partner across disciplines and geographies to improve the world.

We value building relationships and are passionate about getting to know change-makers around the world. We champion innovative practices and people to accelerate smart solutions across places and problems. The more we can shed light on solutions that work, the more effective we’ll be at creating a better world.

Award Components:

Each year, the Lipman Family Prize selects three winners. The grand prize winning organization receives a $250,000 unrestricted cash award, and the two additional winning organizations each receive a $150,000 unrestricted cash award.

In addition, all three winners receive the same non-monetary benefits including:

• An ongoing partnership with the University, including opportunities for resources and relationships to help scale the work or improve organizational sustainability.
• Promotion of their work and accomplishments to a large audience, and network development within the Lipman Prize community of winners, and the broader Penn network.
• Access to tuition-free executive education programs at the Wharton Executive Education and the Center for Social Impact Strategy, valued at approximately $15,000.
• The exclusive Lipman Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship, given in partnership with the University’s School of Public Policy and Practice, valued at approximately $10,000.

Winners of the Lipman Family Prize are models for the good that they achieve as well as for their approach and implementation. They each tackle a universal problem within local settings and offer adaptable models or innovations that can be scaled to create positive impacts globally. The application process emphasizes four key qualities: Leadership, Impact, Innovation, and Transferability.

Eligibility

Winners can be working in any geographic region, and making a positive impact in addressing any globally relevant social challenge of public interest. We encourage organizations working anywhere in the world to apply. Organizations do not have to operate outside of their home country to win the Prize.

The Lipman Family Prize is designed for organizations operating in the Nonprofit/NGO/Civil Society sector that address globally relevant issues. .  In order to progress through the application process, these eligibility criteria must be met:

• Hold nonprofit status in the United States or an equivalent legal status in their home country.
• Operate as a nonprofit organization for three years or more.
• Monitor and evaluate their work, with impact results available for at least three years
• Maintain a three-year average of annual organizational expenses between $500,000 and $5M USD*.
• Not engage in direct lobbying to influence legislation or elections (e.g. 501(c)4 organizations), delivering programs with religious content, or discriminating on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age or disability.

Applicant Profiles:

In addition to meeting our eligibility criteria, the most successful applicants are aligned with the core values and priorities of the prize by demonstrating the following:

• Exemplify each of our four evaluation criteria: leadership, impact, innovation, and transferability
• Tell a cohesive story about their organization, describing their primary social challenge, how they address the problem, why they chose their solution, and their impact
• Amplify their influence by enabling the broader social impact community to learn from and adopt their successful strategies
• Cultivate deep roots in the community/communities where they operate
• Deliver an effective model and demonstrate capacity for growth
• Build a strong track record of success (but may not yet have gained significant recognition)
• Demonstrate learning orientation within the organization’s leadership and culture
• Value opportunities, non-monetary benefits and partnership opportunities through the University of Pennsylvania offered by the Prize
• Aspire to be an active participant and peer learning partner in the growing community of Lipman Prize awardees

How to Apply

Our application process consists of four main phases: 1) reviewing application submissions, 2) conducting due diligence, 3) identifying semi-finalists and 4) selecting winners and beginning Penn network development. All applicants are reviewed under the supervision of staff and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. Initial applications are accepted during an Open Application Round from July 1 – 31.  All applicants are notified in September whether or not they will proceed in that year’s selection process. Three top awardees are announced in April. The grand prize winner and two additional winning organizations are invited to attend the annual award ceremony and related events held at the University of Pennsylvania.

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