2019 ideas
What if science could eliminate racial bias in policing?
Center for Policing Equity
In the US today, Black people are two to four times more likely to be targets of police force than White people. Center for Policing Equity works with police departments and communities one city at a time, using smart data capture to fuel measurable behavior change.
What if we could empower more than one million girls to enter the classroom?
Educate Girls
When girls get an education, their lives improve — as do the lives of their families and communities. Educate Girls has a bold plan to get 1.6 million girls in India into school, by going door-to-door in 35,000 villages and working to change collective mindsets.
What if we could harness the power of proteins to create the next generation of medicines and materials?
Institute for Protein Design
Until now, human beings have been unable to design new proteins. The Institute for Protein Design will lead the protein design revolution, becoming the “Bell Labs” of the field and taking on five grand challenges that could change how drugs, vaccines and materials are made.
What if plants can help slow climate change?
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Plants naturally remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, converting it into oxygen and biomass. Salk Institute believes it can train plants to be even more productive, storing massive amounts of carbon for longer — and keeping atmospheric temperatures from rising.
What if we could massively reduce disease from parasitic worms in Africa?
The END Fund
More than 1.5 billion people in the world are currently at risk for parasitic worms, stymying their health and potential. The END Fund has a bold plan to disrupt worms’ hold on families, communities and economies — by amplifying a movement already in progress.
What if island nations’ debt could be restructured to protect vast areas of ocean?
The Nature Conservancy
Even if a country wants to protect its ocean, it doesn’t necessarily have the funding to do so. The Nature Conservancy has a brilliant idea that stands to protect 4 million square kilometers of ocean over the next five years.
What if every child came to school on day one ready to learn?
UPSTART Project
Kids without access to early education may start kindergarten already years behind their peers. Waterford’s UPSTART project will break through existing barriers, by coaching parents and providing personalized learning tools for every child.
2018 ideas
What if we hit the brakes on climate change by tracking gas emissions from space?
Environmental Defense Fund
Methane accounts for a quarter of the global warming we're experiencing today. By launching a satellite to measure its leakage, the Environmental Defense Fund will help corporations and governments take action.
What if we digitally empowered community health workers to make care available to all?
Living Goods + Last Mile Health
A billion people around the world currently lack access to health care. Through digital disruption, Living Goods and Last Mile Health will empower community health workers to fill the gap — while earning a living.
What if we supported millions of African farmers in growing more food — for themselves and the world?
One Acre Fund
The vast majority of the world's poorest people are farmers. One Acre Fund sees this as the greatest humanitarian opportunity of our time: boost small-farm productivity, and move the needle on both poverty and food security.
What if we ended the injustice of automatic jail time for those who can’t afford bail?
The Bail Project
On any given night, more than 450,000 people in the United States sleep in jail cells because they don't have enough money to pay bail. The Bail Project is a self-sustaining model to make criminal justice fair for all.
What if we explored the ocean’s vast twilight zone, teeming with undiscovered life?
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The twilight zone is a mysterious part of the ocean that may hold a million new species, and 90 percent of the world's fish biomass. Woods Hole hopes to explore the region — before commercial fishers do.
