Audacious Project
Funds innovative organizations in United States by guiding innovation from prototype work to stronger buyer demand.
The Audacious Project 2026 is TED's annual philanthropic funding initiative, housed at TED and backed by a consortium of more than 60 donors and partners. It is built to support large-scale ideas with global reach, and the current cycle centers on health, climate, education, and social justice. The program accepts open survey submissions, but the funding decision stage is invitation-based and the practical bar is high. Applicants may be nonprofits, NGOs, institutions, or cross-organization collaborations led by adults, and the organization behind the proposal needs an annual operating budget of at least $2 million. Awards run from $5 million to $200 million, with a median actual award of $30 million. Audacious is strongest for teams that can pair ambition with a credible operating plan. The 2025 cohort included ten grantees, and the broader record cites 70 projects across seven cycles and $7.6 billion catalyzed, which underlines how selective the process is. Its model is less a conventional open grant competition than a curated philanthropic platform, with donor coordination carried by a small staff and support from Bridgespan.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.