UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge

The BNY UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge, powered by Innovation Works, is designed to foster partnerships across sectors to develop technology-driven solutions that address significant societal issues. Initiated in 2015, the UpPrize initiative has historically supported the regional nonprofit and entrepreneurial communities through financial investments, grants, and technical assistance. Since its inception, the program has distributed more than $3.4 million, reflecting its ongoing commitment to enhancing service delivery and improving lives through innovative technology applications. In 2025, the UpPrize Challenge returns for its eighth cycle with a renewed focus on urgent social challenges. This year introduces a new two-track format tailored to accommodate entrepreneurs at varying stages of development. The Early-Stage Track is intended for ventures that are either pre-incorporated or newly incorporated. It provides foundational support to these nascent entities, offering a grand prize of $75,000 and a second-place prize of $50,000. The Advanced-Stage Track targets already incorporated entities—whether nonprofit or for-profit—with products currently on the market. This track awards a grand prize of $125,000 and a second-place prize of $75,000. The program encourages proposals that harness technology to solve issues across a diverse range of areas, including but not limited to environmental sustainability, healthcare affordability, gender equality, educational access, LGBTQ+ rights, disability inclusion, housing, food security, clean energy, and civic engagement. This broad scope ensures that a wide variety of innovative solutions can be supported and scaled to meet community needs. Applicants are encouraged to participate in the UpPrize Bootcamp, a complimentary one-day workshop led by Innovation Works’ Accelerator Team. This event, open to all applicants, provides strategic insights into enterprise development, customer segmentation, crafting value propositions, and planning revenue models. It serves as a crucial preparatory step to help applicants refine their proposals and increase their chances of success. The application window for the 2025 UpPrize Challenge opened on May 21, 2025, and will close at 11:59 p.m. on June 26, 2025. Submissions are managed online, and the application process is geared to be accessible to a broad range of social entrepreneurs. Evaluation criteria focus on the potential impact of the technology, feasibility, sustainability, and alignment with the challenge’s thematic goals. For additional information or inquiries, applicants can contact UpPrize through Innovation Works at their office located at 2 Allegheny Center, Nova Tower 2, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. They can also reach out via phone at (412) 681-1520.