Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize 2026
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.
📖 About the Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
The Lipman Family Prize recognizes and supports organizations that provide services to the broader social sector. It connects these organizations across service areas to the broader Penn community, which includes faculty, staff, administration, students, and alumni committed to improving the world through interdisciplinary partnerships.
Opportunity Details
- Date Published: July 9, 2025
- Application Deadline: July 31, 2025
- Category: Contest
- School: Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
🎁 Benefits of the Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
Award Components
Each year, the Lipman Family Prize selects three winners:
- Grand Prize Winner: $250,000 unrestricted cash award
- Two Additional Winners: $150,000 unrestricted cash award each
Non-Monetary Benefits
All three winners receive:
- Partnership with the University: Access to resources and relationships to help scale their work or improve organizational sustainability.
- Promotion and Networking: Exposure to a large audience and network development within the Lipman Prize community and the broader Penn network.
- Executive Education Programs: Tuition-free access to programs at Wharton Executive Education and the Center for Social Impact Strategy, valued at approximately $15,000.
- Lipman Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship: A scholarship valued at approximately $10,000, offered in partnership with the University's School of Public Policy and Practice.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
The Lipman Family Prize is designed for organizations operating in the Nonprofit/NGO/Civil Society sector that address globally relevant issues. To qualify, organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Legal Status: Hold nonprofit status in the United States or an equivalent legal status in their home country.
- Operational History: Operate as a nonprofit organization for at least three years.
- Impact Evaluation: Monitor and evaluate their work, with impact results available for at least three years.
- Financial Scope: Maintain a three-year average of annual organizational expenses between $500,000 and $5M USD.
- Purpose: Not operate primarily to redistribute funds to other organizations or individuals.
- Restrictions: Not engage in direct lobbying, deliver programs with religious content, or discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
🏆 Evaluation Criteria
The selection process evaluates organizations based on the following:
- Leadership: Sustainable approaches with exemplary models that provide adaptable solutions to universal problems.
- Impact: Proven results and readiness to scale, with the Lipman Prize serving as a catalyst for growth.
- Innovation: Unique and innovative approaches to solving pressing global challenges.
- Transferability: Insights, models, or practices that can be adapted by others in the social impact sector, contributing to broader learning and progress.
📅 Application Date and Process
The application process consists of four main phases:
- Reviewing application submissions.
- Conducting due diligence.
- Identifying semi-finalists.
- Selecting winners and beginning Penn network development.
Timeline
- Open Application Round: July 1 - July 31, 2025
- Notification: All applicants are notified in September regarding their status in the selection process.
- Award Announcement: Three top awardees are announced in April 2026.
The grand prize winner and two additional winners are invited to attend the annual award ceremony and related events at the University of Pennsylvania.
📌 Application Deadline
July 31, 2025
🌐 Application Portal
- Learn more about the prize: Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize
- Apply here: Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize Application
This is a prestigious opportunity for organizations making a significant impact in the social sector. Don't miss the chance to apply!
- Grand prize winning organization receives a $250,000 unrestricted cash award.
- Two additional winning organizations each receive a $150,000 unrestricted cash award.
- 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.
