Prize Overview
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.
“I am proud that at Wharton and Penn, we can facilitate this Prize by providing support and resources to welcome these impressive organizations into the Penn community. The Lipman Family Prize honors our founder Joseph Wharton’s vision to advance society by creating economic opportunity for all people. We have a unique responsibility as the world’s most preeminent business school to positively impact society through business education, and our Lipman Family Prize honorees are the perfect embodiment of impact in action.”
Erika H. James
Dean of the Wharton School
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:
1
An ongoing partnership with the University, including opportunities for resources and relationships to help scale the work or improve organizational sustainability.
2
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.
3
Access to tuition-free executive education programs at the Wharton Executive Education and the Center for Social Impact Strategy, valued at approximately $15,000.
4
The exclusive Lipman Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship, given in partnership with the University’s School of Public Policy and Practice, valued at approximately $10,000.
Lipman Family Prize Confidentiality Statement – All materials shared with the Lipman Family Prize as part of our application process will be kept confidential. If there is a desire to share any data related to individual applicants, the Lipman Prize will make a direct request for permission.
Evaluation Criteria
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.
Leadership
Lipman Family Prize winners are organizations that achieve good through sustainable approaches. Their models are exemplary and provide solutions for tackling universal problems that can be adapted around the world.
Impact
Lipman Family Prize winners have exhibited proof of concept for their model and/or specific project. They are poised to scale and see the Lipman Prize as the catalyst for growth.
Innovation
Lipman Family Prize winners offer innovation and/or an innovative approach to solving a pressing world problem. They are addressing a social challenge in a way that is differentiated in some way from how others have addressed the same problem.
Transferability
Lipman Family Prize winners offer insights, models, or practices that others in the social impact sector can learn from and adapt. Their work has relevance beyond their immediate context, contributing to broader learning and progress across the field.
Learn how our winners are aligned with our evaluation criteria on our winners page!
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. See below for eligibility details.
Eligibility Criteria
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.
*Please see the FAQ page for additional information on the budget size eligibility range.
Please note: Lipman Family Prize funds may not be redistributed by our winners to other organizations and/or individuals.
Relationship with the University of Pennsylvania
The Lipman Family Prize is awarded by the University of Pennsylvania. Given this, we monitor applications for potential conflicts of interest and preexisting relationships to the university. Organizations that have direct existing relationships with university departments, staff, students or faculty are asked to email us directly at lipmanprize@wharton.upenn.edu to assess whether the organization is eligible. A direct existing relationship does not include university alumni, former staff, or former faculty who serve in a professional or volunteer capacity for the applicant organization. Organizations that have any doubt about a potential conflict of interest are asked to err on the side of caution and contact us so that we may respond quickly to provide guidance on your eligibility to apply.
A variety of situations, affiliations, and relationships may create potential conflicts of interest for the Prize. Some examples of potential conflicts of interest that would need to be reviewed include, but are not limited to: an applicant organization has had current staff or board members directly involved with the Lipman Family Prize selection process within the last 5 years; an applicant organization has a current affiliation with staff of the McNulty Leadership Program or the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School (e.g., staff, faculty or employee family member serving on the organization’s board); or an applicant organization has a current University of Pennsylvania professor or administrator actively contributing to or advancing the work of the organization in either a paid or unpaid role (e.g., conducting research, consulting, or advising in any capacity).
Previous Applicants
Lipman Family Prize Winners (the top three organizations each year) are ineligible to reapply for the Prize. In addition, organizations directly affiliated with any of our past awardees (i.e., shared global brand but different country entity) are ineligible to apply.
Semi-finalists (the top ten to fifteen organizations) from the previous application year must wait at least one year before reapplying. All other organizations may reapply for the Lipman Family Prize annually.
Applicant Profiles
Values Alignment
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
Recent Statistical Centers
Over the past five years, applicants that have reached the semi-finalist stage (top 10-15 organizations) have been represented by a wide range of organizational profiles, with these statistical centers below. These statistics, along with our Winner Profiles, offer prospective applicants a sense of the types of organizations that perform well in the Lipman Family Prize application cycle. We recommend that organizations review this information before submitting an application for the Prize.
Organizational Median Budget
$1.9 million USD
Organizational Average Budget
$3.5 million USD
(Since adding an eligibility criterion limiting annual organizational budget size to $5M, the average organizational budget of semi-finalist organizations has been $2.1M, with the middle 50% between $868K – $3.3M USD)
Organizational Median Age
13 years
Organizational Average Age
13 years
(The middle 50% of the semi-finalist organizations in the last 5 years have been between 9 and 16 years old, with the full range between 4 to 25 years old, excluding outliers)
Application Process
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.
Phase 1: Open Application Round (July-September)
The first phase of the application process is open to any organization that meets our eligibility criteria. The application requests basic organizational profile and financial information, and includes essay questions.
Applicant Requirements
Applicants submit an online application during this open application period, which typically opens on July 1 each year for one month. The current cycle’s specific dates can be found in the “Important Dates” tab.
Review Process
Each year, we receive approximately 100-150 applications. We invite a team of trained reviewers from our Lipman Prize community to review the applications using a quantitative assessment framework that focuses on the four evaluation criteria of leadership, impact, innovation, and transferability.
Essay Questions
Phase 1 essay questions give applicants the opportunity to tell their story. The essay questions are organized into five themes:
- Social Challenge: These questions ask for background information about the societal problem(s) your organization aims to solve in the geographical context(s) you operate, as well as the global relevance of this social challenge. Help us understand the problem being addressed.
- Model Description: These questions ask you to explain what your organization does. Given the social challenge described above, how has your organization chosen to address this challenge?
- Model Differentiation: As innovation is a key evaluation criteria for the Lipman Family Prize, these questions ask you to explain the distinct approaches and practices your organization has adopted to address the social challenge your organization addresses.
- Impact Measurement: These questions ask for both a description of your monitoring and evaluation process and impact data, providing an opportunity for you to illustrate how your organization assesses the efficacy of its model.
- Transferability: These questions aim to understand your organization’s approach and experience in sharing knowledge, skills, and assets for the benefit of the wider social impact community.
End Result
A subset of 24-40 organizations are invited to advance to Phase 2 of our application process. All applicants are notified in September as to whether they are chosen for further review in Phase 2.
Phase 2: Top-24-40 Applications Round (September - December)
Applicant Requirements
A subset of applicants will be selected in September to advance to Phase 2 of the application process. In this phase, applicants are asked to submit existing documentation for the Prize’s review and due diligence. This material includes but is not limited to: financial information, data evaluation tools, strategic plans, business plans, and information on staff leadership and board of directors.
Applicants in this Phase will be notified in early September and will be asked to submit the Phase 2 application within approximately 3 weeks (date to be specified in the notification).
Throughout October and November, there may be follow-up communication as needed for clarification on any material submitted. We commit to providing as much advance notice, clear timeline, and context as possible to any such follow-up outreach, and invite organizations to ask their own clarifying questions as needed.
Review Process
During this Phase, the Lipman staff guide the Lipman Prize Fellows through a due diligence and selection process. The fellows are a select group of graduate students from across Wharton and the University of Pennsylvania engaged in a year-long program focused on leadership, social impact, and philanthropy. Fellows conduct research and consult with industry experts, including Penn faculty, to better understand the organizations under consideration.
Additionally, the Lipman team partners with financial advisors at Boylston Powers Trago, LLC to review and understand the financial information provided by the organizations.
End Result
Twelve organizations are selected as semi-finalists and are invited to advance to the next phase of the application process. All applicants are notified of their status in December.
Phase 3: Semi-Finalist Round (December - February)
Applicant Requirements
Semi-finalist organizations are notified in December and asked to submit a final round of information including a low-production (i.e., phone camera recording) 2-3 minute video statement by the organization’s executive leader.
Phase 3 application responses are due within approximately 3-4 weeks (date to be specified in the notification).
In January / early February, there may be follow-up communication as needed for clarification on any material submitted. As with the previous phases, we commit to providing as much advance notice, clear timeline, and context as possible to any such follow-up outreach, and invite organizations to ask their own clarifying questions as needed.
Review Process
In February, the Lipman Fellows present the semi-finalist organizations to the Prize Committee which includes Lipman family members, Wharton and University of Pennsylvania faculty members, and experienced external social impact professionals.
End Result
Three winning organizations are chosen by the Prize Committee. All semi-finalist organizations are notified of the decision in late February. The winners will each receive an unrestricted monetary prize, as well as non-monetary benefits. The winning organizations are invited to participate in Phase 4 for the final round of our application process to select the grand prize winner.
Phase 4: Grand Prize Selection & Winners Partnerships (March - Ongoing)
Applicant Requirements
In March, winning organizations’ executive leader and board chair (or member) participate in a virtual video interview with the Prize Committee, who will select the grand prize winning organization from among the winners.
The winning organizations also begin working with the Lipman staff for marketing and press release purposes, and for implementing the monetary and non-monetary benefits of the Prize.
The winning organizations are also required to have their executive leader attend the annual Lipman Family Prize Award Ceremony and daytime programming in or around Penn’s campus in Philadelphia. The Prize will pay for travel and hotel stay for one organizational representative and work with the organizations to arrange transportation and accommodation.
Review Process
In March, the Prize Committee conducts interviews with each of the winning organizations, then deliberates and selects the grand prize winner.
End Result
The Lipman winning organizations are confidentially notified of the Prize Committee’s decision in late March / early April. The grand prize winning organization is publicly announced at the Award Ceremony in April in Philadelphia.
All three winning organizations receive the benefits of their partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and The Wharton School, as well as join the Lipman Family Prize network and winner community.
Important Dates
IMPORTANT DATES
July 1, 2025
Online Application Opens
July 31, 2025
Application Submission Deadline
September 2025
Phase 1 Ends – Applicants notified whether or not they are selected to move forward to the Top 24-40 Round.
December 2025
Phase 2 Ends – Applicants notified whether or not they are selected to move forward to the Semi-Finalist Round.
February 2026
Phase 3 Ends – Winners are selected and announced.
March 2026
Winners participate in an interview with the Prize Selection Committee.
April 2026
Grand Prize Winner is announced at the annual Award Ceremony in Philadelphia.
Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship
In partnership with the Nonprofit Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, we offer the Lipman Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship. Graduates of the program receive a master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership (NPL). The NPL program is designed to serve nonprofit professionals preparing for leadership opportunities and professionals seeking to shift careers to create social impact.
Scholarship Details
- Open to both full and part-time applicants (1 year full-time and 2-3 years part-time)
- 10 Credit Unit (C.U.) Program
- Course options for early to mid-career nonprofit and social impact professionals
- Course options for US and International interests such as Philanthropy and Fundraising, Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Governance and Management, Organizational Dynamics, Finance, and Impact Measurement among others
Please note: Lipman Family Prize funds may not be redistributed by our winners to other organizations and/or individuals.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission to the master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership Program at the School of Social Policy & Practice must meet all of the following criteria:
- hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university anywhere in the world;
- have a grade point average (GPA) that reflects strong academic ability and submit official copies of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (including community college and other degree programs);
- for international applicants whose first language is not English, TOEFL score (Institutional Code D698) of 100 or higher, IELTS score of 7.5 or higher, or Duolingo English Test score of 135 or higher taken within the last two years;
- provide three (3) strong letters of recommendation, including one required academic and one required employment or volunteer reference
- complete the online application for admission including the application essay
For more information, please contact our Lipman Family Prize Team.