15th Annual Lipman Family Prize Awards

Lipman Blog

15th Annual Lipman Family Prize Award Ceremony

April 16, 2026 – What an inspiring and unforgettable evening we had at our 15th Annual Lipman Family Prize Award Ceremony! We were thrilled to celebrate three extraordinary organizations leading bold, practical, and scalable solutions to some of today’s most urgent climate and environmental challenges: Kheyti, Food for All Africa (FFAA), and Barefoot College International (BCI).

Gathering in Philadelphia for this special occasion and to mark 15 years of the Prize, Kheyti was announced as the 2026 Grand Prize winner and awarded $250,000 in unrestricted funding to fuel its groundbreaking work. Kheyti is transforming lives through innovative, full-service greenhouse solutions designed specifically for smallholder farmers, helping reduce climate risk while increasing income and resilience.

BCI and FFAA each received $150,000 each to expand their incredible impact. BCI is empowering rural women as solar engineers, bringing renewable energy access to underserved communities, while FFAA is tackling food waste and nutrition insecurity in Ghana by operating West Africa’s largest food bank, rescuing surplus food and converting organic waste into valuable resources.

It was a night filled with inspiration, celebration, and hope for a more sustainable future and we can’t wait to see what these changemakers accomplish next!

A small group of individuals posing for a photo, with one person holding an award.

“Change happens by creating a movement. I’m especially grateful to the Lipman Family Prize, Penn, and all of you who are here tonight because by coming here to recognize our work, you are saying what we are saying: it’s time to stop thinking of small farmers as small farmers and start thinking of them as smart farmers. If 100 million smart farmers start using less fertilizer, pesticide and water, we all benefit. The only way that we can get through the climate crisis is together.”

-Kaushik Kappagantulu, Co-Founder & CEO of Kheyti

The award ceremony was emceed by 2025-26 Lipman fellows Elliot Kim and Yasieli DeJesus Perez, and featured remarks by Mike Useem (Faculty Director, McNulty Leadership Program and Center for Leadership and Change Management), Euria Min (Director of the Lipman Family Prize), as well as the prize’s founder and generous benefactor Barry Lipman. Senior executives from each winner organization gave a brief presentation about their organization’s work. It was uplifting to be with our Lipman Prize community of alumni, friends, partners, and supporters in celebration of these changemakers. Swipe through the photos below for some of the highlights from the evening.

Highlights from the evening 

  • A small group of individuals formally dressed, clapping and smiling at an indoor event with large windows in the background.
  • A person speaking at a podium labeled "Penn Museum," with a microphone and arched windows in the background.
  • A speaker is addressing an audience in a room with arched windows and purple lighting. A few people are seated on a stage, and a screen displays an image.
  • A group of people seated at an event, with some wearing name tags. There's a reserved seating sign visible in the foreground.
  • A person in a black tuxedo is speaking on stage with a podium labeled "Penn Museum" nearby. Several people are seated in the background.
  • A diverse group of people sitting and clapping at a formal event or presentation.
  • A person is speaking on stage at an indoor event. There is a seated audience, and a screen displaying the logo for "Kheyti" with the tagline "Greenhouse in a box."
  • People gathered in a grand hall with high ceilings and decorative windows, viewing exhibited sculptures encased in glass. Tables with colorful coverings are scattered throughout the space.
  • A small group of people seated around a table with food and drinks at a formal event or gathering.
  • A small group of people dressed in formal attire, standing indoors and smiling.
  • A small group of people sitting at a table during a social gathering or event, with a colorful floral centerpiece on the table. They appear to be engaged in conversation, and there are food and drinks present. The background is softly lit with other attendees visible

Kheyti’s Meetings

Kaushik Kappagantulu, Kheyti’s Co-Founder & CEO, traversed across campus connecting with experts on scaling climate-resilient agriculture, navigating policymaking with the Indian government, exploring the use of generative AI and IoT for agriculture to better support farmers, and quantifying the climate impact of Kheyti’s work. His visit included a tour of Tangen Hall to meetings with economists at The Wharton School and researchers at the Center for the Advanced Study of India. These dialogues were both enlightening and energizing and revealed promising avenues for deeper engagement and collaborative partnerships.

A small group of people having a meeting in an office with a bright yellow wall, a window view, a framed drawing, and various items on the table.

“Being selected as one of the winners is not just about us, myself and my team. It’s about that young girl that is in school knowing very well that she gets a real meal and that farmer that knows that through his partnership with Food for All Africa, he’s able to grow more. Through this support, we’re able to extend the work that we do to 10,000 more farmers across Ghana and on the continent.”  

-Elijah Amoo Addo, FFAA’s Founder & Executive Director

A small group of people in a conference room having a discussion around a rectangular table.

Food for All Africa’s Meetings

Senior leaders from Food for All Africa—Elijah Amoo Addo, Rev. Dr. Enoch Aryee-Atta (Board Chairman), and Martha Oduro-Amoateng (Food for All Africa UK Lead)—spent their time on campus connecting with experts on food systems innovation and circular food system model, exploring ways to build a research-based replicable framework that can extend beyond Ghana to reach other African countries, and influencing policy making to increase their impact in sustainable food systems. Their visit began at the Center for Africana Studies and ended with a tour of Penn Farm. These meetings provided valuable insights for all involved and sparked exciting ideas for future joint initiatives.

“Studies have been done that equate the amount of power that is accessible by households and communities to the amount of GDP that these households and communities can drive and that is where we’re going. We’re deeply grateful to the Lipman Family Prize, Penn, and Wharton for creating a community that creates a space that values this sort of impact and for the proliferation of these ideas and models that allow this sort of positive development change to take place in the world.”

-Sue Stevenson, BCI’s Director of Strategic Partnerships & International Development

Barefoot College International’s Meetings

Senior leaders from Barefoot College International—Sue Stevenson, Karine Sar (Global Project Director and Director for West, Central, and South Africa), and Aura Reinhardt (President and Chairman of BCI’s Board)—spent their time on campus connecting with experts on rural economic development, exploring AI tools and curriculum design in low-resource settings and strengthening community-centered projects. They began their visit with a tour of Tangen Hall, which houses Venture Lab and is the hub for Penn innovators and entrepreneurs, and had their last meeting (not as patients!) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. These in-person conversations sparked a rich exchange of ideas and highlighted opportunities for future collaboration.

A small group of people is gathered in a workshop or lab environment. Various tools and equipment are visible, including a red model plane labeled "University of Pennsylvania" suspended from the ceiling.

Highlights from Lipman Winners’ campus visit

  • A group of people are gathered inside a modern building, listening to a speaker. The setting appears educational or professional, with several individuals holding notebooks or beverages.
  • A small group of people sitting in a conference room with bookshelves in the background, engaged in a meeting or discussion.
  • A group of five people standing indoors in front of a colorful wall with drawings and the word "Welcome" visible. They are smiling and dressed in casual to business casual attire.
  • A small group of people in a conference room having a meeting around a large marble table.
  • Person standing in front of a sign for IoT4Ag, The Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture, a U.S. NSF Engineering Research Center.
  • A small group of people sit in a classroom during a discussion or presentation. There are four people at the front and several participants seated at tables.
  • A small group of people standing indoors, smiling toward the camera. They appear to be in a professional or office setting.
  • A group of people sitting around a conference table, engaged in a meeting, with one person speaking and gesturing.
  • A small group of people standing together in a room, appearing to be in a professional setting.
  • A small group of people sitting around a conference table in a meeting room, engaged in discussion.
  • A small group of diverse people standing together indoors, smiling, with large windows and greenery in the background.
  • A small group sitting around a conference table engaged in a meeting. Laptops and papers are on the table, and a large screen is in the background.
  • A small group of people sitting at a table outdoors, enjoying drinks and food, with bicycles and buildings visible in the background.
  • Three people standing in front of a reception desk with a Penn Medicine sign. They appear to be at a professional meeting.
  • A group of people standing on grass outside a greenhouse, engaged in conversation.
  • A group of four people standing in front of a whiteboard with mathematical equations.