The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation

What The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation does

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK) is a US-registered 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2002 by venture capitalists William H. Draper III and Robin Richards Donohoe, with Robert S. Kaplan joining as co-chair in 2010. Operating as a venture philanthropy organization with approximately 40 staff across five offices (Menlo Park, Boston, Dallas, Nairobi, and The Hague), DRK identifies and supports exceptional early-stage social enterprises addressing urgent social and environmental challenges in health, education, economic mobility, and other sectors across Africa, Europe, India, the US, and occasionally Latin America. Since inception, DRK has funded 277 organizations, impacted 610 million lives, and catalyzed $2.3 billion in downstream funding.

DRK's core product is a three-year investment package combining up to $300,000 in unrestricted funding with up to $500,000 in in-kind capacity-building support, including dedicated board service, executive coaching, leadership development, and strategic engagement. The foundation takes a board seat for three years through a senior staff member, functioning as the first outside board member for most portfolio organizations. Funding is provided as grants to nonprofits or equity investments to for-profit entities. In December 2025, DRK expanded its offering to include up to $800,000 in capital plus support services, and launched the DRK + NLV Navigation Technology Initiative in partnership with NextLadder Ventures to specifically fund AI-native and tech-driven organizations addressing US economic mobility challenges.

DRK's business model is donor-funded philanthropy rather than commercial revenue generation. The foundation is supported by more than 90 individuals, family foundations, and institutional partners who contribute to fund operations and grant-making activities, leveraging DRK's venture capital-style diligence and board service to advance their own philanthropic objectives. Sourcing occurs through nearly 3,000 applications reviewed annually plus referral networks, with funding decisions made through rigorous due diligence. There is no proprietary technology platform underlying DRK's operations; the "product" is the judgment, network, and operational support that DRK staff provide to portfolio entrepreneurs.

Name

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation

Legal name

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation

Website

http://www.drkfoundation.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation is a US venture philanthropy foundation founded in 2002 that provides up to $300,000-$800,000 in unrestricted funding plus intensive board service and capacity-building support to early-stage social enterprises across health, education, and economic mobility in Africa, Europe, India, and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Venture philanthropy funding
• Early-stage social enterprise
• Unrestricted grant capital
• Capacity building support
• Impact-focused nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: DRK is supported by more than 90 individuals, family foundations, and institutions who contribute to fund the foundation's operations and grant-making activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DRK is a venture philanthropy foundation that selects exceptional early-stage social entrepreneurs and provides them with up to $300,000 in unrestricted funding over three years, combined with intensive hands-on support including a dedicated DRK board seat, weekly mentoring, executive coaching, fundraising guidance, and access to in-kind capacity-building resources worth up to $500,000. Funded organizations operate across health, education, economic mobility, and the environment in Africa, Europe, India, and the United States.

Product overview

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation is a venture philanthropy organization that provides funding and capacity-building support to early-stage social enterprises. DRK does not offer a unified software product; instead, it provides funding programs including the DRK + NLV Navigation Technology Initiative (supporting AI and tech-driven solutions for economic mobility), standard early-stage funding (up to $300,000 over three years), and capital plus support services (up to $800,000). The Foundation takes a board seat for three years and provides intensive operational support to help portfolio organizations scale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standard Early-Stage Funding Up to $300,000 in unrestricted funding over three years for early-stage social enterprises in health, education, and other critical areas across the Global South and select regions, paired with three-year board service and capacity-building support. For mission-driven organizations targeting impact on at least 10,000 lives within five years.
• Capital and Support Services Program Up to $800,000 in capital and in-kind support services for innovative, systems-oriented social impact startups operating in Africa, Europe, India, and the United States. Combines flexible capital with DRK's capacity-building and board service model.
• DRK + NLV Navigation Technology Initiative A targeted funding initiative supporting early-stage, impact-first organizations using technology and AI to help low-income Americans navigate economic opportunities and challenges in housing, benefits, health, workforce, and financial stability. Provides $300,000 in capital plus up to $500,000 in in-kind support, with potential Series A follow-on from NLV.

Quantifiable outcome

• 610 million total lives impacted
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NextLadder Ventures (NLV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025DRK partnered with NextLadder Ventures to launch the DRK + NLV Navigation Technology Initiative, funding tech-driven and AI-native organizations helping low-income Americans navigate economic challenges. NLV considers follow-on investment at Series A stage for portfolio organizations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Skoll Foundation: Leading global venture philanthropy foundation known for the Skoll Award for Social Innovation. Operates as both a grantmaker and ecosystem convener, overlapping directly with DRK's model of funding early-stage social entrepreneurs and supporting them through multi-year unrestricted capital.
• Omidyar Network: eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's philanthropic investment firm combining grants and impact investing to support social enterprises. Operates at much larger scale than DRK with a similar dual-capital-and-support model across multiple geographies.
• Blue Meridian Partners: Philanthropic scaling fund backed by multiple large donors providing growth-stage capital to high-impact nonprofits. Comparable to DRK in donor-collaborative model but focused on scaling rather than early-stage funding.

Direct peers

• Acumen: Global venture philanthropy and impact investing organization that supports early-stage social enterprises tackling poverty. Closely comparable to DRK in mission, sector focus, and rigorous diligence model, with the key difference of using patient capital / quasi-equity rather than pure grants.
• Ashoka: Global organization supporting leading social entrepreneurs through fellowships, funding, and network access. Highly comparable to DRK's early-stage social enterprise focus and emphasis on long-term capacity building and ecosystem convening.
• Echoing Green: Fellowship program providing unrestricted seed funding and leadership support to emerging social entrepreneurs. Closely comparable in check size, target stage, and support model to DRK's standard funding program.
• The Audacious Project: TED-sponsored collaborative funding initiative that provides multi-year catalytic grants to bold social ventures. Functions as a downstream capital partner to many DRK portfolio organizations and shares DRK's model of convening funders around exceptional social entrepreneurs.
• Mulago Foundation: Venture philanthropy foundation funding bold, evidence-driven solutions to poverty and conservation with multi-year unrestricted grants. Highly comparable in check size, sector breadth, and emphasis on entrepreneur selection.
• New Profit: Venture philanthropy fund that partners with social entrepreneurs and social change leaders, providing unrestricted capital and capacity building. Shares DRK's model of pairing unrestricted multi-year funding with hands-on advisory support.

Regional players

• Clinton Global Initiative: Philanthropic initiative convening global leaders to drive social impact through Commitments to Action. Comparable as a large-scale philanthropic platform supporting social enterprises, though more focused on convening and less on direct grantmaking than DRK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/draper-richards-kaplan-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/drk.foundation
• Xx.com/drkfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments488 records

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Frequently asked questions about The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation