Changemakers
Ashoka Changemakers is a global nonprofit social innovation platform and Ashoka initiative that runs 121+ Innovation Challenges across 143 countries, engaging 33,240+ changemakers through digital challenges, stories, courses, and tools funded by individual donations and corporate partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersArlington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Changemakers does
Changemakers, operated under the legal entity Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, is a global digital platform for social innovation that activates a worldwide network of changemakers, social entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and impact-sector partners. Its core product, the Innovation Challenges platform, runs structured, collaborative calls to action — sourcing ideas, building networks, and surfacing solutions in fields such as youth empowerment, climate, health, sports, and small-business ecosystems. The platform extends that offering with a Stories hub, an interactive Courses catalog (e.g., Future of Business Intercompany, Social Intrapreneurship for Innovation in Health, Systems Change Masterclass, Sustainability & Changemaking), a Tools library authored by experienced changemakers, donation functionality, and formal Partnership Services that include co-created challenges, sponsorship, consulting, and learning cohorts. The platform is delivered as a multilingual web application available in 12+ languages, supported by a peer-review community mechanic in which participants evaluate each other's applications.
The organization's scale signals include 121 completed Innovation Challenges, 33,240+ engaged changemakers, a presence in 143 countries, and 86 partner companies such as T-Mobile, Prudential Financial, First Book, Audemars Piguet, Artisan, and the Go! London coalition (Mayor of London, London Marathon Foundation, Sport England). Operating geographies span the United States, the United Kingdom, and broader Europe via a Vienna representative office, with regional challenge programs such as Reimagining Spaces for Sports & Play, Sports for Climate Action, and the Prudential Power of Local Challenge spanning Latin America and multiple African and Asian regions.
As a nonprofit initiative rather than a venture-backed company, Changemakers has no equity funding rounds and no public revenue disclosure. Revenue mechanics rely on individual donations (with disclosed tiers of $100, $500, and $1,000 plus monthly sustaining options, processed through Stripe), corporate partnerships that fund co-created challenges and learning cohorts, and consulting services for organizations developing their own challenge-based funding strategies. Headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia, with a separate Ashoka headquarters address at 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1900; the team is small (1–10 employees), though the management directory reveals specialized senior roles covering Finance, Technology & Platforms, Knowledge, Sourcing & Challenge Management, Partnerships, Operations, Experience Design, Platform Management, and Community Management.
Changemakers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Changemakers
- Legal name
- Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
- Website
- https://changemakers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ashoka Changemakers is a global nonprofit social innovation platform and Ashoka initiative that runs 121+ Innovation Challenges across 143 countries, engaging 33,240+ changemakers through digital challenges, stories, courses, and tools funded by individual donations and corporate partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Changemakers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Innovation Platform
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Change Management & Transformation (Org/HR) (BPACAJAD), Stakeholder, Communication & Change Management (EDABAHAF)
Keywords
Where Changemakers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Changemakers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support its operations and programs. Donation tiers include $100, $500, $1000 USD amounts as well as custom amounts, with monthly sustaining donation options available.
- Corporate Partnerships: Revenue generated through partnerships with companies and foundations who co-create challenges, sponsor programs, or support the organization financially
- Consulting Services: Expert guidance provided to organizations developing their own challenges or funding approaches through consulting services
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Individual Donations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Changemakers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Changemakers (Ashoka Changemakers) runs a global digital social innovation platform that hosts collaborative Innovation Challenges, a Stories content hub, an interactive Courses catalog, and a Tools library for changemakers. It also delivers co-created bespoke challenges, sponsorship programs, and consulting services for corporate partners, foundations, and educational institutions. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate/foundation sponsorships, and consulting engagements.
Product overview
Changemakers, part of Ashoka, is a global social innovation platform that connects changemakers worldwide through a digital ecosystem. The platform centers on Innovation Challenges as collaborative calls-to-action that source bold ideas, complemented by a Stories platform showcasing changemaker narratives, an interactive Courses catalog featuring programs like Future of Business and Systems Change Masterclass, and practical Tools including guides on goal-setting and changemaking frameworks. Additional offerings include donation functionality for supporter contributions and partnership services for organizations seeking to co-create challenges or sponsor learning initiatives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Innovation Challenges
Quantifiable outcome
- 121 Completed Innovation Challenges
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Changemakers
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Changemakers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Changemakers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Go! London (Mayor of London, London Marathon Foundation, Sport England)coreMulti-year £22.5m partnership delivering Open Innovation Challenges in London focused on sports and play. Partnership includes London Marathon Events and London Sport. Ashoka delivers challenges including Reimagining Spaces for Sports & Play and Sports for Climate Action Challenge.
- First BookcorePartnership delivering the Time for Change Youth Challenge, a global competition for K-12 students to share ideas for change. First Book supports with resources and outreach to their network of educators serving underserved communities.
- Prudential FinancialcorePartnership for the Power of Local Challenge supporting small business ecosystems globally, with focus on regions including Latin America, East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia.
- Audemars PiguetminorPartner supporting the First Book Accelerator and Time for Change Youth Challenge programs through funding and promotional support.
- ArtisanminorPartner in the Power of Local Challenge supporting small business ecosystem builders.
- Ashoka UKcoreParent organization affiliate delivering the Changed By Us challenge in the UK, celebrating youth-led change with £10,000 prize fund and national exhibition.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Changemakers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Devex: Devex is the leading media, data, and networking platform for the global development and social impact sector — adjacent but broader in scope, serving a similar audience of NGOs, funders, and social enterprises with intelligence and connections.
- NetHope: NetHope is a nonprofit consortium of global NGOs that collaborates on technology, digital innovation, and capacity-building — overlapping in mission of empowering the social sector through shared infrastructure.
- Skoll Foundation: The Skoll Foundation invests in and convenes social entrepreneurs and innovations to drive systemic change — broader in capital scale but overlapping in mission around surfacing and scaling social innovation globally.
- Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: A World Economic Forum initiative that networks and recognizes leading social entrepreneurs — a broader incumbent with a comparable mission of advancing social innovation and connecting entrepreneurs globally.
Direct peers
- GlobalGiving: GlobalGiving is a crowdfunding and grantmaking platform connecting nonprofits and social entrepreneurs with donors and corporate partners worldwide — directly comparable in nonprofit donation, partnership, and grant distribution mechanics.
- Idealist: Idealist is a nonprofit job, volunteer, and organization listing platform connecting mission-driven individuals and organizations — comparable as a digital infrastructure layer for the social impact community.
- OpenIDEO: OpenIDEO is an open innovation platform from IDEO that crowdsources solutions to global and social challenges through structured challenges and a global community — directly overlapping with Changemakers' innovation challenges and community-led model.
- Echoing Green: Echoing Green identifies and invests in emerging social entrepreneurs through fellowships and leadership programs — directly comparable as a social entrepreneurship talent and innovation pipeline platform.
- VolunteerMatch: VolunteerMatch is a digital platform connecting volunteers with nonprofit opportunities — directly comparable as a community-led engagement platform for social impact participation.
- Purpose: Purpose builds campaigns, communities, and platforms to advance social and environmental causes — comparable in mission, but more campaign- and agency-oriented than Changemakers' challenge-driven platform model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Changemakers social profiles
Digital presenceChangemakers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Changemakers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Changemakers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Changemakers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Changemakers
What does Changemakers do?
Changemakers (Ashoka Changemakers) runs a global digital social innovation platform that hosts collaborative Innovation Challenges, a Stories content hub, an interactive Courses catalog, and a Tools library for changemakers. It also delivers co-created bespoke challenges, sponsorship programs, and consulting services for corporate partners, foundations, and educational institutions. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate/foundation sponsorships, and consulting engagements.
Is Changemakers a public or private company?
Changemakers is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Changemakers founded?
Changemakers was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Changemakers based?
Changemakers is headquartered in Arlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Changemakers make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships and consulting Services.
Who are Changemakers's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Devex, NetHope, Skoll Foundation and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Direct peers are GlobalGiving, Idealist, OpenIDEO, Echoing Green, VolunteerMatch and Purpose.
Does Changemakers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Changemakers.
What industry is Changemakers in?
Changemakers's product category is Social Innovation Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAD, Organization Design & Change Management Consulting, with a secondary code of BPACAJAD, Change Management & Transformation (Org/HR). Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 8742.