The Elevate Prize Foundation, in collaboration with MIT Solve, announced the winners of the second annual Elevate Prize, which distributes $5 million across 10 diverse social entrepreneurs. Each of them is working to solve pressing issues around the world. This year’s winners are selected from a pool of over 1,200 applicants. They all stand out for their innovative approaches to global causes, such as LGBTQIA+ rights, access to health care, social justice reform and sustainability.

Joseph Deitch, Founder Of the Elevate Prize Foundation, said:

“This year’s Elevate Prize winners are an exceptional group of creative problem-solvers who have managed to catalyze change through such challenging times. In a world that is increasingly looking for leaders to lead … and to inspire us, we are so fortunate to have these incredible individuals and organizations show us the way. We look forward to partnering and co-creating with them to expand their impact, and to share their stories with the world.”

The winners of the 2021 Elevate Prize are:

• Amanda Alexander, Detroit Justice Center, which works alongside communities to transform the justice system and promote equitable and fair cities;
• Krista Donaldson, Equalize Health, which provides access to medical care and addresses the leading causes of maternal and newborn mortality through innovative tech and more.
• Aparna Hegde, ARMMAN, which uses mobile technology to enable healthy pregnancies, safe deliveries, and healthy childhoods.
• Kaushik Kappangantulu, Kheyti, which designs, adapts and implements low-cost farming solutions to help farmers increase yield and predictability of produce, offering a “greenhouse-in-a-box” – an affordable, modular greenhouse bundled with full-stack services.
• Nisha Ligon, Ubongo, the leading children’s entertainment producer in Africa, which harnesses the power of entertainment to reduce inequalities in education across Africa.
• Heejae Lim, TalkingPoints, which connects and empowers families in under-resourced, multilingual communities, using communications technology to bridge crucial gaps between students, families, teachers, and schools.
• Uzoma Orchingwa, Ameelio, which works to reduce the prison population, decrease recidivism and ensure incarcerated individuals can stay in touch with the outside through free-to-use communication apps.
• Alexander Roque, Ali Forney Center, a space dedicated to empowering homeless LGBTQIA+ youth to live independently and get back on their feet.
• Rebecca van Bergen, Nest, which supports the responsible growth and creative engagement of the artisan and maker economy to build a world of greater gender equity and economic inclusion.
• Tony Weaver, Weird Enough Productions, which runs a national education program that combines diverse comic books with an anti-racist and equity-based learning curricula.