Booz Allen Foundation Awards $1M in Innovation Fund Grants to Support COVID-19 Solutions

The Booz Allen Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to convening diverse stakeholders to solve challenging social issues, today announced the recipients of nearly $1 million in grants from the Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Fund.

Established to support the development of creative solutions that address the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Fund was open to individuals, nonprofit organizations and eligible small businesses to apply from April 30 to June 5, 2020. Nearly 3,000 applications were submitted, coming from all 50 states, four U.S. territories and Washington, D.C.

The 21 winners selected to receive grant funding—ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per project—are working to develop new solutions, systems, technologies and approaches that help build lasting community resilience by protecting vulnerable populations and frontline workers or support the safe return to work. Projects selected to receive grant funding include innovative methods to scale production of and sanitize personal protective equipment (PPE), new methods of contact tracing, the creation of mobile health units to serve at-risk communities, and advancements in providing mental health services, among other pioneering solutions to pressing issues caused by the pandemic.

“Our diverse set of winning teams displayed creativity, innovative thought and best-in-class ability to create impact for our most vulnerable populations affected by the pandemic,” said John M. Murdock, President and co-founding board member of the Booz Allen Foundation. “We asked applicants to provide their best and brightest ideas in an unprecedented time, and these award recipients delivered a wide range of solutions that will not only change the world, but also provide hope.”

Innovation Fund grant applications were reviewed by more than 150 individuals during a multi-stage evaluation process. From nearly 3,000 applications, 30 semi-finalists were selected to virtually pitch their projects to a team of external evaluators with backgrounds in innovation, grant making and entrepreneurship. The 21 winning teams were then evaluated and approved by the Booz Allen Foundation Board.

In addition to grant funding, award recipients also have access to ongoing support provided by Booz Allen Foundation partners, including: priority review for potential pro bono services for the nonprofit winners from Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., such as strategic planning, data science and analytics, cybersecurity, financial modeling, war gaming simulations and more; a virtual Seed Spot Boot Camp that includes business-building workshops, coaching and mentorship; and a complimentary copy of “IMPACT: Reshaping capitalism to drive real change” by Sir Ronald Cohen.