WIN Challenge

Program Description

The WIN Challenge aims to discover and scale innovative ideas that will help women thrive and everyone win in a rapidly changing workplace. This initiative is led by the Aspen Institute and supported by Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates. Each of the WIN Challenge pillars (Culture & Practices, AI, Narrative) will select up to eight awardees who will receive either $2.5 or $5 million each over three years. UCI can submit one application which must fall under one of the funding priorities below.

Program Funding Priorities

Culture & Practices Challenge
The WIN Culture & Practices Challenge is seeking a wide range of trailblazing approaches to drive scaled adoption of evidence-based solutions and advance new processes, standards, and norms that allow people at all career levels—especially women—to thrive as workplaces are rapidly transforming. The WIN Culture & Practices Challenge seeks solutions that lead to lasting impact through workplace policies, practices, and culture. (The WIN Challenge is not focused on government policy.) Proposals are encouraged from organizations operating in a range of stages from start-up or early-stage organizations with a new idea, to existing organizations and partnerships with strong proofs of concepts or proven solutions ready to scale.

AI Challenge
The Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) AI Challenge is seeking bold solutions that address the impact and potential of AI in quickly evolving workplaces, from AI-powered solutions that help support women at work, to AI skill-building and solutions that mitigate bias in AI. The WIN AI Challenge is seeking solutions that lead to lasting impact—a proposal focused only on the development of a technology tool/application without a scaled adoption strategy will not likely be a strong fit for this challenge.

Narrative Challenge
The Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Narrative Challenge aims to develop and promote narratives that help everyone—especially women—thrive as workplaces transform. Proposed solutions could include mitigating bias, celebrating women’s achievements in the workplace, or amplifying positive and varied portrayals of what leadership can look like.

Scoring

Evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

• Innovative: Inventive approach to build or expand an influential model that can shape other efforts, and a strategic vision and plan to efficiently scale and accelerate how everyone, especially women, thrive in a range of workplaces.
• Feasible: Team delivers seasoned experts and key networks with robust experience and past results. Activates rigorous evidence-based strategies and flexible plans to sustain remarkable change.
• Transformative: Powerful solution to transform workplace practices and culture. Proven-effective approach to break down barriers, deliver benefits, and achieve lasting systemic change.
• Aligned: Comprehensive and impressive stakeholder alignment and thorough analysis of barriers, broader efforts, and on-the-ground conditions. Highly responsive solution well-positioned for success with authenticity, deep community roots, and buy-in.

Eligibility

• Any level faculty can apply.
• All projects must serve and impact communities located within the United States and territories.
• Lead Organizations are welcome to collaborate with other organizations, provided award funds are used solely for charitable, educational or scientific purposes.

Internal Application Process

Interested applicants are asked to submit an application to the Office of Research (via UCI Review), with the following information by December 1st:

• • State whether you are applying for Culture & Practices, AI, or Narrative
  • Project title (10 words)
  • Key team members: three individuals who will oversee and be responsible for the success of the project.

• • • FIRST / LAST NAME (up to 5 words)
    • TITLE & AFFILIATION (up to 10 words)
    • BIOGRAPHY (up to 100 words) Emphasize the expertise and/or credentials that are most relevant to this project, as well as any personal experience with the barriers the project aims to address.
  • Identify a primary barrier for your category from the list below or create your own and select up to three additional barriers.

• • Barrier Narrative (up to 200 words): Describe the specific barriers your proposed solution aims to address.
  • Project Description (up to 250 words): Describe your solution and how it addresses the purpose of this challenge and the relevant barriers. Provide an overview of key stakeholders and beneficiaries and introduce the measurable impact and benefits to these communities. Describe what your solution is or does, and how it meaningfully contributes to accelerating policy and systems change in the rapidly changing​ workplace.
  • Innovation (up to 250 words): How does the solution offer a novel or breakthrough approach to​ support everyone, especially women, ​in a rapidly changing workplace?​ For example, ​how will this ​solution ​help ​women, ​families, communities, and/or the economy overall — to thrive? Explain how your solution diverges from, enhances, and/or reinforces existing methods/practices. Share how your approach will be more effective and/or impactful than existing efforts to address the problem. Highlight innovative features and any other information demonstrating creativity and innovation in your approach and the proposed solution.
  • Outcomes & Results (up to 200 words): Describe the short- to long-term impact, specific outcomes, and measurable results you intend to achieve through the proposed project. This may include goals and objectives as they relate to changes in attitude, behavior, and/or knowledge, reach and engagement, and more.
  • Budget Narrative (up to 250 words): Offer a general overview of how you would use the $5 million grant over three years.

Following receipt of the internal applications, an ad hoc committee will be convened to review the proposals. Selected applicants will be notified in December.

Program Timeline for Selected Applicant

11 Dec 2025 – Register for account
27 Jan 2026 – Submit application
Mar – Apr 2026 – Peer-to-peer evaluation
Fall 2026 – Awardees announced