WELCOME to Ashoka!

We are the first and largest association of leading social entrepreneurs in the world. Founded in 1980 by our CEO Bill Drayton (who coined the identifyer "Social Entrepreneur"), we find, select and collaborate with these entrepreneurs, electing them into a lifelong association as Ashoka Fellows. There are now over 4000 Fellows at work in 95 countries innovating new solutions to the most urgent social and environmental issues of our time. We elect over 100 new Fellows each year. Along with our Fellows, we work with a wide range of partners, including global companies, business entrepreneurs, next generation leaders, educational institutions and others to introduce and catalyze the changemaking skills we all need to power a world for the good of all. We have 33 offices around the world with staff and activities in many more working to grow and mobilize these collaborations. For ten years in a row Ashoka has been in the top ten of the most impactful social good organizations in the world! 

Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who meet very specific criteria and who pass a five-stage selection process. They are ultimately elected as Fellows by Board vote. A potential Fellow must be the original founder of their organization and have innovated an original new idea that is changing a systemic pattern in their field of work with potential of transforming it altogether. They must have demonstrated early success and be at an inflection point to lead expansive growth beyond national and continental borders. They must have impeccable integrity, generating trust and commitment from all stakeholders. They must commit to empowering others not only to accelerate their changemaking, but to create the kind of collaborative leadership which will help others to find their own changemaking power. And they must show a true entrepreneurial drive where they see obstacles as opportunities, where no one can tell them something can’t be done, and where they show a deep commitment to their mission. An independent survey has shown that 83% of Ashoka Fellows have brought systemic change at a national level within 10 years of election.  You can get to know a few of our Fellows on Welcome Change, a ½ hour interview series produced by Ashoka US, and learn more about Ashoka’s world-class network that supports changemaking around the world.

Depending on need, Ashoka provides a three-year living stipend to enable the Fellow to focus on nothing but growing their organization. We then connect them to other Fellows in their field of work so ideas can be shared and collaborations explored. We provide resources for funding and award opportunities. We offer programs where they can learn how to fine tune their strategies and scale their work. We also offer them visibility, giving them opportunities to showcase their work at conferences, with media and with external partners. Through our partnerships we also offer free legal services, top tier research, and access to skilled professionals, volunteers like you!

The world is experiencing a period of accelerating change where billions can be interconnected by a device in our pockets. New ways of managing this exponential growth require new skills if humanity is to flourish. Everyone a Changemaker (EACH) is our belief that anyone can and must acquire these skills to fulfill their capacity to make change for the good of all in their own communities and beyond. The foundational skills required are cognitive empathy, an ability to see creative new approaches in problem solving, the commitment to build and ignite a team, persistence and resilience to overcome obstacles and carry the team through. We aim to help people, young and old, to find their own power to be changemakers. To that end, we offer a masterclass in changemaking, tools to help educators and employers adopt a changemaking environment, and products to help parents raise children who know they are changemakers. We believe that it’s possible to create a broad movement of changemakers so that problems can never outpace good solutions. How else will Ashoka achieve an everyone a changemaker world? By focusing our efforts on these programs.

ASHOKA YOUTH YEARS

Our founder, Bill Drayton, noticed early on that 80% of Ashoka Fellows had an entrepreneurial experience when they were young, having had an idea, testing it, building a team around it and seeing it to completion. Whether it succeeded or not, they had learned from it and found their changemaking power. After finding that Ashoka Fellows working with youth overwhelmingly put them in charge, Ashoka became focused on giving today’s young people an equal chance to become changemakers. By working with educators, schools, parents, and companies Ashoka is creating an educational ecosystem where young people can lead and practice the four core changemaker skills: Empathy, Collaborative Leadership, Fluid Team of Teams Culture, and Changemaking.

ASHOKA U 

Ashoka U works at an institutional level to make a difference in the education of millions of students, building on Ashoka’s vision for a world where Everyone is a Changemaker. We collaborate with colleges and universities to break down barriers to institutional change and foster a campus-wide culture of social innovation. We also work with schools of education and teachers’ unions.

NEXT NOW

Learning from the global work of our Fellows and from a bird’s eye perspective, we see patterns and frontiers of innovation that show a way to a better future. Next Now weaves a community of innovators committed to building it. Currently, we are growing and coalescing innovations from three fields: Tech and Humanity, New Longevity and Planet and Climate. By 2030 we expect to have added 12 more!

CHANGEMAKERS

We leverage digital tools and products to support changemakers of all kinds with analysis, thought leadership and topical campaigns that bring innovators from all sectors together to solve challenging issues. Activating a global network of social entrepreneurs, business leaders, policy makers and activists brings together the best ideas and creates a dynamic around them that inspires collaboration and ignites action. 

WISE 

WISE is a global initiative led from the global South that aims to elevate the number, knowledge, and power of women in social entrepreneurship by redefining success from a gendered lens and celebrating the unique ways in which women successfully lead and make impact. It includes the WorldWISE storytelling initiative, the WISE Up online series, and the ChangemakHERS Collaborative platform.