Pratham USA in finals of MacArthur $100 million competition

Pratham seeks to help 25 million children across Asia, Africa, and Latin America acquire foundational reading and math skills

By Arun Kumar

Pratham USA, which seeks to help 25 million children across Asia, Africa, and Latin America acquire foundational reading and math skills, is among five finalists of MacArthur Foundation’s $100 million competition to drive meaningful change on a global scale.

MacArthur and its nonprofit affiliate, Lever for Change’s100&Change  global competition awards a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world’s most critical social challenges, according to a media release.

READ: Four Indian Americans among 2025 Truman Scholars (April 24th, 2025) 

The selected Finalists represent transformative projects that have the potential to drive meaningful and lasting change on a global scale. The Award Recipient will be announced later this year, it said.

“Now is the time to dream big, collaborate deeply, and develop new solutions to change the world,” said MacArthur President John Palfrey. “Our 100&Change Finalists want to scale ambitious ideas that will help millions of people. Today, we hope the sector finds inspiration in these important projects and joins us in celebrating this milestone in the competition.”

Pratham and and its partners, Pratham Education Foundation, Pratham International, and Teaching at the Right Level Africa (Empower Learning Africa), seek to help 25 million children across Asia, Africa, and Latin America acquire foundational reading and math skills by scaling the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach in partnership with governments and communities.

By working with governments, schools, and communities, the approach will be integrated into existing education systems and delivered by trained local teachers and volunteers. A global support team will provide technical guidance, measurement tools, and implementation support to ensure quality and adaptation across contexts.

This solution has the potential to transform education systems from the ground up—ensuring that no child is invisible in the classroom, and every child gets the chance to learn, thrive, and succeed, according to Pratham USA.

100&Change received 869 valid applications from organizations and collaborations worldwide, with each proposal identifying a problem and presenting a compelling solution that is impactful, evidence-based, feasible, durable, and just, the release stated.

The competition is unique in its unrestricted, flexible funding model and commitment to transparency—every applicant receives feedback from both peers and expert evaluators or ‘Wise Heads’.

Since its inception, 100&Change has leveraged an additional $868 million for participants—including but not limited to the Finalists—demonstrating the potential of high-impact philanthropy to fund systemic change.