Ashoka in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

ABOUT ASHOKA

Ashoka pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship in the early 1980s, coining the terms “social entrepreneurship” and “changemaker” and starting the first network of social entrepreneurs. Since then, we have found and empowered social entrepreneurs whose system-changing innovations solve deep-rooted social problems around the world through the Ashoka Fellowship. After a rigorous selection process focusing on both the entrepreneur and her solution, we invite the candidates into the Ashoka Fellowship - providing early-stage financial support and a unique lifetime membership into an extensive network of peers and partners, enabling them to expand their vision, sharpen their leadership skills and accelerate their impact.

Ashoka Fellows’ results are remarkable. Our 2022 global impact study shows that: 76% of respondents in Africa have achieved legislative change; 88% have seen their solution replicated by other groups or organizations; 91% are still pursuing the idea for which they were elected a Fellow, even 5 or 10 years later, illustrating the outstanding sustainability and resourcefulness of the social entrepreneurs whom we select and support.

Individually and as a collective, Fellows actively contribute to the SDGs by developing insightful, relevant and scalable solutions that address some of the toughest societal issues. They activate many around them to become changemakers as the foundation for sustainable change.

In 2024, Ashoka was ranked #7 amongst social good organizations worldwide by thedotgood

(previously NGO Advisor).