Timeline
Application Period
Boundless San Francisco Launch – August 5, 2026
The Competition launched on August 5, 2026. Between August 5 and September 11, 2026, you are invited to assess your organization’s readiness for the Competition and register. On August 18, Lever for Change will hold an Applicant Webinar to overview the Competition, provide a demonstration of the registration platform, and respond to applicant questions. You can register for the webinar here.
Registration Deadline – September 11, 2026
Before submitting an application, your organization must register by Friday, September 11, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time. Only registrants can submit an application.
Application Deadline – October 9, 2026
Once registration has closed, registrants will have four weeks to submit their applications. All applications are due by Friday, October 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time.
Review Period
Administrative Review – October–November 2026
Over a period of several weeks, Lever for Change staff will review each application to ensure that it complies with the eligibility requirements and Rules of the Competition. If during Administrative Review or at any other point in the process, it is determined that an applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria of the Competition as laid out in the Competition Rules, the applicant will be notified and will not be eligible to progress to further stages of the Competition.
Participatory Review – November–December 2026
During Participatory Review, each organization that has submitted a valid application will evaluate and comment on four other applications using the four criteria included in the Evaluation Rubric: Transformative Ambition, Viability, Evidence of Results, and Durability. The top organizations, as determined by Participatory Review, will move forward to the Evaluation Panel. Please note that the deadline to complete your required reviews is Wednesday, December 9 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time. If there are additional required reviews assigned to you, you will be notified on Friday, December 11 and have until Wednesday, December 16 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time to complete them.
Evaluation Panel Review – January–March 2027
During this period, members of the Evaluation Panel will review and evaluate their assigned submissions using the four criteria included in the Evaluation Rubric: Transformative Ambition, Viability, Evidence of Results, and Durability.
Selection Period
Selection of Finalists – March–June 2027
Informed by the results of Participatory and Evaluation Panel Review, the donor team will review submitted application materials and may request additional information to select three to seven Finalists.
Project Development – June–August 2027
Three to seven Finalists will be selected, each receiving a project development grant (the pool totals $1–3.5 million) and technical assistance to develop their proposal further. Finalists will be asked to submit an investment prospectus in August 2027.
Grant Award – Fall 2027
Informed by the revised materials submitted after the period of technical support, the Selection Committee will review materials and select up to three Finalists to receive an Award of between $10 and $50 million each. A more detailed timeline will be provided at Finalist selection.
