Erase Indifference Challenge

The Auschwitz Pledge Foundation has launched the 2026 edition of the Erase Indifference Challenge, an international prize competition aimed at curbing indifference toward discrimination. The initiative highlights and rewards practical, imaginative efforts that have already generated measurable outcomes in building empathy and confronting bias.

The challenge offers a total prize fund of EUR 90,000, distributed across eight financial awards. The top entry receives a main award of EUR 20,000, while seven additional projects are granted EUR 10,000 each. The application window is open until December 4, 2026.

Unlike standard restricted project grants, this scheme honors past achievement and ongoing operations. Winners can allocate their monetary prize at their own discretion, offering recipients substantial operational and strategic flexibility.

What is funded

The competition does not finance new project concepts from scratch, but instead awards initiatives that are either actively operating or already completed. The core focus is on creative solutions that counter indifference toward various forms of discrimination, such as racism, antisemitism, anti-immigration sentiment, misogyny, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Particular attention is paid to projects engaging bystanders who witness injustice but fail to act. The donor looks for modern, innovative methods, including artistic interventions, educational games, and digital or tech-driven tools, that showcase demonstrated social impact and verified real-world results.

The total prize pool of EUR 90,000 is divided into one main award of EUR 20,000 and seven additional awards of EUR 10,000. Winning entities are not bound by typical project reporting requirements or obligations to continue the awarded activities, allowing funds to be deployed entirely at the organization’s discretion.

Who can apply

Participation is open to a broad spectrum of legal entities from any country worldwide. Eligible applicant categories include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and public bodies or institutions.

Eligible entities must be able to demonstrate existing results and practical milestones achieved by their submitted solution. The competition connects applicants with an international evaluation panel of experts across technology, marketing, law, human rights, and social research.

Conditions and requirements

To qualify, the proposed initiative must present clear proof of concept, measurable indicators, and verifiable social change. Purely conceptual or early-stage ideas that lack operational history or documented impact are not eligible for assessment.

Selected winners must enter into formal award agreements with the Auschwitz Pledge Foundation before the funds are disbursed. While expenditure of the award money is unrestricted, compliance with the foundation’s contract terms and platform presentation agreements is mandatory.

Practical tip. Frame your application strictly around verified metrics, direct beneficiary data, and documented behavioral shifts among bystanders, because the panel of evaluation and impact specialists specifically prioritizes measurable outcomes over future intentions.

How to apply

Entries must be submitted digitally via the dedicated Google Form by the closing deadline of December 4, 2026. Applicants may review the challenge manual, application questions in PDF format, and sample agreements beforehand to align their materials with the guidelines.

Shortlisted finalists will take part in online meetings with the panel between February 15 and February 26, 2027. The final selection will conclude with the public announcement of the award winners on February 28, 2027.

Applications are submitted on the donor’s page: eraseindifference.org.