Applications Open April 23, 2026

LOS ANGELES, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Unlikely Collaborators today announced the launch of its first-ever open request for proposals (RFP), inviting US-based nonprofit organizations to apply for project-specific grants ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. The initiative will support work designed to create meaningful shifts in how individuals see themselves, other people, and the world around them.

The RFP is grounded in the Perception Box™ framework developed by Founder and CEO Elizabeth R. Koch, which explores the mental models we use to understand and navigate the world. Shaped by our beliefs, life experiences, education, values, and traumas–along with the meaning we have made out of those traumas, genes, physiology, and unconscious patterns–our box filters and distorts everything we perceive. When individuals begin to recognize this box, even briefly, the walls expand, giving us room to experience greater curiosity, tolerance for difficult emotions, and more generosity in relating to others.

“At a time when so much attention is focused on changing external systems, we are interested in what happens internally,” said Elizabeth R. Koch. “Most of us move through life assuming our perspective is objective truth. But when someone begins to see that their way of interpreting the world is just one of many possibilities, something shifts. There’s more openness, less rigidity, and often a deeper sense of connection. This RFP is about identifying and supporting organizations that know how to create those moments.”

With this initiative, Unlikely Collaborators is advancing a philanthropic approach centered on self-investigation and mental model awareness. The organization seeks to fund projects that help individuals notice how their views are formed and actively question these views. They seek to partner with organizations that do not push an agenda or point of view but rather help individuals relax their grip on their convictions and open up to multiple ways of seeing.

What We’re Looking For

Unlikely Collaborators will fund projects that initiate compassionate self-examination and tolerance for difficult feelings. Projects might include facilitated dialogue, somatic or mindfulness practices, storytelling events, or other structured experiences that help individuals recognize and reconsider their own assumptions. For example:

• Experiences that prompt reflection on how beliefs and perceptions are formed
• Encounters that interrupt or challenge habitual ways of seeing without making the other person wrong
• Experiences that help participants recognize that their perspective is one of many possible ways of interpreting
• Practices that cultivate self-awareness, curiosity, and openness
• Curriculum designed to create moments of shifted awareness where new insight becomes possible

Unlikely Collaborators prioritizes leaders whose passion is born from lived experience and those with direct proximity to the communities they serve. Extra attention will be paid to projects with fully developed and mapped-out curricula, events, or initiatives.

Unlikely Collaborators does not fund advocacy-driven work, political or ideological programming, or projects centered on promoting a specific viewpoint. The focus is on internal reflection, personal discovery, and perspective expansion.

Grant Details

• Grant Amounts: $50,000 to $250,000
• Funding Type: One-time, project-specific grants with no general operating support or multiyear funding
• Geographic Focus: United States
• Eligibility:
  • 501(c)(3) public charities or organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor
  • Minimum annual budget of $500,000
• Restrictions: No funding for political, lobbying, or advocacy-based activities

Timeline

• Applications Open: Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 6 a.m. PT
• Application Webinar: Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 11 a.m. PT
• Applications Close: Friday, May 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT
• Decisions Announced: On or by Monday, August 3, 2026
• Funding Distributed: On or by Monday, October 5, 2026

Application Process

Applicants are asked to clearly describe how their project creates real moments of reflection and perspective shift. This includes detailing specific participant experiences, the mechanisms that lead to insight, and how success will be measured. Each application will undergo a rigorous, multi-reviewer evaluation process to ensure it is considered from multiple perspectives.

A comprehensive FAQ section is available to help applicants understand the framework, expectations, and evaluation criteria. A live webinar will be held on May 6 at 11 a.m. PT to provide additional guidance. To register for the webinar, please click here.

This RFP reflects Unlikely Collaborators’ commitment to supporting work that creates meaningful internal change as a pathway to deeper understanding and connection.

For more information about the Unlikely Collaborators RFP and to access the application, please click here.

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SOURCE Unlikely Collaborators