Ashoka

Leadership Development | Social Entrepreneurship | Social Impact Investment
Region:  Global

Ashoka is the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs. We pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship 40+ years ago and have supported to date 4,000+ Fellows, 100+ Young Changemakers, 250+ change institutions, and 300+ partners across the globe. Ashoka accompanies Fellows along their journeys – with stipends, catalytic connections, strategic advice, and an unmatched peer community that is for life. Drawing insights from our network, we identify and open-source the underlying patterns of transformative change and have introduced and mainstreamed such words as “social entrepreneur” and “changemaker.

Ashoka Fellows work in every area of human need and represent one of the most diverse communities of changemakers in the United States and around the globe. Each is implementing a new idea for solving a social problem in their own way. But all our Fellows are defined by a common commitment to systemic-level change — to addressing the root causes of the problems we see rather than treating symptoms in perpetuity.
Ashoka collaborates with Fellows and partners in more than 95 countries to advance a world where everyone can participate and contribute to solving problems for the good of all: an Everyone a Changemaker society.

Impact

  • • 86% of Fellows report that Ashoka helped them see their work at a systems change level. Of those Fellows, 92% made changes to their strategy.
  • • 63% of Ashoka Fellows change a national policy within 5 years of their election.
  • • 83% of Ashoka Fellows change a system within 10 years of their election.
  • • 82% of Ashoka Fellows see their ideas replicated by government bodies or other organizations.
Last updated: February 26, 2025

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