The David Prize
CHAMPION #7 — The David Prize
Some funders back nonprofits. The David Prize backs New Yorkers—individuals with bold, community-rooted visions and real-scale results. Each year, five winners receive $200,000 no-strings-attached, funded by the Walentas Family Foundation to support exceptional ideas and people—wherever they come from, and whatever form they take. Manuel Castro used his award to expand New Immigrant Community Empowerment, a trusted hub that stepped in during the pandemic to deliver $4 million in emergency cash, food, and help with health and housing paperwork to thousands of working families who were shut out of federal relief. Sam Rivera used his to open OnPoint NYC, the first legal overdose prevention center in the U.S., where trained staff reverse overdoses on the spot—saving over 1,000 lives so far—while offering clean facilities, warm meals, showers, and a path to recovery. These aren’t small pilots—they’re clear, proven answers to problems cities haven’t been able to solve. By funding visionary individuals, The David Prize surfaces transformative solutions that public agencies often struggle to initiate—creating a replicable model any city can adopt to unlock local, life-changing innovation.
Nonprofit America
The people and ideas turning problems into progress.