USD 79 million in financial capital deployed
- Energy & Materials – Promoting sustainable design and engineering practices that reduce environmental impact.
- Health & Resilience – Supporting solutions that improve public health and community resilience, especially in the face of natural and human-made disasters.
- Work & Prosperity – Advancing inclusive economic opportunities through workforce development and equitable access to technology.
Autodesk Foundation
Funding Type
Monitoring and Reporting Procedures
If at the end of the due diligence process the Foundation approves funding for the organization, they collaborate to outline organizational milestones, engagement goals, and impact metrics for the funding period. Once the resulting agreement is complete, funding is disbursed as soon as possible, typically within three weeks (grants) or based on the investment round timeline (investments).
Eligibility Criteria
The Autodesk Foundation evaluates funding opportunities based on the impact potential of the solution, the viability of the organization, model and market, and the value of the Autodesk Foundation's additionality.
Impact
- Alignment with impact goals - Autodesk Foundation takes a thesis-driven approach and therefore only considers organizations working within one of their impact opportunity areas.
- Scalability - Autodesk Foundation funds organizations that have a viable, resource-efficient pathway to scale and an intention to do so on a meaningful timeline.
- Impact measurement - Autodesk Foundation funds organizations that commit to measuring impact to establish accountability, inform decision-making, and evidence impact.
Viability
- Team - Autodesk Foundation looks for teams that demonstrate technical and sector expertise, and share their commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for all.
- Technology - Autodesk Foundation aims to catalyze innovation, scalability, and accessibility of technology for good. They emphasize solutions relevant to their expertise in design and engineering.
- Market and business model - Autodesk Foundation looks for evidence that the solution is valued by the target customer, and that there is a cost-effective and scalable model for delivering impact.
Autodesk additionality
- Financial additionality - Autodesk Foundation focuses on solutions where their flexible, risk-tolerant, and patient capital can be most catalytic at the organization-level and in the innovation ecosystem.
- In-kind resources - Autodesk Foundation funds organizations for whom they can add significant value beyond financial capital, most commonly through the Autodesk technology and talent programs.
- Ecosystem engagement - As a corporate philanthropy, Autodesk Foundation evaluates how their position within industry can spark connections to key stakeholders and accelerate large-scale adoption of innovation.
Eligible Countries
No country restrictions stated.
Complete the Discovery Form
Apply at: https://autodesk.fluxx.io/apply/investment
The first step to be considered for Autodesk Foundation funding is to complete the Discovery Form. The foundation reviews every Discovery Form submission and aims to get back to organizations within three weeks. They encourage organizations to first explore the website to learn more about the foundation’s funding approach, criteria, and the organizations currently in their portfolio before completing the form. The form takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
Understand the introductory interview process
The foundation schedules introductory calls with those organizations that work in their impact opportunity areas and meet the general selection criteria. In this step, they focus on getting to know the innovator, the solution they're developing, and where the Autodesk Foundation could add value. The foundation knows that an innovator's time is precious, and they strive to determine potential fit for their portfolio within a few conversations.
Submit the application for funding
Each year the foundation invites a small selection of organizations to fill out the Application for Funding. Formal due diligence begins when the innovator submits their application and typically takes 1 to 2 months. In addition to a detailed review of the application materials, they speak with references and have several deep-dive conversations with the innovator to discuss outstanding questions and to explore opportunities for Autodesk Foundation additionality.