Build up Nepal Wins $250,000 Lipman Family Prize

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ADES and Healthy Learners Win $125,000 Each

PHILADELPHIA, April 21, 2023—Build up Nepal has been named the grand prize winner of the 2023 Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize. Chosen from approximately 100 applicants around the globe, Build up Nepal empowers rural entrepreneurs and communities in Nepal and India to build safe, affordable homes and resilient incomes. Founded in 2015, Build up Nepal is on a mission to replace dirty fired bricks with low-carbon, affordable bricks made by local micro-enterprises.

As the 2023 grand prize winner, Build up Nepal will receive $250,000 in unrestricted funds and additional winners ADES and Healthy Learners will each receive $125,000. Each organization will also receive executive training and support from the Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania. The 2023 winners were celebrated at the annual Lipman Family Prize Award Ceremony held in Philadelphia, PA on April 20, 2023.

Lipman Director Euria Min said, “The 2023 Lipman Prize winners are paving the way for real change in their respective social impact sectors. We are thrilled they found us and are honored to welcome them into the Lipman Family Prize community. Our award ceremony was just the beginning of our partnership with each organization, and we look forward to following their growing impact for many years to come.”

“The Lipman Family Prize is a huge honor for our organization. The unrestricted funds we receive will go a long way in helping poor families in Nepal build safe and climate friendly homes. We are privileged and honored to be awarded the Lipman Family Prize,” said Build up Nepal co-founder and CEO Björn Söderberg.

About the 2023 Winners

  • ADES uses efficient cookstoves, environmental education, and reforestation, to provide low-cost and sustainable solutions to counteract the many socio-economic and environmental issues related to the deforestation of Madagascar.
  • Build Up Nepal empowers rural entrepreneurs and communities in Nepal and India to build safe, affordable homes and resilient incomes.
  • Healthy Learners works collaboratively with communities, schools, healthcare providers and families to remove health barriers to learning through screening, referral and access to medical services.

In addition to the $250,000 financial prize—which is offered to the grand prize winner without restrictions—all three Lipman Family Prize winners gain access to a growing network of change makers and thought leaders to accelerate cutting-edge change worldwide. The Prize connects those on the cusp of great change with resources, skills and people-power to expand the impact and influence of their ideas. Benefits include an executive education program, an exclusive opportunity to apply for the Lipman Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship in the School of Social Policy & Practice, pro-bono consultation from University faculty and staff, peer learning events, as well as expert- and student-driven research to inform and guide their work.

About the Lipman Family Prize

First awarded in 2012, the Lipman Family Prize at the University of Pennsylvania is an annual global prize that advances creative solutions by inspiring people to think together in new ways. Administered by the Wharton School on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania, the Prize is committed to resourcing and connecting change-makers to bring innovative ideas to new places and problems around the world. Previous winners include iDE, READ Global, Breakthrough, Riders for Health, Soccer Without Borders, Women Against Abuse, MyAgro, World Bicycle Relief, Sanku, EarthEnable, and CDD Society.

About the Wharton School

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

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