In 2024, 79% of adults worldwide held a financial account. Only 56% could reliably find extra money in an emergency. The World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 reports both numbers, and the 23-point gap between them is the problem MIT Solve wants applicants to close.
The Funding Opportunity
The 2027 Global Economic Prosperity Challenge wants technology-based solutions in these areas:
- Financial health and resilience for individuals, families, and small businesses
- Pathways to quality employment, especially for young people and workers outside formal labor markets as AI changes entry-level jobs
- Safe, affordable, climate-resilient housing for informally settled or displaced people
Solve defines technology broadly. It accepts SMS and AI tools alongside traditional and ancestral building methods.
This is a prize and accelerator program, not a grant. Every selected team receives a $10,000 Solver Award, and Solve reports an average of $40,000 per team after selection. Selected teams also compete for partner prizes, including:
- AI for Humanity Prize: up to $150,000 for AI and data science solutions
- AI for Social Innovation Prize: up to $100,000, split among as many as four teams
- Innovation Prize: $100,000 to one team
Solvers join a nine-month program of coaching and pro bono support, about 25 hours in total. Solve also expects four days in Cambridge, Massachusetts in April and four days in New York City in September.
Apply Now! Deadline is November 2, 2026
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