Aspen Institute and Pivotal Announce Awardees of the $60 Million Workplace Innovation Now Challenge

National convening on October 22 will spotlight breakthrough initiatives to help women thrive and uplift entire communities

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute, today announced the award-winning solutions of the $60 million Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge. The goal of the WIN Challenge is to build better workplaces for all by removing barriers that women face, so that the benefits will be felt across communities and the economy. The 18 awardees represent a new generation of workplace innovation, addressing challenges ranging from caregiving and workforce participation to the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence and the narratives that shape workplace culture. Grants were awarded for $2.5 million or $5 million based on rigorous program evaluation.

Led by Aspen Digital and supported by Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, the WIN Challenge was launched in fall 2025 to discover and scale transformative ideas across three key pillars: Culture & Practices, AI, and Narrative.

Aspen Digital will spotlight the award-winning solutions at its inaugural WIN Summit on October 22 in New York City, convening leaders from business, philanthropy, academia, and the social sector to connect and learn – and to advance and scale ideas that will help women thrive and everyone win as the future of work is rapidly changing.

"Workplaces have changed dramatically in recent years—but in many ways they're still shaped by the past," said Melinda French Gates, founder of Pivotal. "We see it in everything from harmful biases about women's capabilities to outdated practices that make it impossible to balance raising a family with building a career. But these extraordinary innovators are proving that these problems can be solved. They've brought forward a bold set of ideas to remove barriers that prevent people from accessing economic opportunity and reaching their full potential—and finally bring our workplaces into the future." 

Among the winning solutions are innovative models to finance and grow childcare infrastructure in rural areas, new software that optimizes schedules for hourly workers to provide more flexibility and predictability, new AI-backed tools that identify funding opportunities for small businesses, as well as new approaches to upskill workers to master AI. Additional solutions include creative efforts designed to shift workplace culture by bringing greater attention to overlooked topics, from health issues like menopause to businesses embracing family-oriented values.

Learn more about the individual awardees at awardees.winchallenge.org.

"These awardees demonstrate what is possible when bold ideas are matched with credible paths to scale and lasting impact," said Maria Acebal, Interim President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. "At a defining moment, as new technologies rapidly reshape how we work and who has access to opportunity, they are not simply responding to the future of work—they are helping to shape it. Their solutions offer practical, powerful ways to remove barriers, expand opportunity, and build workplaces where women—and everyone—can contribute at their full potential."

The WIN Challenge received nearly 900 applications from organizations across the United States and U.S. territories with innovative approaches to help everyone succeed amid rapid economic and technological change. Each applicant underwent a comprehensive multiple step review process, including a peer review, an external evaluation panel composed of corporate, philanthropic, academic, and nonprofit experts in workplace innovation, technology, and narrative, and a review from the WIN Council composed of distinguished workplace leaders and innovators.

"The WIN Challenge started with a simple question: what would it take to build workplaces where women—and everyone—can thrive? The answer came back in hundreds of applications from every corner of the country," said Clare Bresnahan English, Senior Director of the WIN Challenge at Aspen Digital. "These 18 awardees show us that there is no single blueprint to break down the barriers that women face in the workplace. They are all working from different angles to close the gap between what we know can make workplaces better for everyone and what actually becomes standard practice."

Additional proposals submitted to the WIN Challenge will be made available in a searchable database to serve as a valuable resource for businesses, organizations, funders, and decision makers exploring potential partnerships or investments to help reshape workplaces.

Visit winchallenge.org for more information.

Aspen Digital
A program of the Aspen Institute, Aspen Digital brings together thinkers and doers from the U.S. and around the world to uncover new ideas and spark actions that empower communities and strengthen democracy. Aspen Digital will leverage its expertise in emerging technology and narrative change to unlock new opportunities and partner with the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program, drawing on its long experience helping people thrive in a changing economy.

Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society's greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

Pivotal
Founded by Melinda French Gates in 2015, Pivotal is a group of organizations that work to accelerate the pace of social progress and expand women's power and influence in the U.S. and around the world. Through high-impact investments, philanthropy, partnerships, and advocacy, Pivotal seeks to remove the barriers that hold women—and all people—back. Pivotal includes Pivotal Ventures, LLC and Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) private foundation launched in 2022.

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SOURCE Aspen Institute