Cities and societies
Innovations that help people and communities thrive
Building inclusive and resilient cities and societies
At Challenge Works, our cities & societies priority area is driven by the belief that where we live deeply impacts our quality of life, and that innovation can help shape stronger, more inclusive communities. We care about how places are designed and how communities change and grow and reinvent themselves. We know that cities are complex places that require creative and people-centred approaches to create more connected societies. Rather than waiting for solutions, we actively partner with local governments, philanthropies, and place-based leaders globally to design and deliver challenge prizes that uncover transformative ideas tailored to local contexts. By taking a collaborative approach, we harness the power of open innovation to ensure breakthroughs happen faster to create healthier, more resilient places where everyone has a chance to thrive.
Take a look at some of the prizes we’ve run in this area
Good Start Challenge
The Good Start Challenge is a global challenge prize to accelerate innvation to promote the wellbeing of parents of children aged 0-6 years old.
Tackling health inequalities: the West Yorkshire Mayor’s big ideas challenge
The Mayor’s big ideas challenge is a £1 million initiative launched by West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to accelerate innovative solutions, products, or services that address health inequalities among communities across West Yorkshire.
Sustainable Cities Challenge
The $9 million Sustainable Cities Challenge aims to harness the power, creativity and energy of innovation to improve access to safe, equitable and sustainable mobility solutions for all.
Current cities and societies partners
We collaborate with forward-thinking partners across municipal and national governments, global institutions, and philanthropic foundations – ranging from UN-Habitat, the World Resources Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies to local city authorities and urban design consultancies – to co-design prizes that accelerate sustainable development and build resilient communities.
Our impact
£1 million deployed across 10 urban resilience challenges
Partnering with the Mayor of London and City Hall, the Mayor’s Resilience Fund awarded grants to tech innovators working alongside local councils, BIDs, and charities to address pressing municipal issues, from supporting gig-economy workers to bolstering local food security.
1 million people supported through economic recovery
Launched in partnership with J.P. Morgan and the Department for Work and Pensions, the £3 million Rapid Recovery Challenge scaled 14 digital solutions (such as Beam and Evenbreak) to help over 1,000,000 vulnerable individuals navigate job loss and personal finance crises in cities across the UK.
150+ municipal authorities engaged on urban mobility
The Sustainable Cities Challenge united city leaders across six continents – from Detroit and Venice to Medellín and Bengaluru – using open-innovation frameworks to accelerate zero-emission transit, lower logistics emissions, and enhance road safety.
Pontus Westerberg, Programme Management Officer
Climate Smart Cities ChallengeSadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Mayor’s Resilience FundBayo Adelaja, CEO, Do It Now Now
Rapid Recovery ChallengeRead more about our cities and societies work
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin crowns the winners of the Mayor’s big ideas challenge
Deep Roots, Global Reach: Lessons from the Good Start Summit in Nairobi
Why community voices matter: Sarah Bowes on tackling health inequalities through innovation
Meet the Good Start Challenge finalists
Tapping into entrepreneurial energy in the Philippines
The Good Start Challenge: Creating Momentum in Uganda
Discover our other priority areas
Learn more about the work we do across our other three priority areas
Climate response
Creating innovations that help tackle the climate crisis
Health
Tackling the biggest health issues of our time
Technology frontiers
Innovations in tech for social good