Erase Indifference Challenge

We want to take an active stand against indifference to discrimination in all its forms. The goal of the Challenge is to recognize and reward projects that are already taking concrete actions to erase indifference, while also making indifference a subject of public conversation. By highlighting successful initiatives and the tools they use, we aim to inspire others to take action and show that reducing indifference is possible. Indifference poses a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of many in our societies, and addressing it is essential to creating more inclusive and responsive communities.

Erase Indifference Challenge is a global initiative to recognize and reward projects that are already taking concrete steps to reduce indifference towards discrimination, particularly racism, antisemitism, misogyny, and discrimination against migrants, refugees, and LGBTQIA+ people. The Challenge serves as an engine to highlight modern, imaginative, and measurable initiatives that demonstrate real impact, inspire others, and contribute to the reduction of indifference, the growth of empathy, and the appreciation of diversity. As its name suggests, the focus is on addressing indifference to discrimination, which may not always be immediately obvious. While many initiatives approach discrimination directly, our competition emphasizes projects that tackle indifference itself—showing practical ways to engage communities, change behaviors, and inspire action against social passivity.

The main target group of the project are “bystanders” – people indifferent to acts of aggression or discrimination against others; individuals who witness harmful behavior or situations without intervening.

We offer a total of eight awards for projects that have already demonstrated tangible results in reducing indifference to discrimination. The awards are structured as follows: 1 main award of €20,000 7 awards of €10,000 each These grants are intended for projects that have already shown measurable impact and effectively address at least one of the previously mentioned forms of indifference

On 30th October 2026, the Open Call for applications will commence and applicants from all over the world are invited to participate. We strive to make our competition as accessible and straightforward as possible, therefore we have prepared a simple application process.  You can find the application form on the EraseIndifference.org website in the section dedicated to the competition. A successful application generates a confirmation email sent to the indicated address.

The Challenge is free to enter.

We direct our initiative to NGOs, startups, companies, public institutions or religious associations from all over the world. However, there are certain groups of entities that we cannot admit into our Challenge. We cannot accept your application if you are: financed by or in any way related to political entities, implementing (or having implemented in the past) activities or projects that stand in opposition to the mission of the Auschwitz Pledge Foundation.

No, you cannot.

The application has to be submitted in English. As this is an international challenge, we ask that all participants be able to speak and write in English at least on a communicative level.

If you successfully submit your project, it first undergoes a formal and content-related assessment conducted by the Erase Indifference team. At this stage, applications are reviewed for both eligibility and substantive quality. Selected teams are then invited to an individual workshop with the Erase Indifference team. Following this meeting, and depending on the outcome of the evaluation, shortlisted teams may also be invited to a workshop with an external expert. After this stage, selected applications proceed to the evaluation of the Challenge Committee, which chooses 8 winning projects. Among these winners, the Committee designates 1 main award of €20,000 and 7 additional awards of €10,000 each. The selected projects receive financial support from Erase Indifference in recognition of their demonstrated impact in reducing indifference to discrimination.

The Challenge Committee is a body composed of external experts on social enterprises and matters concerning discrimination – especially racism, antisemitism and religious discrimination, misogyny as well as discrimination against migrants and refugees, and LGBTQIA+ people – and additionally experts on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and startups. The Committee consists of people from various countries.

This means that we ask you to incorporate technology as either the main tool of the project or a means of scaling the reach of your idea.

In this program, we are looking for projects that are already implemented or ongoing and have demonstrated tangible results in reducing indifference. Innovativeness can still be relative: for example, solutions or ICT tools that were previously used for other purposes (like mapping social media users or workshops aimed at empowerment) can be considered innovative in the context of addressing indifference.

Yes, you can. Team members can choose to participate several years in a row – we do not have any limitations.

No, you cannot. One team may submit one application only.

Yes, you can. The fact that we have 5 pillars of focus (racism, misogyny, antisemitism, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and discrimination against migrants and refugees) does not mean that your project cannot tackle any other form or type of discrimination. During the evaluation process, all applications will be treated equally.

Yes, you can apply to the Challenge in a partnership. Your partners, however, should also meet all the earlier mentioned criteria.

No. The competition is not focused on projects that provide direct support or services to people affected by discrimination. We are looking for initiatives that address social indifference to discrimination by engaging the wider public. The goal is to support projects that encourage people to recognize, respond to, and actively oppose discrimination, while building empathy, responsibility, and social involvement.