The Bergel Institute
Turning research into real-world action — from poverty to human potential
We study the problems that keep people from thriving, and the breakthroughs that prove something better is possible. Then we fund the people doing the work.
2026 award recipient
to consciousness
commitment to ending poverty
What We Do
Research, fellowships, and on-the-ground action
The Bergel Institute connects rigorous research to people and programs that create lasting change. Our work takes three forms:
Research & Analysis
We examine what science, economics, and data actually say about the solvable problems holding humanity back — and the breakthroughs pointing toward something better.
Our Mission →Fellowships
Year-long funded fellowships for practitioners who want to deepen their work in one of our six focus areas. Fellows leave as mentors, required to guide the next cohort.
Fellowship Overview →Awards & Recognition
The $10,000 Courtney Loprest Award honors individuals with an unconditional commitment to eradicating poverty — recognizing impact, not just intention.
Meet the Recipients →Six Areas of Focus
About the Institute
Dedicated to the pursuit of what is possible
We live in a world of solvable contradictions — food wasted blocks from where people go hungry, technology advancing while more than 20 million remain enslaved. The Bergel Institute exists to close that gap: connecting rigorous research, dedicated fellowships, and partnerships across the globe to end suffering that is unnecessary and preventable.
What we think of today as aspirational is only a jumping-off point. We work with urgency because we recognize our deep connectedness — and because these are solvable problems.
Action Guide
From research to action — a practical guide to ending poverty
The founders of The Bergel Institute bring decades of experience working on poverty at the grassroots level and in research and policy analysis. The Action Guide distills what actually works — the direct, proven pathways that lead to people in your community rising out of poverty on a permanent basis.
Fellowships
A year of intensive study and active mentorship
The Institute funds one-year Fellowships for individuals at any career stage who wish to pursue intensive study in one of our six focus areas. The Institute serves as an incubator — fellows deepen their work, then pay it forward, required to serve as mentors for the cohort that follows.
Awards
Honoring those who work to end poverty
The Courtney Loprest Award is a $10,000 annual prize recognizing an individual with an unconditional commitment to eradicating poverty in their community or on a national level. The 2026 recipient is Orondaam Otto, founder of Slum2School Africa, whose work has reached more than 715,000 children across sub-Saharan Africa.
Photo: One of the sustainable school campuses built by Slum2School Africa.
