Autodesk Foundation Catalytic Funding for Design and Engineering Solutions

Autodesk Foundation Catalytic Funding for Design and Engineering Solutions is sponsored by Autodesk Foundation. The Autodesk Foundation provides essential capital to nonprofits and startups developing innovative, sustainable solutions in areas such as energy, health, and work.

The funding supports impactful, scalable projects that leverage Autodesk's expertise to reduce emissions, enhance community resilience, and prepare workers for a changing job market.

Impact Measurement & Management Explore our Decade of Impact report for ten years of philanthropy, insights, and stories of impact. Supporting innovators to design and make a better world for all The Autodesk Foundation’s mission is to support innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Image courtesy of MASS Design Group Bringing innovation to scale The Autodesk Foundation aligns its philanthropic offerings with design and engineering. We invest in nonprofits and startups helping to de-risk innovation and bring industry-transforming solutions to scale.

By facilitating a blend of funding, technical training, and expertise, we can bring early-stage innovations to market to advance a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient world. We focus our funding on three impact areas guided by strategic investment theses that drive impact outcomes across our industries. Avoiding, reducing, and removing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized economy.

Image courtesy of Prometheus Materials Improving resilience in low-resource communities with climate adaptation technologies. Image courtesy of Okra Solar Preparing workers to thrive in the era of automation by creating opportunities for quality employment for all. Image courtesy of JARC Rhode Island More than fifty organizations receive grants and impact investments to scale innovative solutions to climate change and inequality.

Image courtesy of FreeWorld Thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators use Autodesk design and make software and technical training for positive impact. Hundreds of Autodesk employees work alongside nonprofits and startups to imagine, design, and make a better world.

Image courtesy of Bridges to Prosperity Image courtesy of Robb Hohmann, Bridges to Prosperity Impact measurement and management The Autodesk Foundation’s impact measurement and management (IMM) practice is central to our work—informing how we invest and adapt to optimize impact.

We invest in our portfolio’s impact outcomes through a rigorous IMM practice that establishes accountability, informs decision-making, and generates evidence of success.

individuals reached with resilient solutions in housing and infrastructure, energy access, agricultural productivity, and workforce development † metric tons CO 2 e of GHG emissions reduced‡ individuals obtained new or improved jobs‡ * Impact metrics in this section rely on data aggregated and sourced from financial reports, annual reports, organizational key performance indicators, and self-reported data from the Autodesk Foundation portfolio since 2019.

† Peak reach of cumulative data from organizations, since their inception, that were a part of the Autodesk Foundation portfolio in 2024. ‡ Based on data that was self-reported by portfolio organizations. When crises strike, urgent solutions are needed.

We deliver philanthropic support, Autodesk technology, and Autodesk expertise to address the negative impacts of natural and human-made disasters, social unrest, and pandemics that negatively affect our communities, customers, and employees globally.