July 7 Update: The application period has been extended from July 15 to July 22.
Fortune’s Change the World list recognizes companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. We prioritize companies with annual revenues of $1 billion or more. Fortune writers and editors, with help from the Shared Value Initiative, evaluate the companies by these four factors:
- Measurable social impact: We consider the reach, nature, and durability of the company’s impact on one or more specific societal problems. This category receives extra weight.
- Business results: We consider the benefit the socially impactful work brings to the company. Profitability and contribution to shareholder value outweigh benefits to the company’s’ reputation.
- Degree of innovation: We consider how innovative the company’s effort is relative to that of others in its industry and whether other companies have followed its example.
- Corporate Integration: We consider how integral the initiative is to a company’s overall strategy, and how well that strategy is communicated through the ranks and elsewhere.
Applications must be received by 11:59pm ET on Thursday, July 22, 2021. Only applications received through the online survey will be accepted but you may download a Word document of the application for drafting purposes. (Applications that have been submitted to Fortune do not need to be resubmitted here.)
Note: COVID-19 continues to change the reality on the ground for many businesses and the communities they serve. We welcome applications related to COVID-19, but also encourage submissions about corporate efforts that existed before and/or outside of the pandemic and address issues independent of it including but not limited to racial and gender equity, the climate crisis, the future of work and income inequality.
The 2021 Change the World List will be published on Fortune.com on or around Monday, October 11. You can see last year’s list here.
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The Shared Value Initiative is proud to be Fortune’s research partner during the development of each year’s list. The 2021 application is open from May 3 through July 15. For more information about the Fortune Change the World List, please provide your contact information below.
