The INfinity Prize is the first competitive award to recognize Canadian social enterprises that employ neurodivergent individuals and demonstrate best practices in creating meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for this population.  

In January 2022, the Azrieli Foundation challenged itself to increase the rate of employment and ensure meaningful and equitable career opportunities for neurodivergent adults. We identified the employment social enterprise sector as a key to enhancing employment.   

The INfinity Prize is the first and only competition focused specifically on employment social enterprises for Canada’s neurodivergent community. The prize will help to create employment equity and opportunities, boost awareness and help us take a big step toward creating a more diverse and inclusive society.  

The INfinity Prize is open to all small- and mid-sized employment social enterprises in Canada with fewer than 500 employees and a scalable business model. For more details, review our guidelines.

Yes. There are three types of employment social enterprises:  

• Parallel: Social enterprises and supportive employment initiatives that exist parallel to, and separate from, mainstream competitive employment 
• Linking: Social enterprises and supportive employment initiatives that exist with the intent to connect employees to mainstream competitive employment 
• Hybrid: A combination of parallel and linking opportunities based on the employees’ wants and interests 

No. Of the three types of employment social enterprises – parallel, linking and hybrid – only the linking and hybrid employment social enterprises are eligible.   

The prize winner will receive:  

• A $100,000 cash award 
• Up to ​one hour per week of professional coaching for up to two years  
• In-kind support from the Azrieli Foundation 

You will find more details in the “Guidelines” section of our website.

Yes. The prize winner will:  

• Participate in regular meetings with coaches and Azrieli Foundation staff 
• Adhere to the principles of inclusive employment  
• Adhere to the principles of meaningful employment  
• Participate in the Azrieli Foundation’s Social Enterprise Network and other network-building activities 
• Provide an annual report on operations and finances, and bi-monthly updates on the work with the coach 
• Acknowledge the Azrieli Foundation for any activities related to, or supported by, the INfinity Prize 

For more details, visit the “Guidelines” section of our website. 

There are two steps.

1. Visit the “Guidelines” section of our website, which contains all the information you need to prepare your application.
2. Apply through our online portal.

Online applications are due May 19, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.  

Submissions will be pre-screened by a small team consisting of our Manager of Neurodiverse Initiatives and two independent external advisors. The top 10 submissions will be sent to our panel of judges, who will select the top five applicants. The judges will interview these applicants between August 7 and August 18, 2023, and the top three finalists will be chosen by August 25, 2023.  

The winner of the INfinity Prize will be chosen by an independent panel of judges:  

• Varun Chandak
• Wanda Deschamps
• Caroline von Hirschberg
• Garth Johnson
• Jim Treliving
• Erica Barbosa Vargas

The judges will select the winner of the INfinity Prize at a pitch competition on October 25 or 26, 2023, where the three finalists will present. 

The INfinity Prize is in its pilot year. We hope to host the prize in the future and the frequency will be determined after an evaluation of the inaugural year.  

The word neurodivergent describes someone who behaves, thinks and/or learns differently from those who are considered neurotypical. This may include people with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette syndrome, Down syndrome, dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.  

Social enterprises generate revenue by selling goods and services and reinvesting the majority of their net earnings into their social mission, the local community or a sponsoring charity.   

Employment social enterprises are a sub-category of social enterprises that exist to create training and employment opportunities for people facing barriers to entry into the labour market.