Echoing Green Fellowship Grant

The Echoing Green Fellowship empowers innovative leaders dedicated to solving critical global issues. With support spanning leadership development, funding, and community building, the Fellowship nurtures early-stage social entrepreneurs. This program seeks applicants who reflect their communities and demonstrate the ability to create systemic change across various sectors, including education, climate justice, and human rights. Echoing Green has a rich history of fostering transformative leadership and advancing equity for a better future.

Through our full-time Fellowship, we find people working on plans to make the world better in a big way.
All About the Fellowship
For over 35 years, Echoing Green has been on the front lines of solving the world's biggest problems by raising up transformational leaders who challenge the status quo.
We seek leaders who bring deep knowledge and passion to designing solutions with and for their communities. Fellows are lifelong members of Echoing Green’s community and work across issue areas to advance equity, including education, climate justice, human rights, health, and more.
Capacity Building
Leadership DevelopmentA comprehensive, self-paced program to work towards building leadership skills and developing the structures and strategies needed for ideas to thrive.Wellness and Wellbeing SupportOngoing support focuses on mental and emotional wellbeing along with self-care workshops designed specifically for the struggles of entrepreneurship.
Capital
Expert ResourcesThe programs team facilitates the Fellow experience and connects these leaders to experts and opportunities according to their needs.Seed FundingA stipend over two years ($80,000 for individuals; $90,000 for partnerships).  Funding offered to for-profit organizations is in the form of recoverable grants.
Community
Virtual and In-Person ConveningsGatherings to connect Fellows within and across classes, regions, and communities to build strong ties among Fellows over their entrepreneurial journey.Expert SupportA suite of pro-bono support from leading professionals to build organizational capacity and help navigate the social innovation field.Opportunities to connect with experienced business leaders committed to supporting positive social change globally.
The Issues
Climate ChangeEducationHealthHuman RightsPovertyRacial Justice
Three rules guide the Echoing Green search and selection model, even as we’re always adapting to stay ahead of the curve.
Who We're Looking For
Echoing Green supports bold leaders from all over the world who see possibility in the face of the most existential challenges of our day.
This Fellowship is for people whose enterprises are at an early stage and who are experts on the challenge they’ve chosen to confront. We seek leaders who reflect the community they serve and bring deep knowledge of the issues into their work as they co-design solutions with and for their communities.
What we look for in your organization
Innovation: What about your approach is different from things that have been tried in the past?Importance: Explain to us the problem you want to solve and why it matters now on a global, regional, or local scale.Potential for Impact: We want to know if your project will directly impact many lives, or create systemic changes.A Good Business Model: You do not have to have solved all the details of how your organization will run, but show us that you are considering this thoughtfully and realistically.

Eligibility

Applicant EligibilityYou must be over 18 years old, fluent in English, and able to commit a full 40-hour work week to your organization. The organization must be the original idea of the applicant(s), in its start-up phase (usually within the first two years of operation), and independent and autonomous.If you are currently a full-time student or employee, you must agree to make your organization your full-time engagement if awarded a Fellowship.You do not need to be based in the US or be an American citizen. The only limitation on work location is that if your project is based in the United States, then you must have American work authorization (i.e., citizenship, permanent residence status, or a work visa). Echoing Green does not sponsor American work permits for any foreign nationals.You are welcome to reapply each year.Organization EligibilityAn organization can be structured as a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid.An organization does not only have to be run by one individual. Partners can apply for a Fellowship.Organizations still in the idea phase are eligible. You do not need to establish 501(c)(3) status or register your organization before you apply.The program must be independent and autonomous. It cannot be under the management of another organization. If you have a fiscal sponsor that provides support but does not control organization decisions, you are eligible.Tuition or scholarship funding, or research projects; lobbying or faith-based organizations; and existing organizations which have grown past their start-up phase are not eligible to apply.You are welcome to reapply each year.Applying as PartnersAn organization does not only have to be run by one individual. Partners can apply for a Fellowship. You will be asked additional questions in your application about your partnership.Each individual within the partnership must meet all Applicant Eligibility requirements.Only two founders may apply per organization. However, you do not need to change your leadership structure to suit Echoing Green. Even if only two founders can be Echoing Green Fellows, you can have as many people leading your organization as you see necessary.We do not allow applicants to change their application type from individual to partnership during the application process. Nor can you swap out one partner for another during the application process or during the Fellowship period.Partnerships must submit a joint application for their project. Applicants who choose to apply as part of a partnership must complete one application together. Partners who submit separate applications for the same project will be automatically disqualified from consideration.

Ineligibility

In order to be eligible for an Echoing Green Fellowship, lobbying cannot serve as a primary function of your organization. Lobbying is defined as any organizational programs or priorities that seek to influence government action or legislation and seek to support specific political candidates or political parties. Issue-area advocacy (attempting to cause political action using methods such as civil education and public campaigns) is not considered lobbying.In order to be eligible for an Echoing Green Fellowship, you cannot promote a single faith to your constituency. If your work has a spiritual element but does not promote one religious faith, you may be eligible for consideration.