Fellowships 2026

$200,000 over 2 years

The Thiel Fellowship gives $200,000 to young people under 22 who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom. Founded by Peter Thiel, the program encourages ambitious individuals to pursue bold ideas outside of traditional education.

$500,000 investment

Y Combinator is the world's most prestigious startup accelerator, investing $500,000 in early-stage companies through its iconic 3-month batch program. YC has funded over 5,000 startups including Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, and Reddit.

$20,000 + $90,000 compute credits

YC Summer Fellows is a program for current students to spend their summer building an AI startup. Fellows receive $20,000 in funding, $90,000 in compute credits, and mentorship from YC partners without giving up any equity.

Stipend + up to ~$250K investment + $600K+ credits

World's leading talent investor — invests in founders before idea. Up to ~$250K + $600K+ credits (OpenAI, Anthropic, GitHub) + up to $5M follow-on. $200M raised March 2026, portfolio worth $16B+.

Community & network (no direct funding)

The On Deck Founder Fellowship is a community-driven program that connects ambitious founders with peers, mentors, and investors. While it does not provide direct funding, it offers one of the strongest founder networks in tech.

$10,000 at $1B valuation cap

Z Fellows invests $10,000 at a $1 billion valuation cap in exceptional young builders. The program runs an intensive 2-week sprint in San Francisco, connecting fellows with top founders, investors, and each other.

Mentorship & network (no direct funding)

Neo Scholars connects top computer science undergraduates with mentorship from leading tech founders and executives. Founded by Ali Partovi, the program offers a curated network and career acceleration without requiring equity or a startup.

Paid internship (competitive salary)

The Kleiner Perkins Fellows program places top engineering and design students at KP portfolio companies for a summer internship. Fellows gain hands-on startup experience and join a prestigious alumni network of tech leaders.

Community-first fellowship (no standard grant)

South Park Commons Fellowship is a pre-idea and early-idea program for exceptional technologists and domain experts who want to explore startup ideas inside a dense founder community.

Verified 2/14/2026

Paid fellowship placement (varies by host role)

True Ventures Fellowship connects top students and emerging builders with startup roles inside the True portfolio, combining operating exposure with a strong founder network.

Verified 2/14/2026

$100K (up to $1M)

Soma Capital's fellowship invests $100K (up to $1M) via uncapped SAFE in early-stage founders, with weekly office hours, virtual Demo Day, and investor introductions. 19 unicorns in portfolio.

Verified 2/14/2026

$100 – $500 microgrant

Bagel Fund is a nonprofit microgrant program run by a friend group in tech that gives $100–$500 to young people working on important problems with scrappy solutions. Non-dilutive, with a 48-hour response time.

Verified 3/3/2026

Full funding at University of Oxford (tuition + stipend)

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most prestigious international scholarship, fully funding graduate study at the University of Oxford. Established in 1903, it selects exceptional young leaders from over 60 countries each year.

Full funding at any UK university (tuition + stipend)

The Marshall Scholarship funds outstanding young Americans to pursue graduate study at any UK university. Established in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude for the Marshall Plan, the program selects approximately 50 scholars each year.

$250,000+ over 5 years

The Hertz Fellowship provides up to $250,000 in funding for PhD students in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences. It is one of the most generous and selective doctoral fellowships in the United States.

$37,000/year stipend + $16,000 education allowance

The NSF GRFP is the premier federal fellowship for STEM graduate students, providing three years of financial support including a $37,000 annual stipend and $16,000 education allowance. Over 2,000 fellowships are awarded annually.

Fully funded 2-year postdoctoral fellowship

Schmidt Science Fellows supports exceptional early-career scientists in pivoting to a new field for interdisciplinary postdoctoral research. The program is funded by Schmidt Sciences and administered in partnership with the Rhodes Trust.

$85,000/year (stipend + tuition)

The Google PhD Fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding PhD students doing exceptional research in computer science, AI, and related fields. Fellows receive $85,000 per year and are matched with a Google Research mentor.

Tuition + $42,000/year stipend

The Meta Research PhD Fellowship supports outstanding PhD students doing pioneering research in AI, computer science, and related fields. Fellows receive full tuition coverage, a $42,000 annual stipend, and mentorship from Meta researchers.

Fully funded postdoctoral position

The DeepMind Postdoctoral Fellowship places early-career AI researchers at top UK universities to pursue independent research at the intersection of AI and scientific discovery. The fellowship is fully funded by Google DeepMind.

$100,000+ research funding + lab access

The Activate Fellowship supports scientist-entrepreneurs who are commercializing deep tech innovations. Fellows receive funding, lab access at partner institutions, and intensive entrepreneurship training over a 2-year program.

$100,000 over 18 months

Seed-stage funding and strategic support for emerging social entrepreneurs launching bold new organizations.

Living stipend for up to 3 years

A lifetime membership in the world's largest network of social entrepreneurs, with a living stipend to pursue systems-changing work.

Fully funded (travel, accommodation, programming)

A suite of leadership programs convening emerging civic leaders from around the world to develop the skills and networks needed to drive community change.

$2 million unrestricted over 3 years

One of the largest unrestricted awards for social entrepreneurs, recognizing proven leaders driving large-scale change.

$275,000 per year (salary + project funding)

A fellowship investing in open-knowledge innovators with a unique co-investment model that scales funding as the fellow demonstrates impact.

~$100,000+ per year (stipend varies by placement)

The premier program placing PhD-level scientists and engineers in federal policy roles to bridge the gap between science and government.

$800,000 over 5 years

The iconic "Genius Grant" — an $800,000 no-strings-attached investment in extraordinarily creative individuals across every field.

~$50,000 (average; varies by project)

One of the oldest and most respected fellowships in the arts and sciences, supporting scholars, artists, and researchers to pursue ambitious work.

$78,000 stipend + Harvard office and resources

A year-long residency at Harvard for scholars, scientists, artists, and writers to pursue transformative work in an interdisciplinary community.

Platform, coaching, and network access (non-monetary)

A global platform for emerging leaders and innovators, providing TED's legendary stage, world-class coaching, and a powerful interdisciplinary network.

$1K – $50K

A fellowship fund by Tyler Cowen and the Mercatus Center that supports ambitious projects across every domain — from science and technology to the arts and social innovation.

Up to $100K (Fellowships) / $10K (Grants)

O'Shaughnessy Ventures funds young people doing exceptional work at the intersection of science, technology, and art — with no requirement for a traditional academic path.

$1K grants + $50K–$1M investments

1517 Fund backs young builders and dropouts working on hard problems. Their Medici Grants provide small, fast grants while their fund invests in the most promising projects at larger scale.

Lifetime support (funding, mentorship, networking)

Rise identifies brilliant young people aged 15–17 and provides them with lifetime support — funding, mentorship, technology, and a global community — to help them serve others for the rest of their lives.

$10,000 scholarship + program

The Atlas Fellowship gives $10,000 scholarships and an intensive two-week program to exceptional high school students who want to think rigorously about the world's most important problems.

Retreats + project grants

Interact brings together young technologists aged 18–23 who care about the societal implications of technology, through retreats, grants, and a tight-knit intellectual community.

Fully funded (travel, living, tuition)

The flagship international exchange program of the U.S. government, funding American students and recent graduates to study, conduct research, or teach English abroad in over 140 countries.

Full funding for up to 3 years at Stanford

The world's largest fully endowed graduate scholarship program, funding students from any country to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford — from the MBA to a PhD in physics to a JD or MD.

Full cost of study at University of Cambridge

One of the most prestigious international scholarships in the world, funding outstanding students from outside the UK to pursue any postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge.

Full funding at University of Cambridge

A prestigious scholarship sending top American STEM students to Churchill College, Cambridge for a year of graduate study in science, mathematics, and engineering.

Fully funded (tuition, room, board, travel)

A fully funded one-year Master's program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, designed to prepare future leaders to navigate the geopolitical and economic landscape of the 21st century — with China at its center.

Up to $90,000 over 2 years

The premier graduate fellowship for immigrants and children of immigrants in the United States — providing up to $90,000 over two years for any graduate program at any US institution.

Varies (generous multi-year grants)

Schmidt Sciences AI2050 supports visionary researchers working on the hardest and most important questions in AI — the kind of interdisciplinary, high-risk work that traditional funders often overlook.

$75,000–$100,000 stipend + up to $25,000 project budget

The Mozilla Fellows Program supports technologists, activists, policy experts, and artists working to ensure the internet remains a global public resource that is open, accessible, and safe for all.

Fully funded (tuition, stipend, and research costs)

The Google DeepMind Scholarship funds exceptional postdoctoral researchers to pursue independent, original AI research at leading UK academic institutions, bridging the gap between industry-scale AI and fundamental academic inquiry.

AI startup fellowship support + mentor network

Notable Capital NextGen Fellowship supports emerging AI founders and builders with structured programming, mentorship, and access to a high-signal operator/investor network.

Verified 2/14/2026

$20,000 grant (equity-free) + up to $250K investment eligibility

a16z Speedrun Alpha places top early-career engineers and pre-idea founders into the a16z ecosystem with a $20K equity-free grant, up to $250K in investment, or full-time roles at breakout portfolio companies — all through a 2-month in-person fellowship in San Francisco.

Verified 2/21/2026

£115,000 salary + £100K+ compute budget

A 1-year AI for Science fellowship by Pillar VC — £115K salary, £100K+ compute, no equity taken. Oxford-based, focused on applying AI to scientific breakthroughs.

Stipend + full Harvard access (housing allowance available)

The Nieman Fellowship at Harvard is the oldest and most prestigious mid-career fellowship for journalists in the world, offering a transformative year of study, reflection, and community at Harvard University.