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Echoing Green Fellowship

Global

by Echoing Green

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

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Funding

$100,000 over 18 months

Duration

18 months

Geography

Global

Eligibility

Open to individuals or two-person partnerships with an original idea for a new organization addressing a social problem. The venture must be in its first two years or still in planning. Applicants must commit full-time during the fellowship.

Application

Annual (applications typically open in January)

Deadline

March 2026

Social ImpactEntrepreneurshipLeadership

About This Fellowship

The Echoing Green Fellowship is one of the most prestigious launch-stage programs for social entrepreneurs worldwide. Since 1987, the organization has invested over $60 million in more than 900 social enterprise leaders, including the founders of Teach For America, City Year, SKS Microfinance, and the Innocence Project.

Fellows receive $100,000 in seed funding over 18 months, along with leadership development, technical assistance, and access to a powerful global network of social innovators. The fellowship specifically targets leaders at the earliest stages — those with a bold idea and a plan but who have not yet launched or are within the first two years of operation.

What sets Echoing Green apart is its emphasis on investing in the leader as much as the idea. The selection process evaluates not just the viability of the social enterprise, but the founder's lived experience, resilience, and connection to the community they aim to serve.

What You Get

Echoing Green provides a comprehensive package designed to help early-stage social entrepreneurs move from idea to operational organization.

  • $100,000 in seed funding ($80,000 for individual fellows, $100,000 for partnerships of two co-leaders)
  • Stipend disbursed over 18 months to support full-time work on the venture
  • Leadership development programming including workshops, retreats, and one-on-one coaching
  • Technical assistance covering legal structure, fundraising strategy, board development, and impact measurement
  • Access to the Echoing Green alumni network of 900+ social entrepreneurs across 86 countries
  • Introductions to funders, mentors, and sector leaders through curated networking opportunities
  • Health insurance stipend for US-based fellows

Selection Process

Echoing Green uses a rigorous multi-stage selection process that evaluates thousands of applications annually. The process is designed to identify leaders with both a compelling vision and the personal qualities needed to drive lasting systems change.

  • Applications open in January and close in March each year
  • Round 1: Written application reviewed by trained readers evaluating innovation, feasibility, and leadership potential
  • Round 2: Semi-finalists submit additional materials including a detailed budget and organizational plan
  • Round 3: Finalists participate in in-person interviews with Echoing Green staff and external evaluators
  • Approximately 20-30 fellows are selected from 3,000+ applications annually (less than 1% acceptance rate)
  • Decisions are announced in June, with the fellowship starting in the fall

Who Should Apply

The fellowship is designed for leaders who are launching or have recently launched a new organization tackling a pressing social issue. Echoing Green specifically seeks founders whose personal experience gives them deep insight into the problem they are solving.

  • Individuals or two-person partnerships with an original idea for a new social enterprise
  • Ventures must be in the first two years of operation or still in the planning stage
  • Applicants must be able to commit full-time to the venture during the fellowship period
  • Open to both nonprofit and for-profit social enterprises
  • Applicants from any country are eligible, though materials must be submitted in English

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