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Equity-Free Programs for Founders

54 programs match in our directory. These programs describe their funding as a grant, as non-dilutive or as taking no equity, or are fellowships whose funding text mentions no investment. Always confirm terms on the program site.

Equity-Free Fellowships & Programs for Founders
ProgramTypeFundingDeadlineStatus
Thiel FellowshipFellowship$200,000 over 2 yearsDeadline not announcedRolling
YC Summer FellowsFellowship$20,000 + $90,000 compute creditsDeadline not announcedClosed
Kleiner Perkins FellowsFellowshipPaid internship (competitive salary)Deadline not announcedClosed
Bagel FundFellowship$100 – $500 micrograntDeadline not announcedRolling
Rhodes ScholarshipFellowshipFull funding at University of Oxford (tuition + stipend)Deadline not announcedClosed
Marshall ScholarshipFellowshipFull funding at any UK university (tuition + stipend)Deadline not announcedClosed
Hertz FellowshipFellowship$250,000+ over 5 yearsOct 31, 2026Open
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)Fellowship$37,000/year stipend + $16,000 education allowanceDeadline not announcedUnknown
Schmidt Science FellowsFellowshipFully funded 2-year postdoctoral fellowshipDeadline not announcedClosed
Google PhD FellowshipFellowship$85,000/year (stipend + tuition)Deadline not announcedClosed
Meta Research PhD FellowshipFellowshipTuition + $42,000/year stipendDeadline not announcedClosed
DeepMind Postdoctoral FellowshipFellowshipFully funded postdoctoral positionDeadline not announcedUnknown
Activate FellowshipFellowship$100,000+ research funding + lab accessDeadline not announcedOpen
Echoing Green FellowshipFellowship$100,000 over 18 monthsDeadline not announcedClosed
Ashoka FellowshipFellowshipLiving stipend for up to 3 yearsDeadline not announcedUnknown
Obama Foundation Leaders ProgramFellowshipFully funded (travel, accommodation, programming)Deadline not announcedClosed
Skoll Award for Social InnovationFellowship$2 million unrestricted over 3 yearsDeadline not announcedUnknown
AAAS Science & Technology Policy FellowshipsFellowship~$100,000+ per year (stipend varies by placement)Nov 1, 2026Open
Google.org AI Opportunity FundFellowship$120M total fund — grants to nonprofits and educators for AI skills trainingDeadline not announcedUnknown
Google Cybersecurity Clinics FundFellowshipUp to $1M per institutionDeadline not announcedClosed
Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for ScienceFellowship$500K–$3M per organizationDeadline not announcedClosed
Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government InnovationFellowship$1M–$3M per organizationDeadline not announcedClosed
Guggenheim FellowshipFellowship~$50,000 (average; varies by project)Deadline not announcedClosed
Radcliffe Institute FellowshipFellowship$78,000 stipend + Harvard office and resourcesDeadline not announcedClosed
Emergent VenturesFellowship$1K – $50KDeadline not announcedRolling
O'Shaughnessy Fellowships & GrantsFellowshipUp to $100K (Fellowships) / $10K (Grants)Deadline not announcedClosed
RiseFellowshipLifetime support (funding, mentorship, networking)Deadline not announcedClosed
Atlas FellowshipFellowship$10,000 scholarship + programDeadline not announcedClosed
Interact FellowshipFellowshipRetreats + project grantsDeadline not announcedClosed
Fulbright U.S. Student ProgramFellowshipFully funded (travel, living, tuition)Deadline not announcedClosed
Knight-Hennessy ScholarsFellowshipFull funding for up to 3 years at StanfordDeadline not announcedClosed
Churchill ScholarshipFellowshipFull funding at University of CambridgeNov 2, 2026Open
Schwarzman ScholarsFellowshipFully funded (tuition, room, board, travel)Deadline not announcedClosed
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New AmericansFellowshipUp to $90,000 over 2 yearsOct 29, 2026Open
Schmidt Sciences AI2050 FellowshipsFellowshipVaries (generous multi-year grants)Deadline not announcedUnknown
Google DeepMind ScholarshipFellowshipFully funded (tuition, stipend, and research costs)Deadline not announcedClosed
AI and Society FellowshipFellowship$25,000 stipend + travel and meals coveredDeadline not announcedClosed
Encode: AI for Science FellowshipFellowship£115,000 salary + £100K+ compute budgetDeadline not announcedClosed
Cosmos Institute — AI for Truth-Seeking FellowshipFellowship$1k–$10k fast grants (up to $10,000); part of a $1M pool incl. Prime Intellect compute creditsDeadline not announcedClosed
Cosmos Institute — AI and Human Autonomy FellowshipFellowship$1k–$10k fast grants (larger amounts considered for exceptional proposals)Deadline not announcedClosed
Cosmos Institute — AI-accelerated Scholarship (with IHS)FellowshipAI tool / compute credits for research and experimentation (typically <$5,000)Deadline not announcedUnknown
Nieman Fellowship at HarvardFellowshipStipend + full Harvard access (housing allowance available)Jan 31, 2027Open
f(Lux) FellowshipFellowship$15,000 non-dilutive grantDeadline not announcedClosed
500 Global AcceleratorAccelerator$150KDeadline not announcedRolling
MassChallengeAcceleratorNon-dilutive awards + partner funding pathwaysDeadline not announcedUnknown
LAUNCH AcceleratorAccelerator$125KDeadline not announcedOpen
Google.org Accelerator: Generative AIAccelerator$500K–$2MDeadline not announcedOpen
Solo Founders ProgramAccelerator$100,000Deadline not announcedClosed
HSG START AcceleratorAcceleratorCHF 15,000 grant, plus access to up to CHF 200,000Deadline not announcedClosed
Google for Startups AcceleratorAcceleratorUp to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits (equity-free)Deadline not announcedClosed
Afore Founder-in-ResidenceResidency$100K+Deadline not announcedOpen
PearXResidency$250K–$2MDeadline not announcedOpen
Perplexity Research ResidencyResidency$220K/year (prorated)Deadline not announcedOpen
Astera Institute ResidencyResidency$125K–$250K salary + up to $1.5M project budgetDeadline not announcedClosed
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