Camelback Ventures Fellowship
Camelback Ventures
$50,000 in capital
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 4 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
$50K + fellowship for social-impact founders
Camelback Ventures' 16-week Fellowship gives early-stage entrepreneurs — including for-profit founders — working on social impact ventures in education, economic mobility, or health equity $50,000 in capital: an unrestricted grant for nonprofits and schools, a SAFE note or similar for for-profits. Fellows also get coaching, peer learning, and access to the Camelback alumni network, and commit about 10 hours a week for 16 weeks. Camelback prioritizes Black, Latinx, and Indigenous entrepreneurs as part of its equity mission, though other founders may apply.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- $50,000 (unrestricted grant for nonprofits and schools; SAFE note or similar for for-profits)
- Realistic amount
- $50,000 in capital for all Fellows (a grant for nonprofits and schools, a SAFE note or similar for for-profits). Cohort size is typically 15–25 Fellows per class. Program alumni have raised substantial follow-on funding (Camelback claims $250M+ raised by portfolio), but the $50K in capital is the direct award.
- Deadline
- Applications for the current Fellowship cycle (concluding May 2027) are closed; the funder says applications open next year, with no dates posted
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- lump sum
Who qualifies
- Venture must address one of Camelback's three focus areas: education equity, economic mobility, or health equity
- Both for-profit and nonprofit ventures are eligible — Camelback funds social entrepreneurs regardless of legal structure
- Founder (the individual Fellow, not the venture) must be at an early stage — ventures should be pre-seed to seed stage with proof of concept but not yet at Series A
- Camelback explicitly prioritizes Black, Latinx, and Indigenous founders as part of its equity-centered mission; other underrepresented founders are also encouraged to apply
- Founder must be able to commit about 10 hours a week for 16 weeks to fellowship program activities (cohort calls, retreats, coaching)
- U.S.-based ventures strongly preferred; venture must serve U.S. communities
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Grant is unrestricted — any legitimate venture expense
- Salaries and stipends for the founder and team
- Product development and prototyping
- Program delivery and operations
- Community engagement and research
- Technology and tools
Ineligible expenses
- No published list of ineligible expenses — grant is unrestricted for venture purposes
- Personal expenses unrelated to the venture
How to apply
-
1
Confirm focus area alignment
Verify your venture addresses education equity, economic mobility, or health equity — Camelback's three defined impact areas. Review the Fellowship page for any year-specific focus area refinements.
~1 hrs
-
2
Complete the online application
Applications typically include: written short-answer questions about your venture's theory of change, your background as a founder, early evidence of traction or impact, and why you need the fellowship at this stage. Some cycles include a short video (2–3 minutes). The application is not exhaustive — quality and clarity of thinking are more important than length.
~6 hrs
-
3
Participate in interviews (semi-finalists)
Selected semi-finalists are invited to a virtual interview with Camelback staff. The interview focuses on the founder's motivation, venture model, and fit with the fellowship cohort.
~3 hrs
-
4
Complete due diligence (finalists)
Finalists provide supporting documentation about their venture (financial statements if available, legal structure, brief organizational overview). Camelback is founder-first — this step is light-touch for early-stage ventures.
~2 hrs
Camelback funds the founder, not just the venture — applications that convey a compelling personal story and founder-market fit alongside traction outperform polished pitch decks.
Deadline & timing
Camelback runs one cohort per year. Applications typically open in fall (September–November) with fellows announced the following spring. The 2025 cohort application period has closed; the 2026 cohort cycle has not yet been announced as of May 2026. Subscribe to Camelback's mailing list for announcement.
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