Tag Archives: USA

EISNER FOUNDATION PRIZE FELLOWSHIP

Application Deadline: May 10, 2026

LOCATION: USA

The Eisner Prize evolved into the Eisner Prize Fellowship to provide financial resources, networking opportunities, and the prestige of the Eisner Prize to leaders with new ideas and perspectives that will propel the field forward. The application for the 2026-27 cycle will be open April 13-May 10. Register for the Showcase and Info Session here.

ELIGIBILITY:

The Eisner Prize Fellowship application is open to anyone in the United States working to innovate in the area of intergenerational connection. People of color and those working with historically marginalized communities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Please note that the Fellowship is for individuals and not intended to serve as a grantmaking program for nonprofits. While nonprofit staff may apply and execute their project under their organization’s umbrella, the project proposed should be a new effort developed and executed by the Fellow. Co-leadership teams may apply, but since the application is set up for individuals, applicant teams must select one person as the main contact. The award funds will remain the same for each fellowship, even if awarded to a team.

Fellows typically convene in July to begin their Fellowship. In the months following, the cohort will regularly meet over Zoom to share their progress and learn from experts and each other. Meeting content and frequency will be tailored to and co-created with the cohort.

Fellows will also occasionally check in individually with the Eisner Foundation. Each Fellow is asked to contribute a short blog post for The Eisner Foundation’s blog at some point during the Fellowship.

BENEFIT:

The Fellowship provides $50,000 total, split as follows:

$10,000 stipend to the Fellow to be used however they wish; it should be disbursed in addition to the Fellow’s salary, not in partial replacement of it

$40,000 for project execution to support new, clearly defined intergenerational projects, and ideally will exclude overhead costs

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FINCA VENTURES PRIZE COMPETITION

Application Deadline:  April 10, 2026

LOCATION: USA

The FINCA Ventures Prize Competition supports rising African entrepreneurs with bold visions, disruptive business models, or new products or technologies that can create meaningful impact for poor and low-income people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hosted by FINCA Ventures annually since 2024, the Prize Competition is a “shark tank” style event where entrepreneurs compete for the opportunity to be awarded grant funding of up to $100,000 to further develop their social enterprises. This event brings together early-stage companies and visionary leaders, donors and investors who are passionate about entrepreneurship.

ELIGIBILITY:

Companies must:

Have at least one African founder

Be a for-profit organization

Be post-revenue (generating revenue)

Be operational for no more than five years

Be operational in Sub-Saharan Africa

Address issues in Fintech for Financial Inclusion or Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

To win a grant award, participants must be willing to travel to San Francisco (with costs covered by FINCA) to present in front of a panel of judges and attend the awards ceremony and reception.

There is no cost to participate in the competition. For applicants invited to pitch at the events in San Francisco.

Applicants must create an account and answer all the questions posed in this application form available at https://fincaventures.awardsplatform.com/. Submissions must be complete before the application deadline on April 10, 2026, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisted applicants will be notified by June 2026. 

The entries will be judged according to the following criteria:

Strength of Entrepreneur & Team

Innovativeness of Solution

Social & Environmental Impact

Market Traction and Financial Sustainability

Strategy for Growth

BENEFIT:

In each category, finalists will receive grant awards of up to $100,000 (depending on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place).

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