Emergent Ventures India Fellowship Programme
by Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Grant funding, size set per project
A rolling grant and fellowship programme funding high-upside India-focused ideas, open to applicants aged 13 and above.
Mode
Online
Fee
Free
Duration
One-time grant with no fixed programme length. Applications are reviewed year-round.
Format
Individual
Time needed
One written online application in a single sitting. Any work afterwards is set by the applicant's own project, not by a programme schedule.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 13 years and above
- Location
- Nationwide
Prerequisites
- A specific project idea the applicant wants funded
- Ability to describe the project in written English
Open to applicants aged 13 and above whose project has an India focus. The published minimum age is 13, with no upper age limit and no grade, degree or institutional affiliation requirement. Applicants select India in the project-impact field of the standard Emergent Ventures application. School students have received grants alongside university researchers and company founders.
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Rewards and recognition
Award
Grant funding, size set per project
Grants and micro grants are awarded in US dollars. The Mercatus Center states that there is no typical grant range or average award amount, because funding is project specific, so no figure is published.
Recognition
Named in a public winners cohort
Key dates
- Enrollment
- Open all year
Online · Emergent Ventures online application form
How to apply
- 1Open the Emergent Ventures application form on the Mercatus website
- 2Select India as the region the project will affect
- 3Describe the project, its goal and the funding needed
- 4Wait for a decision, typically sent within a week
About this opportunity
Emergent Ventures India is a grant and fellowship programme run by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. It funds individuals with high-upside, unconventional ideas that advance prosperity, opportunity and well-being in India.
Applications are open to anyone aged 13 or older whose project has an India focus. Applicants use the standard Emergent Ventures application and select India in the field describing which region the project will affect. The form does not ask for a degree or an institutional affiliation, and school students have received grants alongside university researchers and company founders.
Grants and micro grants are awarded in US dollars. The Mercatus Center states that there is no typical grant range or average award, because funding is set for each project. Applications are reviewed year-round with no deadline, and a response is typically sent within a week.
Selected applicants are announced publicly in numbered Emergent Ventures India cohorts. Seventeen India cohorts had been announced by July 2026. The India tranche is evaluated by Shruti Rajagopalan together with Tyler Cowen, who administers the wider Emergent Ventures programme.
What your child will do
- Writing and submitting an online project proposal
- Selecting India as the region the project will affect
- Review by the Emergent Ventures India selection team
- Carrying out the funded project independently
Mentors & faculty
Applications for the India tranche are evaluated by Shruti Rajagopalan, Senior Research Fellow for India Political Economy and Emergent Ventures India at the Mercatus Center, together with Tyler Cowen, who administers Emergent Ventures.
Languages
Academic details
Difficulty: Mixed Levels
What's covered
There is no set curriculum. Each recipient pursues the project they proposed, funded by the grant.
Frequently asked questions
How do school-age applicants compare with adult applicants in this programme?
Applications are judged on the idea rather than on credentials. Recent India cohorts have included winners aged 15, 16 and 17 announced alongside university researchers and company founders.
How much time does applying take away from schoolwork?
The programme has no taught sessions and no fixed schedule. Applicants submit one written proposal online, and Mercatus states that a response is typically sent within a week.
How do applicants decide what amount to request?
Mercatus states there is no typical grant range or average award, because funding is set per project. Applicants describe what their project actually needs rather than choosing from set tiers.
What happens after a grant is awarded?
Recipients are named in a numbered Emergent Ventures India cohort published publicly. They then carry out the project they proposed, with no fixed reporting schedule published by the programme.
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