Emergent Ventures Grant Application

We want to jumpstart high-reward ideas— moonshots in many cases—that advance prosperity, opportunity, liberty, and well-being. We welcome the unusual and the unorthodox.

Our goal is positive social change, but we do not mind if you make a profit from your project. (Indeed, a quick path to revenue self-sufficiency is a feature not a bug!)

We encourage you to think big, but we also will consider very small grants if they might change the trajectory of your life. We encourage applications from all ages and all parts of the world.

  • Emergent Ventures no longer accepts AI-written applications. We will test all submissions and reject those using AI for anything other than proofreading.
  • To be eligible for an EV grant, all applicants must be 13 years of age or older.
  • Please read ALL the instructions carefully to ensure your application is complete. Incomplete applications may result in immediate rejection.


Get Started

The first stage of the application is answering a few basic questions and tell us a bit about your proposal. The proposal should be no longer than 1500 words. You may also attach supplementary materials, but we will read the proposal first and it must stand on its own. Please note the acceptable file types (no PDF’s).

  • For teams, co-founders, companies or organizations: Assign one person as the POC to complete the application, then list the additional members' names and emails at the end of the proposal.
  • The first part of the proposal should be about you. Tell us your personal story, and how it relates to what you wish to do. We probably don't care much about your formal education, credentials, or awards, unless they're particularly germane to who you are or your idea. Do tell us your background briefly, but credentials are not what will impress us.
  • Second, what is one mainstream or "consensus" view that you absolutely agree with? (This is our version of a "trick" question, reversing the now-fashionable contrarianism.)
  • The third part should be about your idea. Convince us that this is a great idea worth investing in, and tell us what is new or unusual in your vision and understanding. What's the problem you intend to solve? 
  • If you have a ballpark budget (with revenue sources and expenses), let us know the bare basics now; we won't hold you to it strictly. There is NO typical grant range or average award amount – funding is project specific.
  • Also (if applicable) tell us how long you have been working on this project or idea, whether you will be working on it full time or part time, any existing formal or informal partnerships or supporters. If you are applying with a partner, cofounder or team, one of you should complete the application as the Point Of Contact and you can list the other’s name(s) and email(s) in the proposal.

Once we receive your application and process it, we'll follow up with you about next steps or let you know that we have declined.




Optional. Leave blank if not applicable. If your project fits one of our dedicated tranches, select the relevant funding area to help us identify it for consideration under that tranche. This does not affect review priority or guarantee funding.


Personal Information



Optional


Optional



Please include your country code.



Where are you physically located most of the time?






Proposal



Budget Information



File types: bmp gif jpg jpeg png qtf tif doc docx key keynote numbers odp ods odt pages xls xlsx


File types: bmp gif jpg jpeg png qtf tif doc docx key keynote numbers odp ods odt pages xls xlsx


File types: bmp gif jpg jpeg png qtf tif doc docx key keynote numbers odp ods odt pages xls xlsx


File types: bmp gif jpg jpeg png qtf tif doc docx key keynote numbers odp ods odt pages xls xlsx

If you would like to link to a multimedia file to support your application, please add the link here.


Legal notices

Please note that we have the right to destroy your materials and also to send them to outside referees, as well as to discuss them internally.


Emergent Ventures - a project of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University - does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to grant-making, fellowship selection, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors and clients.


Consent




If you have trouble completing the reCAPTCHA, try turning off any browser-based AI assistants, using a different browser or a private/incognito window, switching to a different network such as a mobile hotspot, turning off any VPN or proxy, or disabling browser extensions, especially those that may block scripts. If the problem persists, contact us. We may be able to upload your application manually, but this may delay consideration of your application.