Deadline: July 01, 2025
The Western Union Global Fellowship Program is a fully-funded Impact Fellowship, empowering individuals supporting or hailing from refugee, highly-marginalized, or forcibly displaced communities around the globe.
Through this experience, Fellows will gain essential skills, resources, and networks to scale their ventures and accelerate their impact. Through this fully-funded Fellowship, supported by Western Union and powered by Watson Institute, you’ll gain the tools, mentorship, and network needed to scale your venture’s impact.
The Fellowship is specifically optimized for entrepreneurs and leaders from marginalized, refugee, and forcibly displaced communities worldwide, with carefully selected facilitators, mentors, and speakers who bring deep expertise in driving meaningful change within these communities.
Benefits
- Pitch Development & Professional Recording
- Refine how you communicate your venture’s impact and vision to stakeholders.
- Create a professionally recorded pitch video you can use beyond the Fellowship.
- Master the art of engaging and persuading key audiences.
- Skill Enhancement & Leadership Growth
- Develop essential skills through hands-on workshops focused on strategic planning, venture development, and problem-solving.
- Build resilience and adaptability for the entrepreneurial journey.
- Learn to effectively lead and scale an impact-driven organization.
- Mentorship & Expert Guidance
- Receive one-on-one guidance from experienced mentors and industry professionals.
- Participate in group mentorship circles for collaborative learning.
- Work directly with an Entrepreneur in Residence who supports your venture’s growth.
- Community & Network Expansion
- Join a dynamic community of impact-driven entrepreneurs and changemakers.
- Connect with Fellows, Alumni, and experts who share your commitment to social impact.
- Build lasting relationships that extend beyond the Fellowship.
- Visibility & Collaboration
- Share your work through Watson Institute summits and events.
- Connect with mission-aligned leaders, funders, and industry influencers.
- Position yourself as a thought leader in social impact.
- Real-World Experience Through Basecamp
- Design and lead a Basecamp community event with provided training and resources.
- Put your leadership skills into action through hands-on experience.
- Receive a stipend to support your community initiative.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entrepreneur Profile
- You have experienced the challenges of marginalized, refugee, or displaced communities and are actively working to address issues for these populations.
- Venture Stage
- Your nonprofit or for-profit organization has an established business model and is actively serving customers or beneficiaries in historically underserved communities. You’re now ready to scale your impact with the support of dedicated mentorship and resources.
- Location & Eligibility
- Applicants located in and/or creating impact in the following locations are encouraged to apply:
- Costa Rica, Argentina, Lithuania, the Philippines, the United States, Brazil, Uganda, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, Germany, Colombia, Japan, and Pakistan.
- Applicants located in and/or creating impact in the following locations are encouraged to apply:
