Deadline: April 30, 2026
In 1623, Francis Bacon dreamed of a better world. He called it New Atlantis, a utopia fueled by relentless invention and discovery, where Merchants of Light united to shatter the limits of what’s possible. Almost 400 years later, The O’Shaughnessy Fellowships is on a mission to write the next chapter. We’re hunting for the next generation of trailblazers—builders, researchers, and creatives, like you, who will advance civilization.
One year and $100,000. Twelve months of pure possibility. No equity. No corporate overlords. No thesis requirements. No committee approvals. Just you, your vision, and the resources to make it real. This is the O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants: a one-year program that unites the world’s bravest souls and brightest minds to manifest the future humanity deserves.
In the past three years, we’ve scoured over 160 countries to find and fund over 75 extraordinary individuals. Awardees are creating synthetic cells, saving dying languages, building homes for homeless children, researching biological machinery to stop aging, making sci-fi films, designing novel roses that don’t exist in nature, launching the New Yorker for the Spanish speaking world, building anti-recording devices, creating global #1 viral songs, building mechanical hands for amputees, storing data in plants, and numerous other scientific, artistic, and technological projects.
Do you have what it takes? Are you ready to leap into the unknown, discover what others haven’t, and bring back knowledge that launches humanity forward? If you’re working on something that can radically transform the world, we want to hear from you. O’Shaughnessy Fellows and Grantees come from every domain imaginable—quantum computing, documentary filmmaking, endangered language preservation, prosthetic engineering.
We’re looking for self-directed tinkerers. You’ll get the capital, not a step-by-step instruction manual. You don’t wait for things to happen. You make them happen. You’ve consistently taken initiative, built things without being told, and solved problems you weren’t assigned.
We’re looking for prolific problem solvers. You’ve done remarkable work in any domain. Maybe it’s published research, a viral project, or a solution you built for your community. You’ve already built something when nobody was watching or supporting you. Walls can’t stop you.
We’re looking for relentlessly resourceful individuals. You are relentlessly determined and resourceful, exercise exceptional judgment, and MacGyver your way through obstacles with limited resources. You can get things done regardless of the funding you have. You always figure out a way. If you’re nodding along to this, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.
The application timeline begins with Stage 1, the application window, from January 1 to April 30, 2026. After you submit the application form, we’ll review on a rolling basis. Most applicants get an update within 30 days. Stage 2 consists of intro calls with the team from February 1 to May 30, 2026. Shortlisted applicants hop on a call to think out loud, share their vision, show how they solve problems, and ask questions. Stage 3 involves deeper conversations through May 30, 2026, with final selections announced by June 1, 2026.
Why now? The internet brought us a lot more than just cat videos and strangers arguing. It brought us a new world. A teenage prodigy in rural Nigeria can now collaborate with a scientist in the Bay Area. A researcher in Poland can be funded by a visionary in Manhattan. Seven degrees of separation have collapsed into a single click. The tools are in your hands. The only question is what are you building?
Credentialism is dying. The script is torn up. Nobody cares where you went to school anymore. They care what you’ve made, what you’ve discovered, what impossible thing you’ve somehow pulled off anyway. The question is not where did you study. It is what have you done?
No debt. No dilution. Getting started with something audacious is terrifying, especially when you have responsibilities, mouths to feed, rent to pay. Innovation requires the freedom to tinker, to fail spectacularly, to learn from new mistakes. All Fellows receive $100,000 equity-free to pursue their projects for the year. You keep 100% ownership.
Our network becomes your network. Extraordinary visions demand true believers. We can connect you directly to investors, partners, and mentors. You join a growing community of Fellows and Grantees, a group whose unique interests and skillsets can combine to create unimaginable breakthroughs. We’ve watched it happen.
The Grants Program opens more doors. Not everyone needs $100,000 to change the world. Maybe you just need a running start. Alongside our ten Fellowships, up to twenty exceptional individuals receive at least $10,000 and access to OSV’s network of founders, investors, and experts. Apply Now. Every Fellowship applicant is automatically considered for the Grants program.
