Graduate Fellowship

The Impact Entrepreneurship Graduate Fellowship is a two-year cohort experience for high-potential leaders committed to creating social impact through entrepreneurship while pursuing a master's degree at The New School.
Poised to help our students challenge status-quo models and systems that have proved inadequate, we require applicants to exhibit a desire to learn in depth about the systemic issues faced by the communities they intend to support. Together we create new relationships and structures with communities to address the causes of problems and effect change. Our aim is to nurture a cohort of IEI fellows invested in creating models for economic inclusion while addressing social and racial justice.

Through the fellowship, we aim to catalyze the creation of inclusive economies by making entrepreneurship education, resources, and networks more accessible to students during the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
Key Benefits
Fellows receive an award of $10,000 toward tuition for participation in the two-year fellowship ($5,000 per year), in addition to any merit-based scholarship they may receive from their degree program. Students are eligible for fellowship funding in combination with merit-based scholarships not to exceed the cost of tuition.*
Accepted fellows enroll in year-long Impact Entrepreneurship Fellowship cohort courses at The New School’s New York City campus during their first academic year.
Regular cohort meetings and networking events are held throughout the academic year.
Fellows have access to individual mentorship and advising sessions from experienced staff, faculty, and entrepreneurs.
Fellows have the opportunity to complete a graduate minor by enrolling in additional entrepreneurship-focused courses.
*Applicants for admission to The New School are also strongly encouraged to submit the FAFSA to be considered for federal loans.
Requirements for Accepted Fellows
Satisfactory participation in the year-long Impact Entrepreneurship Fellowship cohort courses during the first academic year on campus
Regular and timely communication with the two fellowship co-directors throughout the two-year fellowship period
Progress toward the master's degree in which fellows are enrolled
Enrollment in at least 6 credits per semester
- Eligibility
  
  To be selected for the Impact Entrepreneurship Graduate Fellowship, students must be committed to promoting positive change through entrepreneurship and be admitted to a participating master's program at The New School in fall 2025 (see the list of programs below).
- Participating Master’s Programs
  
  Parsons School of Design
  Design and Technology (MFA)
  Design and Urban Ecologies (MS)
  Fashion Studies (MA)
  Industrial Design (MFA)
  Strategic Design and Management (MS)
  Theories of Urban Practice (MA)
  Transdisciplinary Design (MFA)
  Schools of Public Engagement
  Creative Writing (MFA)
  Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management (MS)
  International Affairs (MA, MS)
  Media Management (MS)
  Media Studies (MA)
  Public and Urban Policy (MS)
  College of Performing Arts
  Arts Management and Entrepreneurship (MA)
  The New School of Social Research
  Anthropology (MA)
  Philosophy (MA)
  
  If you do not see your program on the list, add it below, and we will get back to you if the program agrees to join.
- Selection Criteria
  
  Applications will be reviewed on the basis of the following criteria by a rotating panel of academic, professional, and administrative members of the IEI community.
  Accountable and Inclusive Leadership
  You demonstrate the ability to build just relationships and inspire others and to model leadership through democratic principles of inclusivity, solidarity, and mutuality. Are you willing to take space and share space to change the status quo?
  Rootedness in Community and Lived Experience
  You are rooted in your local community. Can you apply what you have learned from your experiences to address current social, technical, and/or economic challenges and opportunities?
  Adaptiveness and Capacity to Anticipate Change
  You recognize that plans are never fixed and are open to shaping your concept in partnership with community members and stakeholders. Are you willing to adapt your project, organization, or venture in the face of uncertainty?
  Orientation to Changing the System
  You are committed to learning about current systems and stakeholders to develop an understanding of why necessary change has not yet occurred and to contribute to solidarity economies. Are you curious about ways to create new systems of value that attract resources in both financial and non-financial forms?
  Desire to Participate in a Cohort Experience
  You can explain what you believe you will contribute to the cohort experience. What does collaboration mean to you?
  Idea or Concept
  Has the potential to address a challenge faced by or opportunity for a community
  Has the potential to build and strengthen participation among community members in interactions with other stakeholders
  A Successful Applicant
  Is a self-starter in connection with others
  Is grounded in the community or local ecosystems they seek to serve and engage
  Can cultivate and nurture relationships
  Is curious about how funding and resources are activated
  Is committed to continuous improvement through ethical behavior, just practices, and values that show respect for all people and populations
  A Successful Application
  Describes the applicant's lived experience in their words.
- How to Apply
  
  The Impact Entrepreneurship Initiative (IEI) will review applications in two phases.
  Priority deadline: IEI gives priority to applications submitted on or before January 16, 2025. Decisions will be delivered to candidates in May 2025.
  Final Deadline: July 31, 2025.
  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and we will continue to review applications through July 31, 2025. Rolling submission decisions will be delivered to candidates on a rolling basis.
  The application process for the graduate fellowship consists of the following steps:
  Submit a completed application to a participating master's degree program at The New School by the appropriate deadline. See the list above of participating master’s programs.
  Submit a separate application for the Impact Entrepreneurship Graduate Fellowship. The application form will ask you to upload a current résumé and respond to short-answer questions related to your proposal.
  
  Originality and authenticity
  We strongly encourage you to write from your lived experience, in your own voice, without relying on AI writing or image-making tools to tell your story. We encourage all candidates, including those writing and speaking in English as a second language, to share their story and even include non-English words of special significance to the communities in which they live.
  
  In a streamlined introductory pitch, give us a sense of your drive and enthusiasm and the way you synthesize the details provided in the application.
  What experiences have led you to become interested in serving the community you have identified? Why are you motivated to address this issue, and why do you believe it represents a significant societal challenge?
  In what ways have you already engaged with the community and/or customer you are targeting, and what have you learned from these interactions?
  If selected for the Impact Entrepreneurship Fellowship, how will you contribute to the cohort experience?
  Sign and submit the online fellowship application.
  Selected candidates may be invited to schedule an interview with the Impact Entrepreneurship team and/or provide the names and contact information of individuals who are familiar with their work.

Key Benefits

Requirements for Accepted Fellows

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