Follow-On Funding
Follow-on Funding is designed to help Fellows bridge the gap between their pilot stage and their scaling stage, by providing unrestricted grant funding to sustain momentum, strengthen organizational capacity, and move their equity-centered strategies to the next level of impact.
Echoing Green's Coordinated Capital Strategy
Echoing Green seeks to provide a coordinated continuum of capital to social innovators, acknowledging that many forms of capital are needed by social innovators as they seek to scale their impact and create systemic change. Echoing Green provides seed funding through its Fellowship program, funding to validate impact and prepare for scale through its Follow-on Funding program, and funding to accelerate growth and reach breakthrough success through the Signal Fund.
Focus Area: Sustaining & Growing Equity Centered Work and Systemic Change
Follow-on Funding is designed to support Fellow-led organizations’ work that has an explicit and intentional focus on dismantling unjust systems and creating a future where communities around the world have an equitable opportunity to thrive.
Catalytic Funding — $25,000
Funds to support testing new and unproven ideas, models, or methods via an initiative, project, or operational investment that will help organizations increase impact or move toward sustainability.
Past successful Catalytic Grant applications have focused on:
- Leveraging existing learnings to test new and unproven ideas or models.
- Running an external evaluation.
- Conducting a feasibility study exploring expansion.
Successful applications will:
- Articulate a long-term vision to create a world free from systemic oppression.
- Present a logical short-term plan that moves your organization toward its long-term vision.
- Demonstrate how the proposed project tests new and unproven ideas distinct from your core operating model.
- Present both a clear learning agenda for the proposed project and a clear definition of success that aligns with your growth plans.
(NEW) Sustainability and Scale — $50,000
Funds designed to take equity-centered impact to the next level of scale. This funding opportunity is intended for Fellows who are advancing bold, equity-centered solutions and are ready to grow their impact in sustainable ways.
This grant supports organizations that demonstrate clear progress since the Fellowship, a strong systems-level equity vision, and a credible plan to scale through earned revenue and organizational growth.
Successful applicants will be those who:
- Articulate how their work addresses systemic equity challenges at scale.
- Demonstrate tangible progress in programming, impact, or organizational capacity since the Fellowship.
- Present a thoughtful plan to expand or strengthen their solution in a financially sustainable way.
- Intend to use this capital to deepen impact and build long-term resilience.
This funding is designed to help organizations move from early traction to long-term scale, while maintaining alignment with their mission and communities served.
Application Timeline
For Follow-on Funding Cycle 9, applications will be accepted from January 8 – 22.
January 8 – January 22
Application Consideration Period
Echoing Green will accept applications through the Follow-on funding application portal.
February - March
Applications Reviewed
Echoing Green’s team and Fellow reviewers will review applications.
Early April
Recipients Notified
Fellows selected for grants will be notified and asked to provide bank account information to receive funds.
Late April
Grants Disbursed
Fellows awarded grants will receive funding.
Grant Disbursement Process & Eligibility
Who is eligible to receive Follow-on Funding from Echoing Green?
Catalytic and Sustainability & Scale Funding are available for Fellows who meet all the requirements below:
- Are currently employed in a leadership position at their Echoing Green-funded organization (no longer receiving Fellowship stipends from Echoing Green);
- They were selected for the Echoing Green Fellowship between 2018 and 2023;
- They haven’t received a Follow-on-Funding award in the last 3 cycles (2024-2025) .
Am I eligible to apply if I received Follow-on-Funding prior to 2024?
Yes, all Fellows who meet the criteria above are eligible to apply, even if they received Follow-on-Funding awards in 2023 or before. However, award history may be taken into consideration when making a decision.
What if I’m no longer leading my Echoing Green–funded organization?
You must be working full-time in a leadership role at the same organization you led during your Fellowship to be eligible. Fellows who have moved to another organization or started a new venture are not eligible for this cycle.
Can I apply for both grants?
No. You may select only one funding type that best fits your organization’s current needs and stage.
How should I decide which grant type to apply for?
We recommend reviewing the criteria for each grant on the website and reflecting on your organization’s goals. If your focus is on learning and experimentation, apply for Catalytic. If you’re growing and scaling sustainably, apply for Sustainability & Scale
Who reviews the Follow-on Funding applications?
- All applications for Follow-on Funding are reviewed internally by a team of Echoing Green staff members. Applications for Sustainability & Scale funding are additionally reviewed by a group of Echoing Green alumni Fellows.
- Applications are reviewed against other applications requesting the same funding type. For example, applications requesting Catalytic funding are reviewed with other applications requesting Catalytic funding.
Does the Recoverable Grant apply to me? When are requirements met?
If you are running a for-profit or hybrid company, your Follow-on-Funding Grant is provided as a Recoverable Grant. This means repayment may be required only if your business meets one of the following conditions:
The company is valued at more than USD 5 million, or
The company earns more than USD 2 million in total revenues and reports a net profit greater than USD 0 at the end of a fiscal year.
If your business does not meet either threshold within five years of signing your Follow-on-Funding contract, you are not obligated to repay the Recoverable Grant.
For more details, please see our Recoverable Grants FAQ.
Who should I contact for questions about Follow-on Funding?
Fellows should email fellowsupport@echoinggreen.org with any questions about Echoing Green’s Follow-on Funding program.
I am having trouble with my application. Who should I contact?
Fellows should fill out this survey if they’re experiencing issues with their application.
Grant Obligations
Will Fellows need to report on how they use their grants?
Yes. Grant recipients will complete Echoing Green’s impact surveys as part of the reporting process. This includes a baseline survey submitted with the application, followed by a midpoint survey approximately six months after the award, and an endline survey one year after the award. These surveys help us understand progress and continue improving the Follow-On Funding program.
