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Fellowship Follow-On Funding

Follow-On Funding

Scaling and sustaining systemic change work to disrupt the status quo is a long-term endeavor! 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.

Funding Types

We offer two grant types to support work at different levels.

Sustainability & 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.

AI Activation Funding — $10,000 + AI credits

Funds to help Fellows activate AI as a core tool in advancing their mission. 

This funding opportunity is designed for Fellows who have identified a meaningful AI use case and are ready to go beyond early adoption—using existing AI tools in general or experimental ways—to adapting their programs to utilize AI in order to serve their communities and impact goals in an expanded way.

Successful applicants will:

  • Present a clearly defined AI use case that directly advances their organization’s theory of change.
  • Demonstrate readiness to move from exploration to implementation.
  • Present a realistic plan for what they will build, deploy, or validate during the grant period.
    Demonstrate thoughtful consideration of community context, equity, and responsible AI.

This opportunity is not intended for applicants who:

  • Are entirely new to AI and are seeking funding to learn about the technology or explore possible applications.
  • Have not yet identified a specific AI use case connected to their impact goals.
  • Are proposing AI primarily for internal operations, administrative efficiency, communications, fundraising, or grant writing.
  • Are seeking funding only for off-the-shelf AI subscriptions without a defined mission-driven use case.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

CORE ELIGIBILITY
To apply to either funding opportunity, Fellows must meet the following criteria:

  • Be serving in a leadership role within your organization.
  • Be leading the same Echoing Green-funded organization for which you received your Fellowship.
  • Have an annual operating budget of $1.5 million or less (based on your most recently completed fiscal year)

If your organization is based in India, you must also meet at least one of the following:

  • Have a U.S.-based entity that can receive grant funds;
  • Hold valid FCRA registration in India; or
  • Have an approved fiscal sponsor.

SUSTAINABILITY & SCALE GRANT
In addition to the Core Eligibility requirements, applicants must:

  • Have been selected as an Echoing Green Fellow between 2019 and 2024.
  • Not have received a Follow-On Funding award during the previous two funding cycles (2025 or 2026).

AI ACTIVATION GRANT
To be eligible for the AI Activation grant, you must meet the Core Eligibility requirements.

Previous Follow-On Funding recipients are eligible to apply for the AI Activation grant. While prior awards do not affect eligibility, award history may be considered as part of the selection process.

Application Timeline

For Follow-on Funding Cycle 10, applications will be accepted from September 29 – October 14.

September 29– October 14

Application Consideration Period

Echoing Green will accept applications through the Follow-on Funding application portal.

Eligible Fellows will receive a unique link to access their application.

November

Applications Reviewed

Echoing Green’s team and Fellow reviewers will review applications.

Late January

Recipients Notified

Fellows selected for grants will be notified and asked to provide bank account information to receive funds.

February - March

Grants Disbursed

Fellows awarded grants will receive funding.

FAQ

Grant Disbursement Process & Eligibility
Who is eligible to receive Follow-on Funding from Echoing Green?

To be eligible for Follow-On Funding, applicants must:

  • Be serving in a leadership role within the same Echoing Green-funded organization for which they received their Fellowship.
  • Have an annual operating budget of $1.5 million or less (based on the most recently completed fiscal year).
  • Meet additional eligibility requirements if applying for Sustainability & Scale funding.

If based in India, meet one of the following requirements:

  • Have a U.S.-based entity able to receive grant funds;
  • Hold valid FCRA registration; or
  • Have an approved fiscal sponsor.
What are the additional eligibility requirements for Sustainability & Scale?

In addition to the Core Eligibility requirements, applicants must:

  • Have been selected as an Echoing Green Fellow between 2019 and 2024.
    Not have received a Follow-On Funding award during the previous two funding cycles (2025 or 2026).
What are the additional eligibility requirements for the AI Activation grant?

There are no additional eligibility requirements beyond the Core Eligibility requirements. However, this grant is best suited for Fellows who:

  • Have identified a specific AI use case that directly advances their organization’s theory of change.
  • Are actively using AI tools in their work or already integrating AI into their organization’s model.
  • Are ready to take a meaningful next step toward implementing, deploying, or scaling that AI use case.
I received Follow-On Funding before. Can I still apply?

It depends on which grant you are applying for.

  • Sustainability & Scale: Applicants who received a Follow-On Funding award during the previous two funding cycles (2025 or 2026) are not eligible.
  • AI Activation: Previous Follow-On Funding recipients are eligible to apply, provided they meet the AI Activation eligibility requirements. While prior awards do not affect eligibility, award history may be considered during the selection process.
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 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.

  • Sustainability & Scale is intended for organizations that are ready to strengthen and grow their impact through organizational and financial sustainability.
  • AI Activation is intended for organizations that have identified a meaningful AI use case and are ready to implement or deploy AI as a core tool to advance their mission.
What kinds of projects are eligible for AI Activation funding?

Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Building or deploying a custom AI tool that directly serves beneficiaries or expands access to programs.
  • Integrating AI into a core program or service to deepen impact or expand reach.
  • Developing AI-enabled data or analytics capabilities that strengthen service delivery or advocacy.
  • Prototyping an AI-powered feature that advances your organization’s theory of change.

This funding is not intended for:

  • Learning about AI without a defined use case.
  • General AI exploration.
  • AI used solely for administrative efficiency, communications, fundraising, or grant writing.
  • Purchasing off-the-shelf AI subscriptions without a mission-driven application.

 

Who reviews the Follow-on Funding applications?

Applications are reviewed by Echoing Green staff.

Depending on the funding opportunity, applications may also be reviewed by

Echoing Green alumni Fellows and/or reviewers with relevant thematic expertise.

Applications are evaluated only against other applications within the same funding opportunity.

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.