Social Impact & Sustainability Scholarships

Training to help the world doesn't need to break the bank

Why do we need scholarships?

As we grow our community, we want to share opportunities that allow social impact and sustainability professionals from various backgrounds and at any career stage to develop new skills and leverage existing ones.

Environmental and socio-economic issues grow increasingly due to the changing climate and the scarcity of resources, and as global issues, they require study and action from all parts of the world to bring about effective change. Environmental and social impact scholarships can help provide underprivileged students with financial aid to attend leading programs in these fields, collaborate with other passionate students and professionals and bring new approaches to the global discussion and strategy.

If you’re looking for a scholarship that will help you create change and play an active role in integrating sustainability strategies to organizations and businesses, one of these might be a fit for you:

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship looks to create greater opportunities for people who are vulnerable and marginalised, working with and supporting over 160 social entrepreneurs who are creating a more equal, sustainable and inclusive society. By supporting, collaborating and doing business with social entrepreneurs, we can play a part in transforming communities into places that are full of opportunities for many generations to come.

Ashoka Fellows

Ashoka engages the world’s largest and most powerful network of social entrepreneurs by searching for and selecting the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Ashoka pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship more than 35 years ago, and today it continues to build the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs. Ashoka Fellows champion new ideas that transform society’s systems, providing benefits for everyone and improving the lives of millions of people. Ashoka Fellows are the ultimate role models in today’s world.

SOCAP Entrepreneur Program

The SOCAP Entrepreneur Program uplifts social entrepreneurs from around the globe, sharing access to SOCAP’s broad network of investors, donors, and changemakers. Developed by Sarah Sterling, SOCAP’s Executive Director of Entrepreneurship, this one-of-a-kind annual program offers selected social entrepreneurs the unique opportunity to not only connect with and learn from one another leading up to the event but the chance to present their ventures to the entire SOCAP audience.

Future Leaders in Action

Future Leaders in Action places fellows, emerging social sector leaders, in youth-oriented nonprofit organizations to develop or implement enrichment programs that cultivate their leadership skills. Fellows work full-time with a partner organization for three months on an enrichment program designated by the partner. They receive remote support and a living wage from FLIA during this time.

Future Forward

December 15, 2023

Future Forward is here to empower the next generation of impact leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. Within the project, two international organizations Social Impact Award and Reach for Change will join forces in providing capacity building and scaling support to impact entrepreneurs across Central and Eastern Europe, while at the same time mainstreaming the topic amongst young people, The main focus of the project will be the scaling readiness program focused on providing support for social entrepreneurs at an early growth stage and high ambition to scale. It aims to enable them to identify a viable model to scale their impact, and to develop a plan for a scaling pilot. The Scaling Readiness program implemented under this project is specifically targeting existing social innovations that support youth needs in the context of green and digital transition.

CUSEF Young Leaders Scholarship 2024

January 31, 2024

One Young World is the global community for young leaders. We exist to develop young leaders who are taking action to solve the world’s big challenges. The annual One Young World Summit convenes young leaders from 190+ countries to connect, share learnings and receive mentorship from world-renowned political, business and humanitarian leaders. The young leaders return to their communities as One Young World Ambassadors with the connections, insights and motivation to increase their social impact, accessing the global community of 17,000+ young leaders and a range of development opportunities.

Changemakers for Democracy

December 5, 2023

Europe is currently experiencing unprecedented polarisation and extremism. We need imaginative ideas to transform and improve our democratic and economic systems. This 12-month Fellowship will support up to 15 Europe-based practitioners and representatives of innovations, movements and collectives working on democratic renewal and new economic paradigms.

Chevening Scholarships

November 7, 2023

Chevening Scholarships enable outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK.

Global Innovation Fellowships: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

November 1, 2023

The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions.

YLabs’ Youth Leadership Cohort

October 18, 2023

YLabs’ Youth Leadership Cohort is a unique opportunity that empowers young people to shape the vision of our global projects. We invite youth between the ages of 16 and 25 who are committed to improving the health and economic opportunities of young people to apply. Specifically, we are looking for young leaders in the following countries where YLabs has core projects in 2024: Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and the United States.

Community Solutions Program

November 1, 2023

The Community Solutions Program (CSP) is a year-long professional leadership development program for established community leaders working to improve their communities by addressing issues related to democracy and human rights, environment, peace and conflict resolution, and women and gender. CSP includes a four-month hands-on U.S. practicum, personalized leadership coaching and training through a graduate level leadership curriculum, and a six-month follow-on community project fellows implement in their home country.

Climate School Postdoctoral Research Program

November 1, 2023

The Climate School Postdoctoral Research program is the premier program in the world for those dedicated to a better understanding of critical scientific and social issues in global sustainable development. Columbia Climate School Postdoctoral Researchers will join multidisciplinary teams of outstanding, committed scientists from across the Climate School and Columbia University.

IMF Youth Fellowship Program

June 30, 2023

The IMF Youth Fellowship Program (YFP) provides an opportunity for young leaders between 20 and 35 years of age from across the world to become part of our global effort to build forward better and join the IMF at the forefront of the response to global economic challenges. This year, the IMF is sponsoring selected participants to experience the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco.

The Global Good Fund Fellowship

July 1, 2023

The Global Good Fund Fellowship is for innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders of for-profit and non-profit social impact organizations. This program is for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs with diverse ethnic, religious, economic, geographic and gender experiences. Ideal entrepreneurs are dedicated to their own self-discovery and development and must hold a full-time leadership position at their social enterprise which has been operational for ideally two to five years.

One Young World | Refugee Scholarship

June 12, 2023

As the global community for young leaders, One Young World is passionate about nurturing the capacity of young leaders from all backgrounds. This scholarship programme has been created to enhance our inclusion of young leaders from refugee backgrounds. The scholarship will enable young leaders to participate in the One Young World Summit 2023 which takes place in Belfast, UK. In addition to participating in the Summit, each scholar will join the One Young World Ambassador community, providing them with access to a continued programme of mentorship, educational events, speaking engagements, and funding opportunities.

The Atlantic DIalogues Emerging Leaders

June 20, 2023

The Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) is organizing the 12th edition of the Atlantic Dialogues Conference, a high-level conference convening influential public and private sectors leaders from around the Atlantic Basin for open, informal discussion on cross-regional issues. Who can apply? Young leaders from around the Atlantic basin and Africa, who have demonstrated leadership and initiative in their fields; who want to contribute to shaping the regional and global agenda in politics, finance, business, civil society, and many other areas; who are eager to network with their peers and older; and who seek to foster and strengthen ties across the Atlantic.

Morgridge Family Foundation Morgridge Acceleration Program (MAP) Fellowship

Driving impact for nonprofit social impact organizations under the guidance of a leading nonprofit executive mentor.

Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellowship

The CELI Fellowship is a program that prepares early to mid-career professionals to effectively serve as clean energy leaders in their fields. Fellows complete an eight-month intensive that challenges them to think critically about current energy policy and market structures, examine existing and historical inequities, identify barriers to clean energy deployment and innovation, recognize leadership moments and know what to do when they step into one, develop holistic solutions toward an equitable energy transition and build the relationships necessary to scale solutions. In the process, they develop deep relationships that inspire collaboration, partnership and innovation.

United Nations Academic Impact Millenium Fellowship

Millennium Fellows work on projects that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on campus and in their communities.

Rachel Carson Council Fellowship

The Rachel Carson Council Fellowship Program is designed to identify students with a passion for environmental education, organizing and advocacy and provide them with training in Washington, D.C., mentorship from RCC environmental staff and financial support to do the valuable work they care about and become lifelong advocates for the environment. RCC fellows develop a campaign to address a sustainability issue on their campus that they identify, work on their campaign over the school year, engage in environmental justice issues and write blogs and letters to the editor in addition to other projects.

Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellowship

Climate Corps Fellows bolster capacity at their host organizations in the private and public sectors to accomplish emissions reduction goals. Fellows work for 10-12 weeks over the summer to design tools and recommendations for reducing energy consumption, procuring renewable energy, electrifying fleets, reducing food waste and more.

Stanford Impact Founder Fellowships and Prizes

The Stanford Impact Founder Fellowship (formerly the Social Innovation Fellowship) provides $110,000 in funding along with advising support to Fellows who want to start a high-impact for-profit or nonprofit venture to address a pressing social or environmental need. SIF finalists are eligible to receive a $20,000 SIF prize in acknowledgment of their venture and leadership potential.

Impact Entrepreneurship Fellowship

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.

Draper Foundation Grants

The DRK Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of people and the world around us through innovative strategies, systems-changing approaches, and disrupting technologies. To do this, the DRK Foundation partners with entrepreneurs to build strong and capable organizations. DRK grants provide significant funding, mentorship, and an unparalleled network of entrepreneurs.

Cansbridge Fellowship

The Cansbridge Fellowship seeks to build future leaders through a program that fosters growth by creating new ideas and using a powerful network for change. Leaders and entrepreneurs who think outside the box and who have a past as risk-takers are invited to apply.

Torry Burch Foundation Fellows Program

A year-long program directed towards women entrepreneurs is a that provides business guidance, workshops, and virtual education programs to the selected candidates.

Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF)

Fellowship program and community that provides exceptional entrepreneurs, investors, and startup teams with a platform to incubate global impact ventures from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Senesh Fellowship

January 15, 2023

The Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowship provides two biennial fellowships awarded to two women from the developing world for studies in the field of peace.

American Association of University Women Scholarship

AAUW is providing $6 million in funding to more than 320 fellows and grantees in the 2022-23 award year. These exceptional recipients will pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.

Holland Scholarship

This scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as well as several Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are high-level and integrated study programs. They are designed and delivered by an international partnership of higher education institutions (HEI). They involve at least three HEI from three different countries, of which at least two must be EU Member States and third countries associated to the Program.

DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Programme

The Helmut-Schmidt-Programme is designed to academically qualify future leaders in the fields of social & political science, law, economics, public policy and administration according to the principles of Good Governance and to prepare them in a praxis-oriented course for their professional life.

Skoll Scholarship

November 30, 2022

The Skoll Scholarship provides full funding plus a living stipend to complete an MBA at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School for social entrepreneurs worldwide.

German EPOS Scholarships

The EPOS program offers individual scholarships to participants from developing countries so that they may study development-related postgraduate courses at selected universities in Germany.

Human Rights Scholarship at the University of Melbourne

October 31, 2022

Supporting students interested in studying human rights with two years of studies and a living allowance.

Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Research and Innovation in Higher Education

November 10, 2022

Aims to study and improve higher education so that teachers and graduates better understand cross-border activities, innovation, research and more.

If you want to make a social impact, there are plenty of scholarships out there to help you get started. Don't let finances hold you back. Here are just a few:

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship looks to create greater opportunities for people who are vulnerable and marginalised, working with and supporting over 160 social entrepreneurs who are creating a more equal, sustainable and inclusive society. By supporting, collaborating and doing business with social entrepreneurs, we can play a part in transforming communities into places that are full of opportunities for many generations to come.
Learn More

Ashoka Fellows

Ashoka engages the world’s largest and most powerful network of social entrepreneurs by searching for and selecting the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Ashoka pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship more than 35 years ago, and today it continues to build the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs. Ashoka Fellows champion new ideas that transform society’s systems, providing benefits for everyone and improving the lives of millions of people. Ashoka Fellows are the ultimate role models in today’s world.
Learn More

SOCAP Entrepreneur Program

The SOCAP Entrepreneur Program uplifts social entrepreneurs from around the globe, sharing access to SOCAP’s broad network of investors, donors, and changemakers. Developed by Sarah Sterling, SOCAP’s Executive Director of Entrepreneurship, this one-of-a-kind annual program offers selected social entrepreneurs the unique opportunity to not only connect with and learn from one another leading up to the event but the chance to present their ventures to the entire SOCAP audience.
Learn More

Future Leaders in Action

Future Leaders in Action places fellows, emerging social sector leaders, in youth-oriented nonprofit organizations to develop or implement enrichment programs that cultivate their leadership skills. Fellows work full-time with a partner organization for three months on an enrichment program designated by the partner. They receive remote support and a living wage from FLIA during this time.
Learn More

Future Forward

Future Forward is here to empower the next generation of impact leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. Within the project, two international organizations Social Impact Award and Reach for Change will join forces in providing capacity building and scaling support to impact entrepreneurs across Central and Eastern Europe, while at the same time mainstreaming the topic amongst young people, The main focus of the project will be the scaling readiness program focused on providing support for social entrepreneurs at an early growth stage and high ambition to scale. It aims to enable them to identify a viable model to scale their impact, and to develop a plan for a scaling pilot. The Scaling Readiness program implemented under this project is specifically targeting existing social innovations that support youth needs in the context of green and digital transition.
Learn More

CUSEF Young Leaders Scholarship 2024

One Young World is the global community for young leaders. We exist to develop young leaders who are taking action to solve the world’s big challenges. The annual One Young World Summit convenes young leaders from 190+ countries to connect, share learnings and receive mentorship from world-renowned political, business and humanitarian leaders. The young leaders return to their communities as One Young World Ambassadors with the connections, insights and motivation to increase their social impact, accessing the global community of 17,000+ young leaders and a range of development opportunities.
Learn More

Changemakers for Democracy

Europe is currently experiencing unprecedented polarisation and extremism. We need imaginative ideas to transform and improve our democratic and economic systems. This 12-month Fellowship will support up to 15 Europe-based practitioners and representatives of innovations, movements and collectives working on democratic renewal and new economic paradigms.
Learn More

Chevening Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships enable outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK.
Learn More

Global Innovation Fellowships: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions.
Learn More

YLabs’ Youth Leadership Cohort

YLabs’ Youth Leadership Cohort is a unique opportunity that empowers young people to shape the vision of our global projects. We invite youth between the ages of 16 and 25 who are committed to improving the health and economic opportunities of young people to apply. Specifically, we are looking for young leaders in the following countries where YLabs has core projects in 2024: Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and the United States.
Learn More

Community Solutions Program

The Community Solutions Program (CSP) is a year-long professional leadership development program for established community leaders working to improve their communities by addressing issues related to democracy and human rights, environment, peace and conflict resolution, and women and gender. CSP includes a four-month hands-on U.S. practicum, personalized leadership coaching and training through a graduate level leadership curriculum, and a six-month follow-on community project fellows implement in their home country.
Learn More

Climate School Postdoctoral Research Program

The Climate School Postdoctoral Research program is the premier program in the world for those dedicated to a better understanding of critical scientific and social issues in global sustainable development. Columbia Climate School Postdoctoral Researchers will join multidisciplinary teams of outstanding, committed scientists from across the Climate School and Columbia University.
Learn More

IMF Youth Fellowship Program

The IMF Youth Fellowship Program (YFP) provides an opportunity for young leaders between 20 and 35 years of age from across the world to become part of our global effort to build forward better and join the IMF at the forefront of the response to global economic challenges. This year, the IMF is sponsoring selected participants to experience the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco.
Learn More

The Global Good Fund Fellowship

The Global Good Fund Fellowship is for innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders of for-profit and non-profit social impact organizations. This program is for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs with diverse ethnic, religious, economic, geographic and gender experiences. Ideal entrepreneurs are dedicated to their own self-discovery and development and must hold a full-time leadership position at their social enterprise which has been operational for ideally two to five years.
Learn More

One Young World | Refugee Scholarship

As the global community for young leaders, One Young World is passionate about nurturing the capacity of young leaders from all backgrounds. This scholarship programme has been created to enhance our inclusion of young leaders from refugee backgrounds. The scholarship will enable young leaders to participate in the One Young World Summit 2023 which takes place in Belfast, UK. In addition to participating in the Summit, each scholar will join the One Young World Ambassador community, providing them with access to a continued programme of mentorship, educational events, speaking engagements, and funding opportunities.
Learn More

The Atlantic DIalogues Emerging Leaders

The Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) is organizing the 12th edition of the Atlantic Dialogues Conference, a high-level conference convening influential public and private sectors leaders from around the Atlantic Basin for open, informal discussion on cross-regional issues. Who can apply? Young leaders from around the Atlantic basin and Africa, who have demonstrated leadership and initiative in their fields; who want to contribute to shaping the regional and global agenda in politics, finance, business, civil society, and many other areas; who are eager to network with their peers and older; and who seek to foster and strengthen ties across the Atlantic.
Learn More

Morgridge Family Foundation Morgridge Acceleration Program (MAP) Fellowship

Driving impact for nonprofit social impact organizations under the guidance of a leading nonprofit executive mentor.
Learn More

Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellowship

The CELI Fellowship is a program that prepares early to mid-career professionals to effectively serve as clean energy leaders in their fields. Fellows complete an eight-month intensive that challenges them to think critically about current energy policy and market structures, examine existing and historical inequities, identify barriers to clean energy deployment and innovation, recognize leadership moments and know what to do when they step into one, develop holistic solutions toward an equitable energy transition and build the relationships necessary to scale solutions. In the process, they develop deep relationships that inspire collaboration, partnership and innovation.
Learn More

United Nations Academic Impact Millenium Fellowship

Millennium Fellows work on projects that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on campus and in their communities.
Learn More

Rachel Carson Council Fellowship

The Rachel Carson Council Fellowship Program is designed to identify students with a passion for environmental education, organizing and advocacy and provide them with training in Washington, D.C., mentorship from RCC environmental staff and financial support to do the valuable work they care about and become lifelong advocates for the environment. RCC fellows develop a campaign to address a sustainability issue on their campus that they identify, work on their campaign over the school year, engage in environmental justice issues and write blogs and letters to the editor in addition to other projects.
Learn More

Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellowship

Climate Corps Fellows bolster capacity at their host organizations in the private and public sectors to accomplish emissions reduction goals. Fellows work for 10-12 weeks over the summer to design tools and recommendations for reducing energy consumption, procuring renewable energy, electrifying fleets, reducing food waste and more.
Learn More

Stanford Impact Founder Fellowships and Prizes

The Stanford Impact Founder Fellowship (formerly the Social Innovation Fellowship) provides $110,000 in funding along with advising support to Fellows who want to start a high-impact for-profit or nonprofit venture to address a pressing social or environmental need. SIF finalists are eligible to receive a $20,000 SIF prize in acknowledgment of their venture and leadership potential.
Learn More

Impact Entrepreneurship Fellowship

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.
Learn More

Draper Foundation Grants

The DRK Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of people and the world around us through innovative strategies, systems-changing approaches, and disrupting technologies. To do this, the DRK Foundation partners with entrepreneurs to build strong and capable organizations. DRK grants provide significant funding, mentorship, and an unparalleled network of entrepreneurs.
Learn More

Cansbridge Fellowship

The Cansbridge Fellowship seeks to build future leaders through a program that fosters growth by creating new ideas and using a powerful network for change. Leaders and entrepreneurs who think outside the box and who have a past as risk-takers are invited to apply.
Learn More

Torry Burch Foundation Fellows Program

A year-long program directed towards women entrepreneurs is a that provides business guidance, workshops, and virtual education programs to the selected candidates.
Learn More

Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF)

Fellowship program and community that provides exceptional entrepreneurs, investors, and startup teams with a platform to incubate global impact ventures from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Learn More

Senesh Fellowship

The Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowship provides two biennial fellowships awarded to two women from the developing world for studies in the field of peace.
Learn More

American Association of University Women Scholarship

AAUW is providing $6 million in funding to more than 320 fellows and grantees in the 2022-23 award year. These exceptional recipients will pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.
Learn More

Holland Scholarship

This scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as well as several Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences.
Learn More

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are high-level and integrated study programs. They are designed and delivered by an international partnership of higher education institutions (HEI). They involve at least three HEI from three different countries, of which at least two must be EU Member States and third countries associated to the Program.
Learn More

DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Programme

The Helmut-Schmidt-Programme is designed to academically qualify future leaders in the fields of social & political science, law, economics, public policy and administration according to the principles of Good Governance and to prepare them in a praxis-oriented course for their professional life.
Learn More

Skoll Scholarship

The Skoll Scholarship provides full funding plus a living stipend to complete an MBA at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School for social entrepreneurs worldwide.
Learn More

German EPOS Scholarships

The EPOS program offers individual scholarships to participants from developing countries so that they may study development-related postgraduate courses at selected universities in Germany.
Learn More

Human Rights Scholarship at the University of Melbourne

Supporting students interested in studying human rights with two years of studies and a living allowance.
Learn More

Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Research and Innovation in Higher Education

Aims to study and improve higher education so that teachers and graduates better understand cross-border activities, innovation, research and more.
Learn More