The Future Founders Fellowship is a free leadership program for young founders who already run a growing company in the United States. It is run by Future Founders, a Chicago nonprofit established in 2011 that has worked with more than 47,000 young people across its programs. Fellows join a national cohort that meets online every Tuesday afternoon and gathers twice during the cycle in Chicago for in-person retreats called Founders Weekends.
The curriculum concentrates on the founder as a leader rather than on business basics, so it is aimed at people already generating revenue or handling investment. Cohort 12, announced for 2026, has 25 fellows based in states across the country. Future Founders describes the program as year-long; the published 2026 cycle ran from 1 March to 30 November.
Benefits & funding
- No fee to take part, and Future Founders takes no equity in a fellow’s company.
- Mentorship from the program’s Entrepreneurs in Residence, including two dedicated virtual mentor weeks.
- Monthly mastermind sessions, small peer groups of four to five founders, and workshops led by guest speakers and subject experts.
- Two in-person retreats in Chicago, called Founders Weekends: 29 April to 2 May 2026 and 11 to 14 November 2026.
- Monthly check-ins with Fellowship staff leadership.
- Access to the Alumni Accelerator for up to three years after the program ends, plus priority access to other Future Founders services.
- No cash award, grant or stipend is offered.
Eligibility
- Aged 18 to 30; applicants in their early 30s may also qualify if this is their first venture and they are all-in.
- A founder and equity holder in the business, usually the CEO or another C-level decision maker in the startup.
- Company headquartered in the United States, with the fellow based in the United States for the duration of the program.
- Growth-stage business, typically revenue-generating and/or handling some level of investment.
- Open to any industry.
- Enrollment in school is not a factor either way.
- Fellows are expected to spend one to two hours a week in programming or peer groups, attend at least 80% of monthly activities and both Chicago retreats, and send monthly updates on business metrics.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Residence required
USA
Age requirement
≥ 18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Join the Fellowship waitlist through the interest form to be notified when the window opens; applications for the 2027 cohort open in September 2026.
- 2Complete the online application before the deadline, which was 4 February for the 2026 cohort.
- 3Take part in the founder interview stage, held February to March in the 2026 cycle.
- 4Selected founders are announced as the new cohort, and the program begins on 1 March.
- 5Confirm availability for the weekly Tuesday session at 4pm CT and for both Chicago retreat weekends before accepting a place.
Program timeline
Application deadline for the 2026 cohort
Feb 4, 2026
Founder interviews
2026-02 to 2026-03
2026 cohort program begins
Mar 1, 2026
Spring Founders Weekend retreat, Chicago
Apr 29, 2026 to May 2, 2026
2026-09
Applications open for the 2027 cohort
Fall Founders Weekend retreat, Chicago
Nov 11, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026
2026 cohort program ends
Nov 30, 2026