The Yunus & Youth Global Fellowship Program is a free, six-month online accelerator for young founders of social businesses that are already operating. It is run by Yunus & Youth, a nonprofit founded with the support of Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Fellows work from home with mentors on their business model, impact measurement and scaling, then pitch to investors. The program page describes a yearly cycle with applications opening in January, but the latest call on the site is the 2024 cohort.
Benefits & funding
- No fee, and no money given: the program offers training, tools and connections, not a stipend or investment.
- One-to-one mentors, described as Fortune 500 business professionals who volunteer.
- A customised online learning journey with live lessons, over about six months.
- A final online pitch to investors; fellows who finish all mandatory assignments get a graduation certificate and alumni network access.
Eligibility
- Generally aged 18–30, with a few exceptions for outstanding applicants over 30.
- Founder, co-founder, or holder of primary decision-making power in the organisation.
- The organisation should already be operating with tested assumptions; nonprofit and for-profit registrations both qualify if the financial model does not depend on grants or donations.
- Fluent English; the program runs entirely in English.
- About five hours a week.
- No nationality, residence or degree rule is published.
- The 2024 call was limited to applicants who identify as women or non-binary; the general criteria set no gender rule.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Age requirement
≥ 18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Watch the program page, which says applications for the next cohort open in January.
- 2Submit the online application form (the 2024 form is closed).
- 3Shortlisted applicants record a five-minute motivation video.
- 4Finalists have a 30-minute online interview.
- 5Selected fellows must confirm within 24 hours, or the place passes to the waiting list.
Program timeline
applications open each year (program page)
January
2024 deadline (apply page; the 2024 cohort page says 7 March)
Mar 17, 2024
April–September 2024
2024 cohort
usual yearly program period (program page)
April–October