1517 Fund Medici Grant
1517 Fund (Medici Project)
$1,000+ no-strings grant
Cash for young builders, no equity
The Medici Grant from 1517 Fund is a no-strings-attached cash micro-grant (a minimum of $1,000, paid by Venmo) for young builders — high school and college students, dropouts, and deep-tech scientists — working on ambitious 'sci-fi science' projects or technical prototypes outside of school credit. 1517 takes zero equity, zero IP, and no future claim on anything you build: it is explicitly a gift, not an investment. Applicants record a short (about five-minute) Loom video describing who they are, why they're passionate about the project, and how the grant would help. Available to applicants based in North America, with rolling, year-round review.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Private
- Amount range
- $1,000+ no-strings grant
- Realistic amount
- Recipients typically receive the $1,000 minimum as a one-time Venmo payment. It is seed enco…
- Deadline
- Rolling — year-round; review typically within ~two weeks
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- lump-sum
Who qualifies
- Based in North America
- A student (high school or college), a dropout, or a deep-tech scientist working on a self-driven project
- Project is a passion project / prototype — not pursued for school credit, grades, or admissions
- No equity, incorporation, or revenue requirement
- Young / early builders especially encouraged
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Anything that advances the project — fully unrestricted
- Prototype parts and materials
- Software, tools, and compute
- Validation experiments
How to apply
-
1
Record a short Loom video
Record an approximately five-minute Loom video covering who you are and your background, why you're passionate about the project, and how the grant would help advance your work.
~1 hrs
-
2
Submit the video / form
Email the Loom link to the 1517 team (firstname@1517fund.com) or submit the form on the Medici page.
~0.25 hrs
-
3
Brief review
If you're 'in thesis' (a dropout, student, or deep-tech scientist), a team member reviews and responds, typically within about two weeks.
~0.1 hrs
-
4
Receive the Venmo grant
Approved builders receive the $1,000+ grant as a Venmo payment with no strings, no equity, and no IP claim.
~0.1 hrs
1517 invests in people 'before they're ready' and explicitly backs dropouts and students — so genuine, founder-led passion and a real prototype beat polish or credentials. The Loom video is the whole application: show the thing working (or in progress) on camera rather than pitching a business plan. Because it's a no-strings gift with no equity and rolling review, it's one of the lowest-friction ways for a young technical builder to get first dollars; getting on 1517's radar can also lead to their actual pre-seed fund later.
Deadline & timing
No fixed deadline. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis; in-thesis applicants (dropouts, students, deep-tech scientists) are told a team member will respond within about two weeks.
Programs that stack well
- Activate Fellowship
- 1517-fund-pre-seed
- nsf-i-corps
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.