Emergent Ventures (Mercatus Center)
Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Project specific (no range published)
Rolling, project-specific awards for individuals and teams worldwide, aged 13 or older. AI-written applications are banned.
Emergent Ventures is a rolling grant and fellowship fund from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Applicants must be at least 13 years old, and individuals, teams, co-founders, companies and organizations can apply from anywhere in the world. Award amounts are project specific; the program publishes no range or average. The application is a public form with a proposal of no more than 1,500 words, a tweet-length description of the idea and a question about a consensus view. Emergent Ventures no longer accepts AI-written applications and tests submissions, rejecting those that use AI for anything other than proofreading.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- Project specific (no range published)
- Realistic amount
- Amount varies by project; no range published.
- Deadline
- Rolling; no deadline published
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
Who qualifies
- Applicants must be at least 13 years old
- Worldwide; individuals, teams, co-founders, companies or organizations (assign one person as the point of contact)
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Project funding (project specific)
Ineligible expenses
- See official program guidance
How to apply
-
1
Write the proposal
No longer than 1,500 words, written by you without AI beyond proofreading.
~6 hrs
-
2
Complete the public form
Includes: how do you describe your idea in a tweet, and one mainstream or consensus view you absolutely agree with.
~1 hrs
Write it yourself: the program tests submissions and rejects AI-written ones, and the proposal is capped at 1,500 words.
Deadline & timing
Form live 2026-10-17 with no deadline published. AI POLICY: "Emergent Ventures no longer accepts AI-written applications. We will test all submissions and reject those using AI for anything other than proofreading." Do not use AI to draft an application.
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Required documents
- Proposal up to 1,500 words
- Online form answers
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Last updated October 17, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.