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Accelerator, Grant

Accelerator, Grant

North America

North America

OPEN

OPEN

GRANT · HOW TO WIN THIS

Next Wave Fund

Next Wave Fund

$10,000 as a Kickstarter pledge, paid out 2–3 weeks after a successful campaign close.

·

Rolling basis for approximately one year from program launch.

AMOUNT

$10,000 as a Kickstarter pledge, paid out 2–3 weeks after a successful campaign close.

AMOUNT

$10,000 as a Kickstarter pledge, paid out 2–3 weeks after a successful campaign close.

DEADLINE

Rolling basis for approximately one year from program launch.

DEADLINE

Rolling basis for approximately one year from program launch.

FUNDING TYPE

Accelerator, Grant

CAN YOU GET THIS?

You need a tech or gaming project, a US-based team and bank account, and fewer than 20 full-time employees.

You need a tech or gaming project, a US-based team and bank account, and fewer than 20 full-time employees.

At least one team member must be a US citizen, resident, or O-1 visa holder, and the primary contact must be 18 or older. The $10,000 comes as a pledge to your Kickstarter campaign, so you must launch one within six months of selection—and your project must hit its funding goal to receive the money.

At least one team member must be a US citizen, resident, or O-1 visa holder, and the primary contact must be 18 or older. The $10,000 comes as a pledge to your Kickstarter campaign, so you must launch one within six months of selection—and your project must hit its funding goal to receive the money.

YOUR REAL ODDS

Rolling selections are planned over one year, with no published number of recipients.

The first cohort included six recipients across hardware, software, AI, and gaming. Reviewed jointly by Kickstarter and Google teams, with a six-week notification window after applying.

WHAT IT TAKES

  1. Review the 38-question application (downloadable in advance) and prepare answers about you, your team, and your project — 3–5 hours

  2. Submit application and wait for decision — Up to 6 weeks

  3. If selected, prepare and launch your Kickstarter campaign with Kickstarter team guidance — Within 6 months of selection

WORTH KNOWING

The $10,000 is a pledge toward your Kickstarter goal—if your campaign doesn't reach its target, Kickstarter's all-or-nothing model means you receive nothing, so setting a realistic funding goal is critical.

Apply on the funder’s site →

MORE LIKE THIS

Impact Accelerator

€150,000 per venture, combined with accelerator support; cohort-based, not rolling

Global impact ventures in climate, education, or healthcare working toward systemic scale can apply.

Impact Shakers Accelerator

€250,000 upfront (SAFE or equity) plus potential follow-on up to €1.5M; one cohort of ~8 startups per year.

Pre-seed impact startups in Europe with at least one underrepresented founder can apply on a rolling basis for €250k investment plus up to €1.5M follow-on.

Housing Venture Lab cohort

$75,000 per cohort (grant for nonprofits, SAFE for for-profits)

Early-stage housing startups and nonprofits with a working model and bold ideas for affordability or construction innovation.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

$50B+ in available capital across grants, VC funds, CDFIs, and accelerators. Filter by your industry, stage, and region, and see everything you qualify for.

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