The Mary Kathryn and Alexander (MBA 1991) Navab Social Impact Fellowship Fund provides grants to social impact ventures led by Harvard students.
In addition to funding to propel their ventures, recipients gain valuable feedback from judges and join a growing network of past SIFF winners who are forging paths in social entrepreneurship.
This fellowship was first established in 2019 through the generosity of Alexander Navab (MBA 1991) and then endowed by his widow Mary Kathryn Navab in 2025. It is the Navab family’s hope that support from this fund helps recipients accelerate and advance their venture creation in social impact sectors.
Applications will be accepted Jan 15th - Jan 29th.
Available Funding
The Navab Social Impact Fellowship Fund awards $200,000 in grants annually, over the course of three Pitch Days (fall, spring, and summer with $60-75K distributed per semester).
Multiple teams can be funded each round. Grants average between $4,000-15,000, though it can vary.
Eligibility
Open to Harvard student-led ventures that meet all the following criteria without exception:
The venture has an active founder or co-founder who is a matriculated, degree-seeking Harvard undergraduate or graduate Harvard student, Harvard postdoctoral fellow or clinical fellow.
The venture has not pitched in a previous round.
- The venture has not raised more than $750K
The venture can't be an initiative, it needs to be a startup venture
The venture can have any incorporation status or no status
Traction, one of...
A good number of active users (e.g. 300+ individuals, or 2+ organizations)
Written partnerships
External funding (investment or donations from arms-length funders) OR intellectual property
Proven Impact
Venture shows significant social impact on lives or climate
Data that what you are doing works (e.g. user retention, user satisfaction, or your impact metrics, and supplemented by testimonials)
Can articulate a path to scale
Navab Social Impact Fellowship Fund
The Mary Kathryn and Alexander (MBA 1991) Navab Social Impact Fellowship Fund provides grants to social impact ventures led by Harvard students.
In addition to funding to propel their ventures, recipients gain valuable feedback from judges and join a growing network of past SIFF winners who are forging paths in social entrepreneurship.
This fellowship was first established in 2019 through the generosity of Alexander Navab (MBA 1991) and then endowed by his widow Mary Kathryn Navab in 2025. It is the Navab family’s hope that support from this fund helps recipients accelerate and advance their venture creation in social impact sectors.
Applications will be accepted Jan 15th - Jan 29th.
Available Funding
The Navab Social Impact Fellowship Fund awards $200,000 in grants annually, over the course of three Pitch Days (fall, spring, and summer with $60-75K distributed per semester).
Multiple teams can be funded each round. Grants average between $4,000-15,000, though it can vary.
Eligibility
Open to Harvard student-led ventures that meet all the following criteria without exception:
The venture has an active founder or co-founder who is a matriculated, degree-seeking Harvard undergraduate or graduate Harvard student, Harvard postdoctoral fellow or clinical fellow.
The venture has not pitched in a previous round.
- The venture has not raised more than $750K
The venture can't be an initiative, it needs to be a startup venture
The venture can have any incorporation status or no status
Traction, one of...
A good number of active users (e.g. 300+ individuals, or 2+ organizations)
Written partnerships
External funding (investment or donations from arms-length funders) OR intellectual property
Proven Impact
Venture shows significant social impact on lives or climate
Data that what you are doing works (e.g. user retention, user satisfaction, or your impact metrics, and supplemented by testimonials)
Can articulate a path to scale