Thiel Fellowship
The Thiel Foundation
$250,000 over two years
$250,000 over two years, no equity, for people aged 22 or younger without a degree. Applications are accepted year round.
The Thiel Fellowship gives fellows $250,000 over two years, with no equity taken in your company. It is for anyone aged 22 or younger without a university degree, and fellows must drop out of school to accept. It is open worldwide and reviews applicants as individuals; incorporating a company is not required. The foundation accepts applications year round with no deadline. The application is an online form anyone can open without signing in: basic details, links, an optional deck, and eight short written answers, starting with "What are you working on now?" Selection is by a selective review process.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- $250,000
- Realistic amount
- $250,000 over two years to each selected fellow.
- Deadline
- Rolling; no deadline (applications accepted year round)
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
Who qualifies
- Anyone aged 22 or younger (and without a university degree)
- Must drop out of school to accept
- Worldwide; reviewed as individuals
- You don't need to have incorporated a company
Is the Thiel Fellowship legit?
Yes. The Thiel Foundation has run it since 2011. It is free to apply, but it is a fellowship for people 22 or younger, not a small-business grant.
- Who runs it: The Thiel Foundation; Peter Thiel founded the fellowship in 2011
- What winners get: $250,000 over two years, with no equity taken
- Who can apply: People aged 22 or younger; no university degree needed
- Deadline: Applications are accepted year round
Sources: thielfellowship.org · page 2. Last checked at the funder on October 18, 2026.
Past Thiel Fellowship winners
The 2026 fellows the foundation announced included:
- Victor Boyd, Cavalla, Birmingham, AL · 2026 class (announced Apr 21, 2026)
- Samuel Carvalho, Praso, Recife, Brazil · 2026 class (announced Apr 21, 2026)
- Nick Dobroshinsky, EveryTicker, Sammamish, WA · 2026 class (announced Apr 21, 2026)
- Ishan Gupta, Juicebox, Kanpur, India · 2026 class (announced Apr 21, 2026)
- Aubrey Niederhoffer, Swoop, New York, NY · 2026 class (announced Apr 21, 2026)
- Claire Wang, Los Angeles, CA · 2026 class (announced Apr 21, 2026)
Names as published by the Thiel Foundation (via its April 2026 press release) (source). GrantCompass is not affiliated with the Thiel Foundation (via its April 2026 press release).
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What the Thiel Fellowship application asks
The Thiel Fellowship application asks eight written questions, alongside your contact details, links and education. There is no entry fee. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and you submit on the funder’s own form at thielfellowship.my.site.com. These are the questions as they appear on the form:
-
1
What are you working on now?
-
2
What cool stuff have you worked on in the past?
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3
What is the most important problem facing your field?
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4
What is the most important problem facing another field of work?
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5
What are you currently obsessed with that is totally unrelated to your project?
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6
How do you feel about money?
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7
What are you scared of?
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8
Tell us something tangible you want.
What the answers need to show
- What you're building now, concretely
- Things you've built before
- Original views on important problems
- Honest, personal answers
GrantCompass drafts the Thiel Fellowship application from your own answers. You answer four short questions about what you're building and we write all eight answers around what the form asks, to fit the form. We use only what you tell us: nothing is invented, and anything a stronger answer needs is left as a marked blank for you to fill. The preview is free with no card. The full draft is $9, refunded in full within 7 days if it doesn’t make your application stronger. You review it and submit it yourself; GrantCompass is independent and not affiliated with the Thiel Foundation. Start a free draft on this page (grantcompass.co/grants/thiel-fellowship), or read how the drafting works.
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Fellowship funds over two years (no use restrictions published)
Ineligible expenses
- See official program guidance
How to apply
-
1
Check the age and degree rule
22 or younger and no university degree.
~10 min
-
2
Fill in the online form
Basic details and links, then eight written answers with no length limit; no sign-in needed to open it.
~6 hrs
Only apply if you are ready to leave school: the fellowship requires it. Most of the eight written answers are about you, not your project (what you fear, what you're obsessed with, how you feel about money), so they need your own voice.
Deadline & timing
FAQ: "Is there an application deadline? No - we accept applications year round." Fellows must be 22 or younger and without a university degree, and must leave school to accept.
Applications are open — don’t lose the window
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Required documents
- Online application: eight written answers, links and an optional deck
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Last updated November 1, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.