He called it New Atlantis, a utopia fueled by relentless invention and discovery, where Merchants of Light united to shatter the limits of what's possible.
Almost 400 years later, The O'Shaughnessy Fellowship is on a mission to write the next chapter. We're hunting for the next generation of builders, researchers, and creatives, like you, who will advance civilization.
Applications closed on April 30, 202611,813 people applied this year.
Twelve Months of pure possibility. No equity. No corporate overlords. No thesis requirements. No committee approvals.
Just you, your vision, and the resources to make it real.
This is the O’Shaughnessy Fellowship: a one-year program that unites the world’s boldest souls and brightest minds to create our future.
In the past three years, we’ve scoured over 160 countries to find and fund over 75 extraordinary individuals.
Fellows are creating synthetic cells, saving dying languages, building homes for homeless children, researching biological machinery to stop aging, making sci-fi films, designing novel roses that don't exist in nature, launching the New Yorker for the Spanish speaking world, building anti-recording devices, creating global #1 viral songs, building mechanical hands for amputees, storing data in plants and numerous other scientific, artistic, and technological projects.
Fellows turning “what if” into reality.
Developing an affordable, DIY mechanical partial hand prosthetic kit.
I'm thankful to Jim O’Shaughnessy for this amazing opportunity that will allow me to, at an accelerated rate, experiment with the delivery method of my project while also improving the lives of a few fellow amputees.
A topical solution that prevents and reverses tick bites
Receiving an O’Shaughnessy Fellowship gives me the opportunity to continue building a first-in-kind topical solution designed to prevent tick bites and address a growing global public health threat. I envision a world where people and animals can live safely, protected from tick-borne diseases. I am deeply grateful to OSV for believing in this vision.
Perpetuo: The New Yorker for the Spanish-speaking world.
I hope one day people can look back at Perpetuo and see it as a turning point in the Spanish language. If that is the case, becoming part of the OSV community should be seen as a turning point for Perpetuo—one for which I shall be forever grateful.
Building a founder community through a content engine fueled by unforgettable experiences.
The O'Shaughnessy endorsement lets me double down on a belief I’ve always held: with the right people and the right energy, anything is possible. I'm excited to continue investing the time and money into those benefiting humanity.
Developing a gene therapy to block the activity of DUX4, the toxic protein at the root of FSHD, in order to stop the disease in its tracks.
Receiving this Fellowship means getting to dedicate my life to do the most meaningful work I can imagine: trying to cure the disease I and nearly one million others worldwide live with. I could not be more grateful for Jim and the OSV team for their belief in this mission and the vision of a world free from FSHD.
A moonshot project: A nanodevice to connect a biological cell to the internet.
Being selected for this fellowship is truly humbling. This is a rare opportunity to work on a moonshot idea, to turn ambitious science into practical technology.
An audio series that's more concept album than conversation.
I’ve always been inspired by the breadth of groundbreaking projects OSV backs. At a time when funding for arts projects and artists is shrinking, OSV is boldly supporting imaginative work that can shape tomorrow. I'm incredibly proud to be part of that. Thank you, Jim!
Are you ready to leap into the unknown, discover what others haven't, and bring back knowledge that launches humanity forward?
If you're working on something that can radically transform the world, we want to hear from you.
O'Shaughnessy Fellows come from every domain imaginable. Quantum computing. Documentary filmmaking. Endangered language preservation. Prosthetic engineering.
We're looking for:
Self-directed Tinkerers
You’ll get the capital, not a step-by-step instruction manual.You don't wait for things to happen. You make them happen. You've consistently taken initiative, built things without being told, and solved problems you weren't assigned.
Prolific Problem Solvers
You've done remarkable work — in any domain. Maybe it's published research, a viral project, or a solution you built for your community. You've already built something when nobody was watching or supporting you. Walls can't stop you.
Relentlessly Resourceful
You are relentlessly determined and resourceful, and exercise exceptional judgment, and MacGyver your way through obstacles with limited resources. You can get things done regardless of the funding you have. You always figure out a way
If you're nodding along to this, you're exactly who we're looking for.
2026
What to expect from the application process.
Stage 1 · Application Window
January 1 – April 30, 2026
We review applications on a rolling basis, so applying early works in your favor. Given the volume we receive, we may not be able to follow up with everyone.
Stage 2 · Intro Calls with the Team
February 1 – May 30, 2026
Shortlisted applicants hop on a call with our team. This is your chance to think out loud, share your vision, show us how you solve problems and ask us any questions you have.
Stage 3 · Deeper Conversations
Through June 15, 2026
Meet more of the OSV team and extended network. Each conversation brings you closer to a decision. Nearly 12,000 applications this year (up from 7,000) means we're running past our original June 1st target. We'll be in touch directly as soon as yours is made.
The internet brought us a lot more than just cat videos and strangers arguing. It brought us a new world.
A teenage prodigy in rural Nigeria can now collaborate with a scientist in the Bay Area. A researcher in Poland can be funded by a visionary in Manhattan. Seven degrees of separation have collapsed into a single click.
The tools are in your hands. The only question is… what are you building?
Chart your own path
Credentialism is dying. The script is torn up. Nobody cares where you went to school anymore. They care what you’ve made, what you’ve discovered, what impossible thing you’ve somehow pulled off anyway. The question is not Where did you study? It is What have you done?
No debt. No dilution.
Getting started with something audacious is terrifying, especially when you have responsibilities, mouths to feed, rent to pay. Innovation requires the freedom to tinker, to fail spectacularly, to learn from new mistakes. All Fellows receive up to $100,000 equity-free to pursue their projects for the year. You keep 100% ownership.$
Our network becomes your network
Extraordinary visions demand true believers. We can connect you directly to investors, partners, and mentors. You join a growing community of Fellows whose unique interests and skillsets can combine to create unimaginable breakthroughs. We’ve watched it happen.
Tailored to your vision.
Not every project requires the same level of funding. Every year, dozens of Fellows receive between $10,000-$100,000 in equity-free funding, tailored to the scope of their vision.
Justh
Making music designed to last 1,000 years.
Chor is the Global Number 1 Viral Song on Spotify at the moment (Feb 2024). Like the number 1 viral song on Spotify worldwide. This is big. This is huge. I was able to make the song the way it is because of the O Shaughnessy Grants Thank you so much O Shaughnessy Ventures ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Addy Cha
Enhancing mind and body capabilities to better understand reality.
The spontaneity and magic of our last few days together will go down as some of the best memories of my life.
I think it literally changed my life.
Dimitri Vallein
A 4D sci-fi short film, with actors captured using 4D Gaussian Splatting and brought into photorealistic worlds audiences can step inside.
I want to make beautiful films that bring our most extraordinary scientific and philosophical ideas into popular culture. Films that leave people fascinated by reality and excited about what we could become. Receiving an O’Shaughnessy Fellowship will help me bring that vision to life. I’m grateful to the OSV team for believing in ambitious ideas before the path is obvious.
Ninon Lizé Masclef
Reconstructing dreams as immersive 3D scenes using AI from brainwave activity.
Joining the program is a lighthouse confirming that I should pursue my moonshot Art & Science vision I carved independently throughout my life. I am excited to see the exponential growth of my potential that would empower the O'Shaughnessy Fellowship.
Israel Balogun
Providing an alternative and inclusive learning space.
Turning the story of millions of homeless children around in Nigeria began with one call — a call from an OSV Fellowship representative. That single moment marked the beginning of a new era for us and every child still waiting for a chance.
Benjamin Arya
Expanding genome engineering tools, improving gene delivery, and profiling genome maintenance.
if there were 10 more OSVs doing things like these we could solve all the problems of our age
Michelle Wang
Developing 3D-printed magnets for faster, low-waste production.
I'm grateful to the OSV team for this opportunity, and for taking big bets on garage tinkering and early-stage ideas. I'm excited to develop new manufacturing methods for magnets which I hope will expand our technological capabilities.
Michael Dean
Essay Architecture: An AI editor and framework for objective essay quality.
I've been obsessed with reading, writing, and editing essays for four years now, but the O’Shaughnessy Fellowship will grant me the focus and support to create a product that will elevate the quality of writing across the Internet.
Natasha Tsakos
Space Wonders presents PARABOLES, the first research-driven multimedia performance in microgravity, returning to Earth as film, installation, and live experience, born from the medium of space.
We're inventing a new industry: theatrical experiences for space environments, felt on Earth. Thank you, OSV, for backing the misfits who insist humanity's next chapter be filled with wonder.
Jenny Wagner
I am exploring how much dark matter really matters in our universe using the least amount of necessary assumptions possible
I am over the moon to be the first astrophysicist to receive an O'Shaughnessy Fellowship because, in the OSV community, I have found like-minded people who share my attitudes and values. A big thank you to Jim O'Shaughnessy and his entire team for supporting my research. Let's carry a bright torch to the dark side of the universe together!
Shiwei Mitchell-Wang
Building the tools to see biology's invisible sugar code to understand how proteins and sugars shape health and disease.
We advance science by seeing the invisible, and OSV Fellowship backs individuals who dare to stare into the darkness. It's an honor to be supported by OSV, and I can't wait to set off on this journey to unveil biology's deepest secrets.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for?
Visit the Help CenterApplications closed on April 30, 2026
Program summary
Fellowships
Up to 20 awarded
Funding
Up to $100,000
Equity
0% taken
Reach
160+ countries
O'Shaughnessy Fellowship · Supporting researchers, builders, and creatives who push civilization forward.
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