Launch

The Creativity & Leadership project offers financial support for students preparing to implement their entrepreneurial ideas.  The application processes for these competitive grants provides students with valuable opportunities to develop their strategic planning abilities, presentation skills, and engagement with the broader Oberlin community.

These Fellowships award innovative, motivated, and prepared Oberlin students the unparalleled opportunity to move their entrepreneurial ideas from concept to reality. The Creativity & Leadership Project seeks dedicated students who have a model for addressing a demonstrated need or demand. These ventures may be driven by profit or social motives (or both), but should have a feasible strategy for financial sustainability.

Creativity & Leadership Fellowships are grants of up to $30,000 made to graduating seniors.

Deadlines:

» VIEW APPLICATION

» VIEW Fellowship AWARDEES

OBERLIN VENTURE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

The Oberlin Venture Mentorship Program links Creativity & Leadership Fellowship winners with business or non-profit mentors who share a common interest and have skills, contacts, and insight to help a team or individual navigate the challenges of launching a venture.

This program provides fellows with extraordinary opportunities to learn from social and business entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, grantmaking professionals, or service professionals, and provides these professionals with meaningful opportunities to give back to the Oberlin community by sharing their expertise with young entrepreneurs.  

To participate as a mentor please contact us at creativity@oberlin.edu.

Creativity & Leadership Internship Stipend Awards of up to $3,500 are available to students for internships that support entrepreneurship. Examples of such internships include: conducting research or investigating a potential venture with an experienced entrepreneur; serving as an intern with an established organization or individual/team engaged in a successful venture; developing skills to further personal entrepreneurial aspirations. Internships with both non-profit and for-profit organizations are eligible for support.

Applications and deadlines for stipends will be available during spring semester 2009.

» VIEW INTERSHIP STIPEND AWARDEES

This award is ideal for students who are passionate about exploring the potential of their ideas. Creativity Fund grants intervene at the moment when Oberlin students say: “I think I know how I can do this better.” These awards give students the chance to put that thought into action.

The Creativity Fund awards up to $2,000 to support students as they test out an entrepreneurial idea. Grants are available to all current Oberlin College and Conservatory students without restriction. We welcome a wide range of projects, including those focused on social change.

Deadlines:

*Graduating seniors must use funds by August 31, 2008.

» VIEW APPLICATION

» VIEW CREATIVITY FUND AWARDEES

Conservatory Initiative Grants Supporting Imagination and Excellence (CIGSIE) provide innovative, motivated, and prepared Oberlin Conservatory and Double-Degree students the opportunity to develop imaginative artistic projects to be implemented during Winter Term.  Up to three individual or group projects will be awarded grants of up to $6,000.

Deadlines:

» VIEW APPLICATION

» VIEW CIGSIE AWARDEES