The Slavin Family Foundation provides support to dedicated students that have a desire to contribute to humanity and the ability and discipline to bring entrepreneurial ideas to life.

The Foundation’s main activity is the Slavin Fellowship, which offers support, mentorship, and a grant to a limited number of undergraduate and graduate students pursuing entrepreneurial projects.

The Fellowship is primarily run remotely, with the Foundation’s team and its contacts, and the Fellows themselves, located across the US and the world.

The Foundation also organizes an annual Slavin Fellowship Summit to bring together current and past Fellows. The 2017, 2018, and 2019 Summits were held at Rice University, Georgetown University, and McGill University, respectively. In 2020, a Virtual Summit was held, with smaller, periodic virtual hangouts in 2021 and 2022. The 2023, 2024, and 2025 Summits were held in June at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. The location and dates of our eighth summit (2026) are TBA.




The Foundation’s team includes chairman Nick Slavin, executive director Bethany Cates, and collaborators John Adler (Stanford), Jeff Andrews (IP expert), Matthew Hoerl (Beautiful Things), Daniel Kammen (UC Berkeley), Sean Kellman (EES Ventures), Lynn Loo (Princeton), Erica Lutes (Fulbright Commission), Olav Sorenson (UCLA), Nova Spivack (Magical), and Victor Strecher (U Michigan).

Our hope is that the long-term impact of the Slavin Family Foundation will be as a meaningful supporter of independent thinking and the exploring spirit that pushes the boundaries of what is possible.

Descriptions of our Slavin Fellows can be found here.

A fuller description of the Fellowship program, including application instructions, can be found here.

Application deadlines for 2025 are February 15, June 15, and October 15.