The Ashoka Fellowship

A community and a life-time support to accelerate impact

For more than 40 years, Ashoka has built and nurtured the largest network of leading social entrepreneurs in the world by electing them as Fellows. We formed a community of actors of change (changemakers) to reply to the world’s biggest problems in a deep and sustainable way.

About Ashoka Fellows Selecting Ashoka Fellows

After a rigorous selection process, Ashoka Fellows are introduced to a life-long fellowship, where every member is committed to championing new patterns of social good. We encourage Ashoka Fellows to take ownership of the network and we partner with them to co-create Ashoka’s vision of an Everyone a Changemaker world.

We understand the individual needs of social entrepreneurs vary depending on the stage of their work. Once selected, each Ashoka Fellow embarks on a tailored timeline of investments and support over their lifetime. We make sure that the Ashoka brand, the engagements we curate and facilitate, and the connections we open are valuable to each Fellow. We invite Fellows to make the most of the network through interactions that will increase their chances for deepening their social impact.

Some of the Support Fellows will enjoy include:

A Global Network

Ashoka's Network includes over 3,600 Ashoka Fellows, as well as hundreds of Changemaker Institutions, Partners and Young Changemakers. Collectively, they support the emergence of a world where each person can become a Changemaker.

A Life-long Fellowship

Thanks to mentors and courses, among others, the Fellowship reinforces the capacity of Fellows to develop their impact to change the world throughout their life.

Increased Visibility

The Ashoka Fellowship being one of the first and most prestigious network of social entrepreneurs in the world, upon joining it, Fellows gain credibility and acknowledgment from peers and relevant institutions.

Financial Support

A tailored stipend for up to three years, if needed, is offered to the Fellow, so that they are able to dedicate themselves full time to the advancement of their idea.

Ashoka Fellows Change Policy, Market Dynamics, and How People Think

Ashoka also identifies patterns that are emerging from our Fellows—types of solutions, strategies, topic areas, etc.—that often point to areas ripe for major change. These learnings from across our Fellowship guide Ashoka’s work and investments in strategic initiatives that empower every person to be a changemaker. In 2018, Ashoka led one of the largest and most diverse studies of system changing social entrepreneurs ever conducted: Unlonely Planet Impact Report. And we found that Ashoka Fellows are having systems-level impact — 74% have achieved change in public policy or legislation, while many others are changing market systems, and mindsets.

Ashoka Fellows know that in order to spread their idea quickly and turn it into society’s “new normal,” they must employ innovative strategies to get their idea into the hands of as many people as possible. We define independent replication as when an independent organisation or institution takes on a Fellow’s idea, further increasing the scale and impact.

0 %

of Fellows have seen their idea replicated by independent groups

0 %

have achieved change in public policy or legislation

have seen their idea replicated within their country of residence

have seen their idea replicated in other countries

Systems Change

At Ashoka, we believe that the most powerful force for good is a systems-changing idea in the hands of a formidable social entrepreneur. True systems change is the result of scaling social impact and not growing an organisation; it is the result of letting go of control of an idea, and enabling and encouraging others to join in and implement change. Ashoka Fellows embody this concept and their ideas have positively impacted on countless people around the world.

Learn More

Collective Impact For Systems Change

Discover how we ignite collaborations and collective impact around Europe´s most pressing challenges: Biodiversity, Democracy, Anti-corruption, the impacts of COVID-19 and more.

Changemakers United

Ashoka's Changemakers United (CMU) initiative is sourcing, disseminating, supporting, connecting and scaling solutions of innovative social entrepreneurs to the challenges Covid-19 presents to the world. We do so by leveraging Ashoka’s global network of social innovators as well as the partners networks, workforce and communities they are a part of.

More About CMU

Next Now

In pockets across the globe, humans are pioneering and implementing real-life solutions — answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Powered by Ashoka, Next Now identifies, supports and lifts up these examples, and the changemakers behind them.

More About Next Now

European Fellowship

The Europe Fellowship Programe is a co-creative and co-learning community that empowers and connects change leaders and key players of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Europe, who aim for co-creative systems change, and advance social entrepreneurship and changemaking for the good of all across the continent.

More About European Fellowship

Do you know someone with a path-breaking idea?

Are they creative, entrepreneurial problem-solvers tackling big social problems?

Recommend