About this opportunity
Mozilla Foundation is handing ten people up to $125,000 each to build the technology nobody else will fund yet. The brief is deliberately provocative: bring the wildest version of your idea, the one that questions who gets to decide and puts control back with the people who use it. Optimizing the status quo, they say plainly, is somebody else’s job.
There are two tracks. Track I places you inside a host civil society organisation with mentorship and pays $100,000 in total, split as a $75,000 stipend and a $25,000 project budget. This year’s hosts include the Slum and Rural Health Initiative in Nigeria, BASAibu in Indonesia, Fundación Kamanau in Chile, LAS Art Foundation in Germany and Quantum Village in the United States. Track II is independent and pays $125,000 in total, as a $100,000 stipend plus the same $25,000 project budget. One Independent spot is reserved for Creative Advocacy, for an artist or provocateur who can turn a stunt into a movement.
The
focus areas
are neurotech, biotech and physical AI, hard infrastructure across compute, energy and quantum, raising the odds that AI goes right rather than obsessing over it going wrong, business models for a post-agentic web, shared security and audit infrastructure that small organisations can actually afford, and sovereign AI and public infrastructure that keeps running after the company behind it is gone. If your work fits none of these, apply as a Wildcard.
The gate that matters is the Letter of Intent, not the full application. It closes on 17 December 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific, which lands at 07:59 Lagos time on 18 December, so treat 17 December as your date. Primary review happens there, and only a short list is invited to submit a full application by 12 March 2027. Final notifications come on 30 April 2027 and the Fellowship runs 12 months from 1 June 2027.
What you receive
- Up to $125,000 for 12 months of work
- A $25,000 project budget on top of the stipend in both tracks
- A global network of more than 200 Fellows who have done this before you
- Mentorship and a community to work inside if you join Track I with a host organisation
- Freedom to choose your own approach and build products, tools and working systems in Track II
Who can apply
- Open to applicants anywhere in the world, and anyone can apply directly
- You are building in one of the six focus areas, or you apply as a Wildcard if your idea fits none of them
- One reserved Independent Fellowship spot goes to Creative Advocacy, for a culture jammer, prankster or artist-provocateur
- Self-nominations are welcome through the nomination route as well as direct applications
Who should not apply
- There is no published country restriction, but the focus areas are the filter, so projects outside them belong in the Wildcard category
Documents to prepare
- A Letter of Intent describing your idea and why it is too early for other funders
- A full application, invited only, submitted by 12 March 2027 at 11:59 PM Pacific
How to apply
- Read the full call for applications and the RFP at https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/what-we-do/grantmaking/fellowship/2027-call-for-applications/ to check your idea against the six focus areas.
- Submit your Letter of Intent at https://mzl.la/fellowshipsLOI by 17 December 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific. Most of the review happens at this stage.
- Shortlisted applicants are invited to submit a full application on 16 February 2027.
- Submit the full application by 12 March 2027 at 11:59 PM Pacific.
- Final applicants are notified on 30 April 2027, and the Fellowship begins on 1 June 2027 for 12 months.
Selection process
- Applications are reviewed through a multi-stage process
- Primary review happens at the Letter of Intent stage
- Only a small number of shortlisted applicants are invited to submit a full application in early 2027
- Final applicants are notified on 30 April 2027
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
Can I nominate someone instead of applying?
Yes. Anyone can apply directly, and nominations are an extra route. Nominees who meet the eligibility criteria are contacted with details on how to submit a Letter of Intent. Self-nominations are welcome.
What are the two tracks?
Track I Embedded Fellows work on a project hosted and mentored by a civil society organisation and receive $100,000 in total. Track II Independent Fellows pursue their own most ambitious idea and receive $125,000 in total. Both include a $25,000 project budget.
What if my idea does not fit a focus area?
Apply as a Wildcard. Mozilla says some of its best Fellows arrived with an idea nobody had thought to ask for.
When does the deadline fall in Nigerian time?
The Letter of Intent closes at 11:59 PM Pacific on 17 December 2026, which is 07:59 Lagos time on 18 December 2026. Treat 17 December as the working date.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
