Empowering Innovation
We believe that the drive to invent and improve never ends. Our innovation programming revolves around initiatives and people who have transformative ideas that aim to disrupt the status quo through bold and unique concepts that drive innovation. We believe that our ventures will pave the way for transformation so that, together, we can define a brighter future and enact positive change.
267
Projects
(All-Time)
Brown Institute for Media Innovation
The Brown Institute is a collaboration between Columbia University and Stanford University and was designed to encourage and support new endeavors in media innovation. At Stanford, the Institute’s primary focus is on media technology. At Columbia, the Institute primarily focuses on content.
The Institute awards funding in the form of Magic Grants, typically to a small team of graduate students or postgraduates who work towards implementing a prototype or creating an innovative media product. Successful projects might continue as business ventures outside the universities.
Genius Grants
Genius Grants allow individuals to pursue their dream and to create magic. Genius Grants are typically awarded to change-makers that have demonstrated a commitment to solving challenges across different fields or are proven leaders in their community.
These types of grants can target a multitude of ideas, problems, demographics, and systems, from arts innovation to technology to novel interventions. Whatever the intended outcome, we aim to empower innovative individuals’ passion projects so that they can bring their brilliant idea to fruition and make the change they are hoping to see.
Venture Together
Venture Together is comprised of four Venture categories: Theater Ventures, Education Ventures, Innovation Ventures, and Women’s Leadership Ventures. These grants are small gifts to our existing grantee network which provide existing programs the opportunity to explore new and innovative projects and programming.
Venture grants seek to enable grantees to continuously iterate and experiment within their grant frameworks, on an a case-by-case basis, and often emerge from ideas brought to us by the participants themselves.
Magic Grants for Ada Comstock Scholars
The Ada Comstock Scholars Program at Smith College allows nontraditional age women to pursue a bachelor of arts degree. Women leave college and return, or begin college later in life, for a variety of reasons, and the Scholars Program seeks to ease their transition. Smith College’s Magic Grants program is designed to help Ada Comstock Scholars reach their highest potential by funding ideas and projects that will transform communities or the life of the Scholar while recognizing their unique talents.
Previous Innovation Programs
